Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Have you ever been to an interview and been asked this question?

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

It's a tough question. Every time I've heard an answer to it, the answer has been something along the lines of steady job, family, 2.3 kids, and a dog/cat. I find that answer to be a load of shit... at least from my point of view. But where do I want to be in 5 years?

Let me start off by telling you about the people I admire. My heroes and the people that I envy in life are the ones that do what they want, when they want. There seems to be no strings attached to these people's lifestyles. They don't worry about being tied down to a 9-5 job. They might still be working, but they do what they enjoy.

One example of a person I admire is Pauly. Aside from being a great writer, this dude is more admirable for his lifestyle. Don't get me wrong. I don't think what Pauly does for a living is a total vacation. But I can guarantee you one thing...he's having more fun than me. Some people might look at a free spirit such as Pauly and get jealous. I admire his life. I'm not sure I would want to do all the traveling he does, but let's just say his life ain't dull.

So where do I want to be in 5 years? The only answer I can come up with right now is that I want to be where I want to be in 5 years. Make sense? In 5 years, I want to be free from the ties of a 9-5 job (8-5 in my case with a 2 hour daily commute). Working a job is the one thing in life that makes me unhappy. I feel enslaved even though I have an easy job compared to 90% of the country. It's not really even the job that makes me feel like a slave though. It's the fact that I have to be here to get a paycheck.

What's even more depressing is that it keeps me from doing a lot of stuff that I'd like to do. I'd love to play daily golf tournaments during the summer. I'd love to visit various bodies of water and catch some fish. I'd love to experience Vegas, LA, New York, Japan, Australia, and a lot of Europe....shit...I'll even throw in Canada. I do get 2 weeks a year vacation, but that's not the same. A typical vacation for me ends up with about 3 days of fun and another 4 days of me dreading going back to work. It's sad but true.

I just want to do what I love. But what is it that I love? Let's see, I love to golf, fish, play poker, and listen to music. I love to hang out with friends. I love to visit new places. I love to be free. Basically, I'd love to be able to just wake up one morning and say "Fuck it! I'm going on a road trip" and then just disappear for a month or 2 exploring the world. But instead, I'm tied to this office and only allowed to stray away 2 weeks a year. That my friends is prison and not a life.

Basically, this life is sucking out all of my soul. I have lost all faith in humanity living for another 100 years. It's not going to be global warming or nuclear war that does us in. It's going to be sheer fucking stupidity and the fact that we can't do anything for ourselves. Once I'm in the office, I get bombarded with calls from people who can't think outside the box or even apply common sense to the business world. The business world is a joke in my book anyway. You have a few smart people leading the way with a bunch of monkeys sniffing their butts to get a paycheck every week. I guess I just don't like the smell of ass.

In 5 years, I'll be 35 years old. Approximately 1/2 way through a normal life. Have I enjoyed life thus far? I'll give that an astounding NO. The first 20 years or so was great. I was fed this line of bullshit from birth that if I get good grades, go to college, and eat my vegetables, I'll have a good job and live a happy life. Ok... I did the honor roll thing, got my degree, and got a good job, and I couldn't be more fucking miserable because of it.

"Just quit!" you say "And quit your fucking whining!".

I wish it were that easy. I might be happier, but I still wouldn't be able to do what I want to do because of the lack of income. How the hell can I get to Vegas or Europe without any money?

So where do I want to be in 5 years? I've explained that. Now how do I get there? That's a good question. I'm working on it. It's a baby steps sort of thing. I just have to keep looking ahead.