Let’s be super, extra off-topic, today.  

Let’s talk dream life, wishful thinking, won-the-lottery scenario.  What would you do, if you never had to worry about money again, starting right now?  

I’m sure you’ve thought about this.

Would you quit your cubicle job in spectacular fashion, stop at home just long enough to grab your passport, and head straight for the airport?  Buy a plane ticket right on your phone while in the cab, to somewhere tropical, beachey.  And while you sit at the departure gate, you’re browsing fancy resort hotels on Agoda.  Book now?  Or perhaps villas in Italy somewhere?  Thinking about how you’ll get off the plane, into a taxi, with the first Italian words you taught yourself during the flight being, “take me to the nearest Vespa shop, and pronto“.

Living a life you deserve, a life that being alive just once, for a strictly limited time deserves, isn’t nearly as out of reach as most of us might think.  Even if it sounds like terribly fruit loop hippie talk.

And sure you say, Jake.  If I had your bank accounts.

$500 A Month Is Living Large, In Most Of The World

Not having tons of money is not at all a valid excuse.  

Take this from a guy who spent the last couple of decades slowly migrating across various continents, and often living far from fancifully in the process.  I’ve had bets with friends about living on $5 a day in Cambodia, and having a good time doing it.  I won those bets more than a few times, and I’ve done living on budgets that amount to less than U.S. poverty levels many months at a time.

More fun quite often, to keep it simple.  Also where you meet the most interesting people (not in fancy hotels).

The media makes it sound like being free is an impossible dream.  Social conditioning is like the invisible fence people use for their dogs.  We just don’t stray from our confines.  We believe that a mortgage makes sense, and that credit card reward points are worthwhile, and that we need cars with electric windows and 12 airbags.  And the new iPhone, of course.

Inspiration for this off-topic post, my FB group thread:

Don’t let time go to waste.

Of course the real parallel to this story, is myopia.

Myopia, Figuratively And Literally

We’re figuratively shortsighted about our lives, often not realizing what it’s all about till we’re old and wise.  We’re also literally short sighted, and most of us are unwilling to do anything about either.  It’s ironic that we use “shortsighted” both figuratively and literally and that on both fronts most people shrug and do nothing.

Above FB post $500 beach budget is completely realistic, especially if you aren’t dragging around Western standards for everything.  Life’s not expensive most anywhere else, if you’re a lucky native English speaker from a Western country.

You can live a dream life, being a part time copy writer online.   Or lots of other things.  I’ve had a friend teach herself Oracle database programming in six months (poorly, and vaguely) and get herself online contracts that pay for all of her very adventurous lifestyle for the last 6 years, and plenty money left over to save.  She’s a horrible database developer, but she picked the right niche.  Which is where its at, finding the angle that’ll work for you.

This girl has jumped out of hot air balloons and got her pilot’s license and has lived in more countries than most of us could point out on a map.  My own life pales inc comparison to all the awesomeness that one is up to.  

There’s no invisible fence, darlings.  

Easy does it.

Maybe you’re just here to get myopia advice.  

Probably you’re just here for myopia advice, and that’s all you should be here for.  But if the adventure of getting your eyes back happens to open your eyes to the grander possibilities, then … why not that, too!  

I have friends who made the mistake of assuming they need a lot of money, or a well honed business before taking the leap.  I too have occasionally harbored that concern.  But realize that most, most tourists and travelers and Westerners are pretty stupid when it comes to living in the world.  For example, you don’t go look at the English language classifieds to rent a place.  That’s how you pay quadruple price.  Instead you make local friends and have them help you find places.  And you realize you can buy a used scooter for what it would cost you to rent a rusty crap bucket for two months.  You make friends with local foods and skip the Westerner hangouts.

And you don’t try to replicate your life back home, but rather seek adventure and experiences outside of your comfort zone.

Fix Your Eyes, Live Your (Dream) Life

Maybe you’re perfect happy with your life as it is already.  Which is well possible since you’re here, and many students I met who take care of their eyes, are also pretty good at taking care of their life.

Congrats, if that’s the case.  Then all this, just Jake’s idle musings.   ;)

If not though, set yourself a myopia reduction goal as a start.  Reach it, and with it realize that you are now fixing an “incurable, life-long, genetic illness”*, (*not an illness, no medical advice, etc etc) all by yourself, despite what doctors and optometrists and professionals tell you.  You’re already a rare breed, and you can do anything you set your mind to.  If you can cure your own incurable illness, you can also live your dream life.  It’s no more difficult to research that, to take the baby steps for that, to deal with doubt and trepidation and taking leaps.

I made a bit of a related video about this a while back, about my own motivations:

But that face.

Also a while ago, I made an Instragram of bits of Jake-life.

I hope to convey the idea that myopia, shortsightedness, isn’t just about glasses on your face.  Those are just a metaphor, a little hint at what’s really holding you back.  The “eye guru” premise (in my mind) shouldn’t be a guy sitting in an office, shuffling around clinical studies, drawing equations on a blackboard, giving you exercises and homework and theory and eyesight teaching – without meaningful context.  You should want a guy who’s out there, taking those eyeballs on fun journeys, to bring you theory and studies, but also motivation and meaning.

Adventure and 20/20 gains.  

Well, grand plans anyway.  Turns out I’m not great at Instagram though, or at taking the time to pull out a camera and catalog stories and adventures.  

Maybe as @endmyopia grows, some of you darling kittehs will do the telling of your own adventure stories!  Right?  ;)

Cheers,

-Jake