dreams

What’s Your Pot of Gold?

I’ve mentioned in previous posts my plans to change my life in many ways. I’ve also mentioned my goal to move in about 10 years time to somewhere with a moderate climate, possibly the south of France although I’m considering several options.

Last night I got into a heated argument with a very dear friend about the idea of moving in 10 yrs time. He feels the idea is unreachable, illogical, too expensive and I will live to regret it. He’s not normally a negative sort of person so his arguments against moving really bothered me.

It’s become clear that he and I have a very different attitude toward the future. When I said that I’d rather live in a 500 sq. ft cottage in a small village, with a small garden (preferably within walking distance of a vineyard & a library) rather than live in a 4000 sq foot house with a big screen tv in every room and a new car in the driveway he stated very clearly he’d take the big house, tv, car, etc.

I have a pretty clear picture in my head of how I want my life to be in 10 years time. I know that my picture isn’t to everyone’s taste but what I find very interesting is that when I ask most people what their dream life is, they usually can’t give me a clear answer.

What’s the pot of gold for you? What are you working towards? When do you plan to retire? We work hard. We save. We invest. We worry about our portfolios and our retirement savings. We spend hours with our financial planners and run our spreadsheets and worry will we have enough. But what is enough? What’s your goal?

If you want the big house, the car, the cottage and the sailboat that’s great! Do it! If you want to travel the world and stay in only 5 star resorts, do it!

I’m just wondering when did we all stop dreaming about that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

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Dream Big

This morning on twitter an interesting thing happened. Now most mornings have interesting happenings on twitter, not just today but this one speaks to where I’m at right now:

kelleyburrus: @merlene inspired me to shift my perspective, randomly. I’m researching Alpaca farms….and why not?

chrisbrogan: @kelleyburrus – research away! Dream big.

That’s it right there. Dream big.

Recently I wrote a piece about being at a standstill and how I needed to kick start myself back on track with my plans and dreams.

Here’s the big dream. The 10 year dream. In 10 years time I plan to sell most of what I own and move to the South of France. My kids will both be finished college and living their own lives and pursuing their own dreams and won’t need me right here. With today’s technology (and just imagine the advances the next 10 years will bring) we can talk with cellphones and video chats over webcam just as easily around the globe as we can around the corner.

So the dream. I’ve imagined a smallish cottage with 2 or 3 small bedrooms. A nice garden area to sit and write in. A short walk into the local village for a visit to the market and a stop at a cafe. Mild temperatures year round. Friends & family visiting. Local wines and local produce to savour.

Once there my actual living expenses should be pretty minimal and my writing will generate more than enough income (passive income for the win!) to meet my needs.

Why the South of France? Climate is a large part of it. I’ve always wanted to live in an area that was milder than Canada without being too humid or too dry. A few years ago I discovered the book A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle and since have read his books detailing his experiences as an Englishman living in Provence a number of times and it’s always sounded like the perfect life.

So… 10 years from now that’s my plan. Now I’m working on the steps I need to take and setting the plans in motion to make that big dream a reality in 10 years time. Don’t worry. The guest room will always be ready.