What Would You Do If Money Were No Object

[IndomitableSam]

So... I've been reading a lot of Zen Pencils lately, specifically I keep going back to his Alan Watts [http://zenpencils.com/comic/98-alan-watts-what-if-money-was-no-object/] comic about doing what you love instead of making money.

I'm burnt out. Dead tired, mentally exhausted, and I don't enjoy my job. At all. On paper, it's agreat job. Government, regular hours, good pay, great pension, guaranteed raises and all that... but every day it's harder and harder to get up and go. I've used up all but a couple days of sick time and am fighting with myself not to just use up my last few days of vacation now and save them, as they have to last through March, when fiscal year ends.

Every day I come to work, sit down at my desk, and do maybe an hour or two of work a day, the rest is spent looking at the same few websites over and over. I don't care about my job, I don't take pride in it, and people are beginning to notice that I just don't care anymore. I'm ashamed, and every day I try to psyche myself up and get some work done, but I can't. It's all so pointless and I'm getting seriously depressed.

So I keep going back to that comic. I want to quit. Desperatley. I have enough money put away to do what I love for a while, which is write. I can do it, and then find work again if it fails. I have so many ideas and I just brighten up and sit straighter when I think about leaving to write. I even smile, thinking about it. I went out with a friend last night (It was half price wine night as well, so I'm a bit off from that), but she left a job just like mine (we're in the same field) for a retail job that she loves. She's lost weight, sleeps less, eats better and is all around happy. Except she took a 50% pay cut. So it's a bit of a struggle, but she's happy now.

I'm jealous. My partner quit their job in January. Which I was fine with, it was incredibly toxic and they needed to leave. Except it's been nine months now, and they've drained their savings and are now tapping into other funds earmarked for travel and retirement. When she left, I took over paying all the rent, and she just pays the utilities and groceries. So I haven't been saving any money for the last nine months. And I'm angry. Somewhat at her, yes, but...

I want to leave my job. And I can't. She would go dead broke within a couple months, as I've been paying the bulk of the cost of living since then.

I want to do what I love... but I feel trapped and I hate the world for it.

TLDR: What would you do, if you could? If you weren't trapped or money weren't a problem?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Travel more. Other than that, more or less what I'm doing now - go to press screenings, write for a living, play videogames.

 

[Esotera]

I would keep doing what I am now on a part-time basis - studying biosciences at uni & a bit of programming/smalltime research, only I'd own a house & not have any debt. I'd also probably plant a fuck-ton of trees and try and figure out some way to solve the climate crisis, or at least develop some cool technology to mitigate its effects.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

If I had enough money to last me my whole life, the first thing I'd do is buy GTA V!

Other than that I would write and start going to drama classes that aren't free. Also I'd probably stop making my girlfriend pay for coffee...

 

[Little Woodsman]

Well, to answer the stated question: Design & make TTRPG's, card games & board games, write, work conventions.

Now, to address the problems you spoke of OP, can you identify what it is about your current job that leaves you dissatisfied? There have been many people at my 'day job' who have expressed extreme frustration at what we do...until I pointed out to them what it is we are really doing.
Secondly, a warning about quitting a job to pursue a hobby. This turns your hobby into work. Recently some friends & I decided to get serious about turning the home-brew TTRPG we use into a publishable commodity. Despite the initial enthusiasm people have continually been late on assigned work or just plain not done assigned work...because now that it is something that's assigned & expected it isn't fun, it's a chore. Same with an artist friend of mine...when left to her own devices she would spontaneously create wonderful works of art in short order, just because she wanted to, now when people offer to pay her for her work, she has a terrible time forcing herself to do the same things she did on her own for free, because now it's not something she wants to do for the joy of doing it, it's something she has to do for money.
This isn't to say "Do not pursue your hobby as a career" but do be aware it has it's own pitfalls. I'm guessing that your job doesn't keep you occupied 24/7...maybe devote some of your free time to pursuing writing on the side while you keep your 'day job'.
Try stepping back from your job and examining it from a fresh perspective. Maybe ask someone you trust what they think your job is about and what their take on it is. Maybe you can find some enthusiasm for it after all.
Hope things turn out well for you!

 

[IndomitableSam]

Well, to answer the stated question: Design & make TTRPG's, card games & board games, write, work conventions.

-Snip-

If you think about it, my job is culturally important and extremely rewarding. It's my job to track down and keep contact with all the publishers in my province and have them send me copies of every book, magazine, etc printed - we're a depository library. So I keep up relationships with publishers, printers, individuals and can spend my day tracking down new books and magazines.

In reality? I spend my day trolling websites, filling up spreadsheets with new titles, writing request letters, sorting and shelving new books, and occassionally working the reference desk, where I'm in way over my head if anyone asks a political question (as this is the Legislative Library). My days are seriously spent filling in form letters, spreadsheets, paper kardexes and files and renewing subscriptions to things. Tracking down people or companies who haven't sent us things and need to (and refuse to) is torture. Hundreds of items cross my desk every month and it's my job to keep track of every single one. I rarely, if ever, get to leave my desk. And fi I do, it's because someone has dumped something new on me that I don't know how to do or want to do.

Also, we're incredibly understaffed, being a government institution. We're running at about 70% capacity and probably will be from now one. Except that the head of a department is retiring in December, so there goes 27 years of experience, and the person filling in for her leaves her own position empty as well. We've also got another 3 people that could retire anytime in the next year, and I would not be surprise dif they do. That would leave us with about 7 people to run 2 libraries open to the public as well as do all the other duties a depository library does. As well as all the government research we do. Everyone's exhausted. My boss just recentley got back as hed been off since May with a concussion, so I'd been left adrift, trying to cover for him and myself, since then.

I know well how hobbies turn into work - I was unemployed before I got this job for a few months, and I got next to nothing done. It's tough... and I have to think long and hard about what I'm going to do. We'd already decided that when our cat passes away I'll be leaving the job anyway so we could go travel and then relocate and find work where we settle. Which is fine, as a librarian I've got business experience as well, and can fit into a library or an office, or a classroom easily.

I'm just... done, and I know I can't be and fight with myself every day. And it's currently shit, but it's a safe, easy, comfortable life.

 

[Miyenne]

I'm her (the OP's) partner, her twin sister.

Work was toxic for me and we discussed things thoroughly before I quit.

When I was off work I wrote one book and published it, I was into it and worked hard and so excited.

And it hasn't sold, despite everyone who has read it really enjoying it. So my work on the sequel has become less and less a priority and more and more a chore.

I want to enjoy writing, but I don't so much anymore.

I don't know what I want to do.

 

[sanquin]

What I'd do with money not being an issue:

I'd travel for a while, then buy a castle with a nice piece of land, and make the bottom floor and the land available for larps at a reasonable price. Then I'd buy every LARP item I currently want but can't afford, and LARP every weekend on the best LARP terrain possible. Medieval and fantasy fairs would be allowed too of course. The other floors would be for living in normally, with a separate home cinema and a computer room. Heck, even a room to keep various pets and animals. For that matter, I'd buy myself a bunch of terraria, get several reptiles and snakes, a dog and a second cat."

What I'd do if I wasn't trapped, but didn't have infinite money:
What I'm currently doing really. I've been lucky with my apartment and income. So I'm not trapped, and as long as I watch what I buy and spread what I want to buy out over several years, I can get by just fine. My situation might change next year, but I'll see about that when it happens.

 

[shootthebandit]

This is a lovely sentiment but sadly its not how the world works. The world revolves around money and the accumulation of wealth

If this is a case of "what if you didnt have to worry about money" i suppose id travel the world (our survey says: top answer) and just take in as much in as i could. The main problem with work (and modern capitalism in general) is that you are always in a rush you simply dont have enough time to sit and take things in. I know it sounds incredibly simple but its something we often take for granted

If its a case of "what would you do with infinite (within reason) money" which a different question all together. Id have a tricked out bugatti veyron, a power yacht, a leer jet, a mountain of cocaine and a collection of really hot gold diggers.

 

[krazykidd]

I'd get very bored very fast . Gimme a year with unlimited money , then ater that i'd be bored to death

 

[loc978]

What I do for hobbies, only more of all of it. Build/fix/upgrade computers, cars and guns... finish my machine shop and fabricate my own parts... build a small hydroelectric dam on my property for shits and giggles... go out and pick up strippers more often... that sort of thing.

Can't make money doing any of that, at least not where I live... and I'm completely unwilling to relocate. Been plenty of other places, and they tend to be very bad for my mental state. I need to live away from the city in a temperate rainforest, or I'm just not happy.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

Probably continue doing exactly what I'm already doing, except with nicer things and a job resignation.

I'd probably buy a nicer place to live. Nothing huge or overly fancy, I'm not into that sorta thing. Just something that's big enough to live in, and nothing more. I'd probably accompany that with a new car to replace my admittedly abused current one. Again, nothing fancy, as I'm not really much into vehicles. I'd probably put together a nice home theater system since I'm a definite movie buff, and I'd certainly end up with the best PC money can buy for my gaming. After that I'd likely just expand my media library.

 

[Funyahns]

I would spend more time doing charitable work.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Buy Nintendo, I wouldn't change management or anything, I would just want to play all games early and get lots of money for having the largest stake in the company. I could find out all the secrets, see how their games are made considering all the secrecy surrounding them.

I've always wanted to work on the corporate side of Nintendo of America, with unlimited cash, I would buy out the company and give it the funds to last for another hundred years easy.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I would buy buffalo wings, ALL the buffalo wings. Because I am a fiend for buffalo wings.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I'd buy up Nintendo and rerelease all their properties as shooters.

In general be a giant dick, because I'm a horrible person.

 

[Hoplon]

Get my Ass to mars! /quaid

 

[COMaestro]

If money were no object, I would retire immediately. There's so much stuff that I feel I never have the time to do, whether it's just play a video game, catch up on reading a book or following a TV series. I enjoy putting together models, drawing and writing, so having more time to pursue those interests would be nice. Plus, I've got a almost 2 year old with another one due in December, so my free time is rather limited as is. Not having to worry about work would at least give me a couple more hours a day to indulge in the things I enjoy when I'm not caring for my child(ren). Once they get a bit older, I would like to travel a little bit. I've always wanted to go to England, Scotland and Ireland, and also would like to see Japan someday. Beyond that, just owning a house designed to my specifications debt-free would be pretty awesome.

 

[BarkBarker]

If money is no object, I would seek out my dreams, simple as that, what I want to do is what I WANT to do, the fact that it pays is only a add on effect if money was no concern for me, live life the way you always want to if you have the freedom to do so, just remember that freedom is a luxury many human beings do not deserve as they fail to practice reasonable restraint or a solid grounding in strong principles, we do not have a right to freedom, we have a right to show our worthiness to have freedom.