So Little Time

For many years now, I have been thinking about the day when I would never have to work again. Thoughts would flood my mind and my days would be filled with dreams of the things I want so desparately to achieve. At certain times of the year, I get a small glimpse at that time somewhere in my future. This happens to be one of those times. Soon, we will embark on a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is like being in another world when we arrive in the mountains. At that moment, I know that life is worth living, and my ultimate goals become all the more important. I know it is just temporary when we go, and the people who actually live there probably take it for granted in a way that I see my existence where I live. However, the feeling of freedom and the experiences are priceless. I will say that there is every possibility that if I became completely and utterly Financially Independent, I would travel and attempt to experience all that I could with the time I have left on this earth.

The feelings of freedom when life as we know it is left behind is incredible. All the work seems to be a distant image in the rear view mirror, and the more I experience the thrill of traveling across the United States, the more that image of work seems to fall further behind. This time of year is filled with travel for us, and after this little excursion, we will next attend Disney. That is another story altogether.

Nothing compares to the thrill of seeing your children experience true happiness and joy, not to mention the dreams of one day being able to see your grandchildren in the same light. Such experiences are very important, but they can also be very challenging to your current performance. I get so transfixed with the thoughts of the happiness and excitement of such trips that I want to quit my job and just jump right in. I know it would be so much different at that point because I would not see the trips as so special and the wait would not be so exciting. The old saying, “Good things come that those who wait,” not only applies to the ultimate ability to be Financially Independent, but it also applies to the happiness we feel towards the trips we take each year or the concerts we see or the parties that we attend. If the fun and happinesswas a daily occurance, it too would become a grind.

Anyhow, I do know that I would like to have the opportunity to experience the things that I have dreamed of for so long. Although most of those desires are free or somewhat free, it still requires a sizable injection of funds to do them in another state and with 4 human beings in the party. With that in mind, I do know that there are only a few ways in order to achieve those desires. One would be to have a very high paying job, but that would require tons of time on my part and it would greatly reduce the free time I have available for the things I want to do. Another would be to generate passive income through real estate and investing and trading. I have about as much real estate as I can handle because more would bring more problems because I can only do so many repairs and such. In the case of investing, I do not see an issue with numbers no matter how large. The only issue is achieving the really large numbers and blips in the market.

Hopefully, time will alleviate those issues. Dividends are an important part of my plan. The more stock I can ultimately acquire-the more dividend checks I will receive. It is really that simple! A few really solid companies can ultimately fund a life rich not only in cash, but in memories and time that is so very precious. On that note, I am anxiously waiting for my next dividend increase on my GE holdings. I hear numbers like.02-.03 cents. It may not sound like much, but the .03 cents that I hope we get will be very important to my goal of Financial Independence. Also, .03 cents would be an increase of 50% more than .02 cents. People always ask me why I am so excited by a penny, but they just do not get it. They do not see that the difference between .02 and .03 is not just .01 but 50%. I would like to see all my increases be 50%. When I think of it like that, I know that I have to work as hard as I can to get my money working now, so I can get some of those “big” gains. Well, a haircut is calling. Best wishes to all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep cranking,

Robert the DividendDreamer