Call it an almost mid-life crisis.
Five years ago, I was approaching my 42nd birthday, and I had been practical for way too long.
I drove fuel-efficient cars. I socked money away in a 401k. I had a good, salaried job with benefits. I hadn’t been on a fun trip abroad in ten years. (For the record, I was, and am happily married, so it wasn’t that kind of mid-life crisis.)
Then in 2008 I did three things I had wanted to do for a long time:
- Traveled to South America for the first time (to Buenos Aires)
- Bought a truck
- Became a writer
I threw caution to the wind and went after what I wanted.
Whether you’re 25, 45, 65, somewhere in between or even older, the simple message I want to tell you today is:
It’s never too late to become the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Are you looking to start a new chapter of your life?
This is a great time to do it, and I’d love to help you. I’ve worked out a lot of the bugs of starting anew. I’ll reveal everything soon in my book, Seven Bright Strategies for Overcoming the Dark Side of Freelancing: Insider Tips You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else.
Until then, just three general pieces of advice: Be bold. Live large. Have fun.
And if you’re wondering how my 2008 decisions panned out, the writing thing has turned out pretty well, and keeps getting better. I’ve kept up a torrid travel pace with no plans to slow down anytime soon.
The truck? I sold it two years later and went back to a practical 5-speed Honda Civic that got twice as many miles to the gallon as the Tacoma. It gets worse – last year I bought a minivan. Now my wife and I both have one.
Dumb, boring, practical move. At least I still have my writing and traveling.
So … what do you want to be when you grow up? Leave a comment below.
Steve, you’re living my dream man. One day I’m going to get bold and do it too
Soon, Fernando, soon. By the way, I just realized that this blog post title is the name of a movie and novel. Must have been buried in my subconscious somewhere.
Steve, when we can expect the book to be out ?
Sometime this summer for sure, September 21 at the latest.
looking forward to it
🙂
Great post, and now for some odd reason, I feel inspired to go out and get a truck 🙂
Seriously, though, I can relate. I overdid the school thing a bit in my twenties, but I was a really, really good worker bee from age 30-46. Then I just reached a point where I’d had ENOUGH of that. So now I’m trying to make it doing my own thing, and it feels great.
As always, thanks for the inspiration!
I can tell you this, I’ve never felt more alive than the last five years of doing my own thing. This sounds superficial, but I’ve also never felt more cool than when I was driving a truck! Time for another one.
🙂
Really looking forward to the book, Steve. And always look forward to the latest post. Rock on.
Thanks, Chase.
I want to be just like you!!! Travel often and write for a living! Well, I guess I’ll pass on the mini-van…lol
You’re on your way, Lori. Life can turn on a dime, and you’ve already made the mental switch. Keep executing each step of your plan, and a year from now you’ll be swimming in projects and a new lifestyle.