Get to Work

The biggest existential question of the Solitary Beast lifestyle is: “What do I do with all this time??”

Although is a privilege that would blow the minds of many people, as a person living a solitary lifestyle, it once felt like a tremendous burden.

There was a time in my life, less than a year ago, where my life felt purposeless, empty, and devoid of meaning.

I had a home, vehicles, hobbies, a loving extended family, a dog, and my health, yet I still felt that my life wasn’t important.

Instead of cherishing the beauty of every new day, I often dreaded getting up in the morning.

I felt imprisoned in my existence.

How strange, for someone living in one of the richest countries on Earth, perfectly healthy, with everything to live for.

In therapy, I paid $160 per 50 minutes to talk in circles about my childhood and my relationship with my mother.

It didn’t help.

At some point during this period of deep depression, I realized I was just bored.

I wasn’t working hard enough, accomplishing enough tasks, or pushing myself to do anything substantial.

As Napoleon Hill would say, I was “drifting”.

It was ruining my life.

Idle Hands

People who think they would be happy lying in a hammock on a sandy beach for the rest of lives simply haven’t experienced it.

Try sitting on a beach, even the most beautifully awe-inspiring beach in the world, for more than a few hours without wanting to pull you hair out.

This is why stories of old guys that die 6 weeks into retirement are such a popular trope.

The human mind is a machine of work.

It needs to be used, or it will drive you (who are separate from the mind we’re talking about here) insane.

It’s true what people say about “idle hands”.

Or, as Grant Cardone puts it in “The 10X Rule”, “if you want to meet the devil, leave blank space on your calendar”.

Work

At my lowest point, I diagnosed myself with “Acute Slacker Disorder”, and sought the most effective treatment plan available: a job.

Now I work 50+ hours a week, in the fresh air, often sweating, laboring, bending, stretching, carrying heavy tools and equipment, planning, and thinking.

When I tuck into bed at night, I’m snoring before my head hits the pillow.

I’ve never felt happier.