Happiness Plan

Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was to document my journey. I’m not looking for just an adventure. I’m looking for a life changing experience and to figure out how to be truly happy without relying on anyone else. Call it a quarter life crisis if you will. I don’t feel like I know who I am, or what my purpose is in this world. The only way I know how to figure this out, is through trying new things.

My goal is to create a lifestyle where I can be adventurous and explore. I don’t want to live a life where I’m constantly looking forward to the next vacation. I want to live in another country and experience a new culture. I don’t believe I can have this experience while living in the Midwest and working a 9 to 5 job, which in reality requires much more from me.

I’m going to talk about my plan to change my life and break away from the social norm. I know this goal to live an alternative lifestyle won’t be easy. I’ve decided on three options and a deadline to make it happen. Let’s call this the “Happiness Plan.”

Plan A – Find a job where I can continue to build a career in a foreign country. I’ll use my experience working as a technical project manager to find a corporate job.

Plan B – Be a digital nomad – work remotely and travel. I would find a job where I can work from my own home office, but make the entire world my home office. I could work the same hours in whatever time zone I am, all I would need is a stable internet connection.

Plan C – Live off my savings and find alternative ways to make money. This is the scariest option. It would force me to have to be comfortable with the unknown.

My cutoff for this plan is early 2016. If Plan A and Plan B don’t work out, I will fall back on Plan C and live off my savings. I have been pursuing each option equally. I’ve applied for jobs in other countries and within my current company where I could transfer to a global office. I’ve been applying for jobs where I can work from home and telecommute. The third option has forced me to start saving lots of money in anticipation of not having an income to live off of. I have been teaching myself SEO (Search Engine Optimization), to potentially earn money through websites that I create.

This will be a tough path, but I’m confident because I have a solid plan, options to fall back on, and a set deadline in which to accomplish it all by. I’ll continue to post my progress on this site, so make sure to check back!

UPDATE: Plan C is in full force!