Not having money can make things more difficult, but you can modify your goals to be more achievable, once you know what your excuses are.
I’ve long wondered whether you don’t really like to travel as much as you say you do.
Travel is one of those aspirations that everyone seems to say that they wish they could do more.
But I wonder. And I don’t just wonder because I seem to be the only person who doesn’t loathe the actual process of traveling. (Seriously, if you hate the process of travel, then what part do you love? The actual being there? That’s such a small part of the experience!)
I wonder because the people I talk to don’t seem to have a strong sense of what they would do if they were traveling. If travel is what you’d like to do more than anything else, then don’t stare blankly at me when I ask you where you wish you could go.
(And don’t just say Hawaii. Which island? What would you do there? What time of year? Why?)
No, I think people don’t travel more because, well, they don’t want to. But it’s an easy thing to say that you wish you could do.
But what’s more interesting to me is why people say that they can’t.
Often times, it’s the money. But is it?
What is important to you?
I don’t believe that money is an all-encompassing excuse for not doing something that’s important to you.
Sure, money might be a factor in making it more difficult (or slower), but in most cases, what’s really important to people is not hampered by money.
Take travel. Travel isn’t inherently expensive. I backpacked around Europe 20+ years ago for around $25 a day. True, I wasn’t sipping wine on the banks of the Seine in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, but I did buy a crepe with Nutella in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower once.
And I like Nutella more than I like wine anyway.
Do you want to travel, or do you want luxury travel? Does not being able to afford the luxury mean that you don’t even want to go?
Think flights are expensive? They can be, but not always. Have you heard of Scott’s Cheap Flights? You can find crazy good deals, if you’re flexible.
I’m not saying excuses aren’t legitimate. You could be getting a divorce. Your kids could be ill. Your spouse doesn’t want to do what you want to do. You’re under house arrest. (I jest, but you know what I mean.)
But I think it’s important to be aware of what your excuses are. And that’s it’s not as simple as “because I don’t have enough money”.
Modify your idea to make it more possible
If you want something enough, then you will find a way to make it happen, regardless of money.
Yes, some of the specifics might differ. If you want to own a beach-side mansion overlooking the Pacific, but you make $9.25 an hour, that’s going to be a challenge.
But could you rent a place for the night or the weekend? If you saved up for it, you probably could.
Besides, is it the owning that’s really important to you, or the experiencing? Do you need to own the place? Probably not.
Your excuses are surmountable, but that’s not the point here. The point is that while money makes things easier, money is often not the sole reason why you haven’t achieved something you want.
You can use time, dedication, networking, community, or some combination of all of these, to surmount the money issue.
You can make things happen. Don’t use money as an excuse.
