Fill in the blank for yourself!
I’m not sure when my zest for all things adventurous took off, but I can tell you one thing: My desire to create a juicy life full of exciting experiences and surprises was spurred on by my work with cancer patients.
When faced with uncertainty and forced to reckon with their own mortality, they began to live!
At the other end of a diagnosis, I have witnessed calm and collected women whoop it up in a fearsome war chant of BRING IT ON! Not content with a comfortable life anymore, it was as if a switch had been turned on, and a deep hunger to do more, say more, be more, live more, everything MORE, invaded their very being. I marveled at how they began to take incremental steps to create the life they knew they had always wanted but were hesitant to force before.
There are many reasons why we don’t act to create the changes we want. Life gets busy. We need more money or time to complete the dreams we really want to pursue. The twists and turns never relent.
But the truth is that most of us are waiting for things to happen. And most of us finish our years with regret about what we didn’t get to do in this one amazing life.
Fortunately, I paid attention to this valuable lesson from my cancer patients. I knew that if I worked hard and long, I was still not guaranteed to cash in. Too many variables exist today: the stability of the economy, health care, and financial investments.
So, I took steps to invest in my vitality and strength. I doubled down and worked on sideline income opportunities. And I lived below my means, stocking away a healthy portion of my income.
I realize there are no guarantees, but because I armed myself for an early retirement, I am seeing the world and experiencing foreign cultures!
This blog category is all about inspiring others to plan for and live out their dreams; I’ll share my wit and wisdom from my white-knuckled but safe travel and lifestyle adventures.
If you find that year after year is slipping by, or you have recovered from a health crisis, you can add more life to your years. And I am here to help you along your journey.
Photo: Jumping for joy on the Sand Dunes of Death Valley, CA