Minimal?
Rich Turner
What does your Big Idea mean to you?
- Universal domination?
- See people use your product and feel pride?
- Create another income stream so you can put food on the table?
It doesn’t really matter whichever. What does matter is that you’re putting your heart and soul in to this. That the Big Idea moves forward to become the Thing. If so, the Great Physical Law of the Cosmos states that “You’re going to need to make some changes if you want this to work”.
And ‘Change is the Only Constant’! And that always makes things simpler, right?
No.
At its simplest, life’s gear shift from mere ‘earning’ to ‘earning by myself’ that signifies the Great Leap to being entrepreneurial (and by that we mean making **** happen by yourself) is going to mean you devote your time, energy, and money so the Big Idea can become the Thing.
And all this simply means figuring out:
Where to find time? + What to economize? = What do you actually need to live on? Truly?
This is living somewhat minimal. It is the introspective, slightly scary, and ultimately revealing exercise of figuring out your Minimal Viable Income. There are great guides out there that show you how to press ahead and calculate what you can strip down, where to cut fat off the edges, and how to have a little ‘me-time’ in terms of facing your worst ‘oh heck I’m nothing more than a consumer low-life but I kinda feel I understand myself better now’ moments.
I’m not entirely convinced.
If you want to try it then http://www.wikihow.com/Live-in-Your-Car.
Instead, how about figuring out what your Optimal Viable Income may be? What makes you hum along and strike your creative chords as much as possible, and what will get you there? Calculating your Minimal can be fraught with obstacles, and all situations differ greatly. Your responsibilities and obligations may be understandable right now, but what about unforeseen circumstances such as illness, force majeure, or a Pythonesque hand appearing through a crack in the heavens and smiting you with a thunderbolt? Your kids may discover new and expensive sports that are unavoidable must-do cash dumps. Who knows? It can also mean totally random wonderful **** such as checking in to a stupid hotel for a couple of unaffordable nights just because the view makes you sigh, think, and be more creative for your Thing.
Thinking optimally means planning for TRS.
TRS = Totally Random ****
Sometimes a ten-buck campsite gives you the same experience…though other times caution is in the wind and you excavate your bank instead. So what are the upshots of this unintended poverty? For me:
- Swimming in that lake with the dog.
- Failing to make time to learn paddleboarding, but knowing I need to.
- Understanding that the Speedo still thrives in some places outside of the professional lifeguard service in Australia.
I’ve also carried home some shred of inspiration that may creatively bear fruit tomorrow, or in 6 months. It’ll likely help me earn and recoup the ‘loss’ I gained on this detour. My point is that yes, being scientific about your means and what you need to put aside to achieve your goals is totally rad. However, you need to think seriously about what your TRS may be. However minimal you want to be, it cannot mean denying yourself the things that may ultimately, optimally improve how your Thing turns out.
Becoming entrepreneurial, discovering a passion you possess that can actually monetize, or just going old skool and pulling down more cash so you can get where you need to be. These are all avenues of self-enhancement through experience, and they need to be well fed, because experience is never something that comes in a dietary format. Eat as much of it as you can. Wherever you find the opportunity, plug in and ensure you calculated an extra % in to that minimal planning so you can recognize an investment in yourself. If you feel like crap because you deny yourself at every turn, the mojo your Thing needs will dissipate.
We don’t want to see Big Ideas undernourished so they don’t become Things. What’s your random, abstract, unplanned diversion that will refuel the engine? It’s important. It’s you. Let it in.
And start with the % needed for it…then throw in your other ‘minimal’ requirements. It’s a happier way to plan.
What’s your TRS?
