There is a bizarre expectation in society that seems to dictate how we behave once we hit the dreaded thirties. This (apparently) is the time we are meant to get married, have kids, hit the peak in our career, and begin to settle down.
But what if I told you I was in my late thirties and I didn't actually want any of those things? In fact, as you'll see in this post, by the time I do what I intend, I won't be that far off my mid forties.
The travel bug's got big gnashers
One thing you may have heard me talking about on my Twitter before is my travels, circa 2019-2020, which were crushed (along with the remaining budget for it) when the you-know-what hit, forcing me to cough up thousands overnight to find myself a home and get myself back from Hungary, where I had been stuck for months.
After months of remaining unemployed for the same reasons, I was offered a job which I have (at the time of writing) waited almost seven months to actually start. Once I do, however, it'll offer me some financial stability and an interesting job to add to my painfully empty resume.
But it isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Enter, the Five Year Plan I Feel Way Too Old For
I should note, that I only feel too old for this because society at large tells me that I should. In reality I will say with brutal honesty that they can stuff it where the sun doesn't shine, because this will complete me in ways I can't put into writing. Anyway, on with the plan!
I want to return to nomadic life, without the added hassle of expensive hotels, flights and taxis. I don't currently drive, but I can always learn. Of course, none of this will truly start until this job get a move on and I can earn an income, but I am hoping it will happen this side of Christmas the very least!
My goal over the next five years (between now, 25/06/2021 and 25/06/2026) is to:
Build my proofreading business so I get enough regular work to live on
Complete my Criminology BA (I graduate in 2025)
Lose my excess weight (about 100lbs @ 20lbs per year minimum)
Learn to drive
Buy a used, small van
Rent a parking garage while I convert it
Quit my job
Put all of the items I can't bear to part with in storage
TRAVEL
The hard part
The hardest part of any of this, of course, will be the savings. I'm not too frugal by nature, and with high outgo and low income (especially right now) there isn't the opportunity to save beyond a few pennies each month. However, with a job plus my proofreading, I can definitely save enough over the five years to do all of it without too much hassle.
Plus it gives me five years to build my proofreading business, which is great. (Oh no, I'm going to need a website, aren't I?).
Of course, this is all going to take the kind of time, money-saving and dedication I've never put into anything before in my life. It's not just about simple budgeting, or sticking to plans, or eating a good diet, but a complete reform in how I approach almost everything.
That is terrifying.
But as I've gotten older, my will to live the life that serves ME has never dwindled (sorry corporate world, we're just not meant to be), but my ability to focus and prioritize has improved immensely.
I feel like a small caveat of "no promises" should be slapped on here, but I also don't want to give myself that easy escape should I feel overwhelmed with any stage of it. I've been dreaming of a fully self-sustained and nomadic life since I was 20 years old, and that one year I got a taste of it changed me forever.
I'm petrified and feel doomed to failure. But I have to try, right?