I realized that I’m not ready for retirement yet. I enjoy my work. Yet, I struggle because if you asked me 10 years ago, I would have been retired by now. I expected to travel the world being independently wealthy. Ok…. reality sunk in and the independently wealthy part is missing. So, I used the same logic that I used when I started my business. I made my list.
- Wanted to keep working
- Wanted to travel
- Didn’t want my team to be disrupted
So, I decided to work abroad for the month of January. I rented a place in Buenos Aires ensuring that I had a proper table overlooking the city; and I had my computer set up to allow me to take calls from my office work number (the place had fast WIFI).
It worked great. I was 3 hours ahead of my team so I had time to explore in the morning or just do some work to get ahead. I then took calls for a few hours and ended my day. The bonus is that no one starts to eat here earlier than 8:00 PM and even that is typically considered senior citizen time.
No one knew that I was abroad aside from the fact that I have a big mouth and couldn’t stop telling everyone I spoke with. Yet, the truth is that no one would have known if I hadn’t told them. Work wasn’t disrupted (in fact it was a busy January).
When preparing for this month, I did meet a few people that had done the same thing (they started coming out of the woodwork) but most people were confused by my choice. I find that I tend to confuse people often. I often take the untraveled path; and it’s not because I want to be different, it’s that I know that if I don’t, I’ll be disappointed in myself that I didn’t take that chance.
When people say ‘it can’t be done’, I typically tune them out. Just think about the possibilities if you don’t say no to things. I did this as an experiment. I figured that if I couldn’t make it work out for my business, I wouldn’t do it again. I picked a relatively slow month and went for it. Best decision! I got to explore another country and I didn’t have to retire to do it. Great success!
My Dad used to say “What are you waiting for?” Sage advice! I truly believe that the biggest obstacle that anyone has in life is themselves. I hear lots of excuses in my line of work as to why something won’t work or can’t be done. What is the worst thing that can happen? Risk is only a roadblock if you allow it to be. You either wait for it to move or you find a way around it. Your choice. Who knows… your Buenos Aires trip may be on the other side of that roadblock.
