Alt You
Daydreaming other lives you could live
I’m happy with my life. There’s plenty to like. I’ve made more good choices than bad. I don’t want to trade my life in for that of a global vagabond, or a serial entrepreneur, or a rich bachelor, or anything else.
But it sure is fun to play the ‘What if…?’ game, to imagine alternative versions of your life. There’s masses of advice out there, of variable merit, telling you to quit your job and travel the world, or to quit your job and start your own business, or to make some other major life change in pursuit of happiness. These are all risky endeavours. Some people will take the plunge, most won’t. But everyone can daydream. Everyone can do a desk-based version that is fun and carries no risk. I think you should consider it.
For example, there’s the other me who moved to New York City and now works in an independent bookshop. He doesn’t earn much, but he loves books and has enough money to get by. He hangs out with his hipster friends in an artisanal coffee shop and cycles home on his fixie afterwards. Like his friends he’s young, single and bang on trend. He’s not really going anywhere, he has no real plans, but in the here and now he’s happy.
Or there’s the me who, with his wife, gave up the day job, sold the house near London and with the proceeds bought and renovated a derelict mas in the south of France. He rescued an ancient Renault from the chicken shed and now clatters up and down the valleys in it. He consumes locally produced wine and cheese, eats three meals a day outside in summer, and writes freelance to pay the bills.
And there’s the me who’s an actor, screenwriter and aspiring director who got his big break in a BBC drama ten years ago and now picks and chooses his projects. He moved to LA to advance his career, where he drives both a Ford Mustang and a Prius (to offset the Mustang). He’s bursting with creative energy and has both the time and space to pursue his ideas.
I don’t think I’d rather be any of these alternative me’s than the real me. But daydreaming is good for your creativity. It could even make you happier. So every time you say to yourself, “I wish I could do that”, create an imaginary you who did do that, and see how they get on.
There’s a world of adventure out there, and you can do anything. Have fun.
