We Only Get One Shot

The other day, I was driving my work truck - a 20-year-old Toyota Tundra without Bluetooth.

A storm had passed, giving way to the sun and beautiful Carolina Blue skies.

The windows were down, and my left hand jumped the trees in the wind.

The tunes were classic rock from 99.7 – Charlotte's Fox.

Led Zeppelin is on, and I've turned it up loud.

I'm singing along at full volume, and it's a perfect ride.

The song fades, and the DJ comes on.

"If you're having a bad day," he said, "I've got something that'll surely make you happy!"

I was having a fine day, but I wondered what trick he had to make me happy.

"It's just after noon on Wednesday, so we're officially halfway to the weekend."

That did not make me happy.

Instead, it made me a little sad.

For most of my life, I've lived for the weekend.

I didn't much care for school, so I was always thrilled when Friday's bell rang.

And I didn't care much about my college classes, so I'd often blow them to start the party on Thursday.

That habit followed me into adulthood, and by the time I rolled into my forties, I'd spent nearly every week of my life counting down the days and hours until Friday at five.

I don't miss those days.

And before I make my point here, I want to be clear: if you have a regular job, 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, and you enjoy it, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But that wasn't me; I didn't enjoy it.

I hated it, so every Monday morning, I started counting the days until Friday.

And that's most folks I know who live for the weekend.

The person the DJ is talking to - the one whose frown he could turn upside down just because the week is halfway over - that person hates their job.

Monday through Friday is a grind, and they can't wait to escape into the weekend.

For me, that was a miserable existence.

Now that I'm doing something I enjoy to earn a living, I don't give two shits about the weekend.

Like, it doesn't even matter.

Mondays are just as good as Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

And nowadays, there are so many ways to earn money.

Seriously!

I know guys clearing six figures in a few hours each day doing affiliate marketing.

I follow multiple people on Instagram who are full-time travelers, writers, or content producers earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per year doing it.

And, of course, there are lots of really cool, interesting "regular jobs" out there. I'm talking about the kind where, when the weekend comes, you're looking forward to getting back to work on Monday (instead of the other way around)

I've always wondered why the person who hates their job - that guy who's waiting every weekend - doesn't work to change his situation.

And I was that guy!

I don't understand why I waited so damn long to do it.

Because one thing is for sure.

We only get one shot at this world.

So we might as well do something that makes us happy.