The Quest to Find a Balance Between Investing for the Future and Living in the Present

Lately, I’ve been uncomfortable with the increased friction between two goals I set for myself.

On one hand, I am committed to living the most epic possible.

I want to conquer a ridiculous bucket list, I want to motivate my loved ones to get passports and see the world, and I want to grow old having unbelievable stories to tell.

Investing in My Present

I have a long list of amazing adventures like cattle driving in Idaho, dog sledding with the Inuit of Nunavik, and skydiving in a wingsuit. All extraordinary pursuits that are extraordinarily expensive.

Experiences, not budgets, have always motivated my trips.

Which is why earlier this year, my credit card teetered dangerously close to five digits of debt. While monster debt is normal for Americans, that bill felt uncomfortable and irresponsible.

So, I started paying off my credit card and exploring ways to invest for a better financial future. Before long, I stumbled across Bitcoin.

Investing in My Future

I’d held a small portfolio of stocks and bonds for over a decade, but hadn’t been actively investing. When I met @hustlefundbaby and @gamerholic, their discussions on cryptocurrencies and tokens intrigued me.

I can be an impulsive, fixated learner spending months devouring as much information as I can about a new topic. This summer, the topic was cryptocurrencies.

Growing up, I dreamed of getting married, having kids, and taking care of my home.

But to support myself, I started working and before long, years had gone by and I was no closer to my dream: freedom to spend my time caring for my family.

The Ultimate Goal is Freedom

Freedom, for me, is the ability to do what I want, when I want, wherever I want, with who I want, for whatever reason I want.

That type of life doesn’t come cheap.

I need to make money, and lots of it, to buy that type of freedom. Investing in cryptocurrencies is a potential way to get there.

Which brings me to my discomfort.

Finding Balance

Making and saving as much as possible to invest clashes with my desire to spend on epic experiences.

I feel the discomfort with wanting to live now and live big, and the need to be smarter with money and make wise investments.

I’m searching for the perfect balance.

The key, I think, is looking at travel as an investment. To be as smart in my travel investments as I am in my token investments. To understand that everything I do, each decision I make, will contribute to my future.

And then to live accordingly.