You’re Never Too Old to Achieve your Dreams
A Personal Adventure
I just turned fifty-five years old.
I have been working one to two jobs for forty years. I’ve had four careers and I’ve spent over two hundred thousand on schooling and degrees. While I’m a constitutionally happy and optimistic person, there is no job, other than writing novels, that I’ve loved. And even that, at times, when I pushed myself too hard, became hellish.
Before Covid I was making six figures a year, living in the most expensive county in California and working 24/7 to afford my lifestyle. Last June, 2020, I started to question everything. I was unhappy at my job and had been for years but I hadn’t been ready to make a change. When the change happened for me, Covid, I gained a new perspective.
A sleeping beast awakened.
At first it was quiet, stretching and yawning after a long hibernation. But with each growing day, it grew stronger and by the end of a month it was no longer sleepy. Growling, it clawed itself to the surface and burst out into the open sunlight. And with that beast, my desire solidified.
All I’ve ever wanted to do, since I was a teenager, is travel the world and while I’ve gone on many trips, working even harder for years in between to save up for each one, it hasn’t scratched that itch. Other travel junkies will be able to relate to this.
So in the time of a global pandemic, where borders are closed, I took stock in everything. What do I want the rest of my life to look like?
If I could follow my passions and dreams, what would that look like? How can make this happen?
I wrote pros and cons lists, researched and meditated on it.
And the answer, was vanlife, for now.
It checks all the boxes. Travel, freedom, no longer being tied to an office, and the ability to save money.
So that’s what I did. For the past year I’ve been gearing up. I was blogging about the process on my website before moving to Medium. I continue to work on my timeline and podcast.
I still have questions like what will vanlife be like? Will I love it? But making that decision gave me freedom to breathe again, maybe even for the first time in my life.
Getting the van was challenging . They’re in high demand right now. Finding builders I could afford was a challenge as the ones near me are charging a minimum of $55K for a basic build (remember I live in the most expensive county in California).
Quitting my job/career has been a challenge. Telling friends and family has been one of the biggest hurdles. But the #1 challenge has been mental.
Wrapping my head around the fact that everything I’ve been taught is not what works for me. And that’s okay.
I’m not defective.
I tried to buy into the American Dream, I really did. I did the marriage thing, I tried unsuccessfully for many years to have children, I tried for years to buy a house. I did the career thing and worked seven days a week. I made the amount of money I was supposed to make. I drove the car I was supposed to drive. I bought all the furniture I was supposed to buy.
I was a good little American consumer.
Hums: the Talking Heads song, Once in a Lifetime.
I Jumped Off the Path
I ended my fifteen year career, closing the doors to my brick and mortar. I started a podcast last September.
I write and read about transformation, travel, personal growth, fitness and everything in between. My commitment is to have an ongoing conversation about the process and struggles of moving from a 750 square foot mansion down to a 60 square foot van.
I hope to encourage you to achieve your dreams.
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