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Steve Irwin’s death and my thoughts

September 6th, 2006 by Kenric

It has been a few days since Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter was killed by a stingray.  I’m sure that when we all first heard the news we all thought that the cause of death was either a snake or a crocodile.  I was suprised to hear that it was a stingray that killed him.  I know that stingrays have venom and routinely stick divers who accidentally step on them.  It would be strange for Steve Irwin to get killed from a ray barb to the ankle.  But now we know that the ray happened to stab him in the heart.

I’m sure many viewers always thought that he was crazy for leading a life where he routinely subjects himself to dangerous animals.  Honestly, when I heard of his death, I wasn’t sad.  Of course, it’s always sad when someone dies, but I was glad that he found something that he loved doing in his life.  Do you think he would have been happy sitting in a cubicle all day?  I wonder if he’d trade living past 44 years of age for not being able to work with animals?

It makes you think of the question that many ask themselves, “If you were to die today would you be happy with what you accomplished, how you lived?”  I honestly think that he would be happy.  As for me… probably not.  I spent the weekend mountain biking in southern California.  I am realizing that i really love mountain biking.  It’s something I think about when I’m at work.  Time goes by so fast during the days I’m out on the trail.

Mountain biking was one of the main reasons that I began to look for alternative sources of income. Back in 2001 while I was working at my 9 to 5 and living in Chicago, my friends and I took a 10 day trip to Crested Butte, Colorado.  We camped for 7 days straight and went the whole week without television, internet or cell phones.  The town has a speed limit of 15mph on all streets.  When we first got to town 15mph was so slow.  You literally never step on the gas, just release the brakes and you’re at the speed limit.  The funny thing was that on the last day, 15mph was just right.  It’s about the speed of the small town.  It was very relaxed, smooth and calm.

Fast forward to the next Monday…  I’m sitting in a Metra train heading to work…  I’m walking in downtown Chicago where everyone is walking so fast, cab horns blaring rushing to get to the office at 8:30am.  It was at this point I thought to myself, I’m working 50 weeks a year for 2 weeks of vacation.  I won’t get to enjoy the mountains of Colorado until 360 days from now.  Why is that?  Why do we accept this?  There has to be a better way.  So I began reading and educating myself on this mysterious “passive income”.  That was July 2001.

I’m in my 3rd week of my new job and just getting back from another mountain biking trip I’m having these same thoughts again.  Why am I sitting at a desk when I can be tearing up the trails somewhere?  The answer is because I choose to, it’s not because I can’t.  I know I can. 

So why am I choosing to?  I think it’s because it’s the easy way to go.  Getting a job is the easiest source of income.  Doing what you like and want and having faith that the money will come later is probably the toughest.  I think real estate investing is somewhere in between.  I need to figure out how to make money while mountain biking all day and in the next coming months I’m certainly going to try.

Posted in Personal Development |
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