To Be A Woman of Leisure

My friends know I've been saying this for years. It's been one of my major goals life - "to be a woman of leisure." That’s my American Dream. It doesn't mean I want to marry rich (though I have nothing against it!) or that I need to win the lottery (would love to!). It means that I am not working or paying bills for my health or because I really love it. Being self-employed or owning businesses is great - it suits me to not have to answer to a "boss" other than myself. But people say "It must be so fulfilling..." NOT! It's hard work!

Not having a steady paycheck or regular hours is tough. It takes a lot of discipline and determination to stay motivated to be owner, marketer, admin assistant, and primary worker of your own business. But my primary reason for working is so that I won’t be a bum on the street. Not because I want to.

It would be such a pleasure to wake up and not have to call anybody, answer any emails or do any work. I'd love to be Weezy Jefferson and go down to The Help Center and volunteer my time to help at risk teens, single mothers, or someone who just needs a listening ear. It would be a joy to get up every morning and paint or create art, write a novella, go to the gym, watch Ellen, Oprah and Ugly Betty, and end the day cooking an exciting gourmet meal because I felt like it. Who the heck WANTS to work?

My dad (God rest his soul) was and my mom still is a workaholic - at age 64. At this point it's not because she has to - it's because she doesn't know what else to do with herself. I’m grateful for them showing me how to aim high and work hard to reach my goals, but I sho nuff pray I'm not still working at that age. I'm trying to retire by 40 actually!

I don't know if this is a good or bad thing, but the ambition I had in my 20's has waned. By age 28, I had hustled and scraped my way to the top as a Senior Creative Director at an IT Consulting Firm (OK it wasn't the top but it was as high as I needed to get before I became an independent consultant). I definitely believed that whoever acquired the most “toys” wins. I went through all the real estate investing, jewelry, motorcycles, luxury cars, clothes, shoes and handbags. Hell, if I’d not gone so crazy on the last 5 things, I’d probably be able to retire tomorrow! But now in my 30’s I’m finding that my priorities have changed. I don’t need all the “bling” anymore. I just want to be comfortable and not have to worry about finances. But the biggest change is – I don’t want to work.

Oprah said to find your passion and try and turn it into a career, so I started on a second degree in Interior Design. But do I really want to start from scratch in a new industry? And once it becomes a job, will I lose the passion for it – just like I’ve done with graphic design (been doing that for 12 years). Starting in a new career also may set my age-40 retirement goal back a bit. SIGH!

So, lately my mind energy has been spent on thinking of creative ways to reach my goal as soon as possible – finding some great idea or inventing some innovative product that will sell like pet rocks and rubix cubes and make millions so I can live my life of leisure.

So, does it make me lazy to want to not work? Am I wrong for not wanting to bust my tail for a check? Why should our goal be to turn 60 or 65 when we can retire and enjoy a real vacation? Why should we have to wait ‘til we’re too old to go hiking in the rainforests of Africa or too wrinkled to sunbath on the shores of Greece? I say, why wait?