Inventory

There’s nothing quite like global chaos to make you sit back and take stock. The world as we knew it changed inalterably this year, and it won’t go back to the way it was before, of that I feel sure. I’m not getting into a conversation about the current pandemic here, frankly I’m tired of talking and hearing about it. This is about me trying to move on and live my life in a way that allows me to take care of my family through the peaks and the troughs, and that has some kind of personal and global meaning. I repeat myself here: this is me, writing publicly in order to hold myself accountable, as I attempt to unravel my thoughts and find a way to my definition of freedom and success – working from my laptop wherever I wish, generating sufficient income to fulfil my dreams and aspirations, loving what I do, and making a positive difference in the world.

As I take a look at myself, I realise that I fit certain clichés. I’m forty years old, married with children, and wondering what to do with my life. I don’t consider it a ‘midlife crisis’ however. I have so much to be grateful for and so many great experiences to look back on, and I am deliriously happy to be sharing my life with my wife and children. That being said, there are one or two things that need to change.

In all of my working years, work has never served more of a purpose to me than earning money, and even then, I’ve never earned very much. I’ve moved from one job to the next, never considering it to be more than a temporary position, hoping that the next one will be more interesting, or more ‘me’. I’ve never committed to any long term career path. Living paycheque to paycheque, I have viewed work (or better said, the necessity of earning money) as a hinderance to be suffered rather than something to get my teeth into and relish. Although I’ve managed to fund some travel and hobbies along the way, I’ve never had savings or a safety net, and on more than one occasion, I’ve been bailed out of financial tight spots by friends and most notably, my parents. Now as a father myself, out of work (again), and reliant on a combination of government support and my own parents (thank goodness I have them), I’m tired and more than a little disappointed to find myself (now ourselves) still in this situation.

This is my promise to myself and my wife and children, to leave behind our financially ‘on the edge’ and professionally unfulfilling lifestyle, and journey on into our better and more abundant lives, as more confident and inspired parents and individuals.

If you would like to come along with me on this journey then you are more than welcome. I can’t tell you where it will lead yet, and the route maybe be full of twists and turns and ups and downs, but I’m excited about the new adventure, and I hope that in sharing it, it may somehow be beneficial to you too.