The right time to go big is now.  Of course, you already know this.

There is no sense in putting things off 'til tomorrow.

If there is anything you want to do, don't wait - do it now.

This should be our mantra.

Our tempting, tricky mantra.

I have to say that I am glad it has taken us this long to really get out there and see the world.

Years ago I wanted to travel.  Years ago I wanted to get on a plane and just go - but I didn't.  I waited.  I'm still waiting.

Why?

I wasn't ready.  We weren't ready.  We weren't ready financially, professionally, or mentally.

Patience has served us well.  Had we headed off around the world 2 years ago we would have been carrying heavy debts w/ little savings, a baby in a backpack, and nothing more than the idea of how to start and run a business.  Sure, we would have had great times had we just gone when we wanted to, but odds are our adventure would have been short lived.  I'm glad we planned.  I'm glad we waited.

Now we're all set.  Our debt is gone.  Our savings is up.  Our kids are a little bit older.  Our minds are clear.  Life is good.

The question is:  Did we live up to the mantra?  Did we Go Big?

C'mon.

Of course we did.

Becoming A Professional Traveler

You ever see those guys at a basketball game who get pulled out of the stands at halftime to make a half-court shot and win a car or something?  These poor guys.   Here they are staged up against ball players who have practiced a skill their whole lives and now they're expected to perform the same skill as the professionals.  They have no idea how to shoot.  They have no idea how to handle the pressure.  They have no chance.  99 times out of 100 they wind up looking like idiots.

I guess that's why companies are willing to give away a car if someone makes the shot.  They know that without years and years of practice, no one has a chance of making it.  Professionals make things look easy. They've worked hard, things should eventually come fairly easy to them.

You never see how skilled a professional ball player really is until a novice performs next to them.  Usain Bolt doesn't look half as fast on TV as he would running against me.

Travel as a lifestyle requires skill.  Living simply requires skill.  Budgeting requires skill.  Relationships require skill as well.  Skills can be practiced, developed, improved.  And the better our skills are, the better our performance will be.  And the better we perform, the more pleasant life is.  Everyone wants to do things well.

I think often people downplay the skills involved with long-term travel.  This is not vacation.  You don't have some lovely host to take care of everything for you.  Your lifestyle is going to be anything but all-inclusive.  Planning and preparation is key.

You wouldn't try and get a spot on the pro football team without training and practicing first.

You wouldn't expect to land a role in a Broadway show without training and practicing first.

And you wouldn't go out and compete in a triathlon without training and practicing first. (Well, you might, but you'd get crushed.)

There are many people who really want to travel for a living.  They go out and buy sailboats, plane tickets, backpacks.  They follow their gut and a rush of emotion.  Some succeed and have a brilliant life.  Most fail because they never took the time to work on the skills they needed.  The sailboat goes on the market or they end up living with mom and dad again because they ran out of money in India.  It happens every day.

Think.  Learn.

We're searching for a lifestyle, not an event.

Go Big Now, Go Big Slowly.

Brick By Brick By Brick

A lot of people in the US and other parts of the world wanted big houses a few years ago.  They wanted them fast.  They wanted them now.  They thought, Why wait?

I'm one of these people.  I went too big, too fast, and I got bit in the ass.  Never again.

A little patience would have served me well a few years back.

I'll tell you that there are two ways to go big.

The first way is the easier way.  It happens when you stumble onto blogs like this and get all jacked up, go check your bank account, and buy a ticket.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  I've seen people do very well with just a plane ticket.  I've seen them find ways to stay jacked up and keep the dream flowing.  I've also seen people go broke 10,000 miles from home and file for divorce in a foreign language.  The first way is pretty easy.  It's fun.  But it's risky.

The second way is the harder way.  It happens when you stumble onto blogs like this, get all jacked up, and get to work.  Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it isn't, but it almost always works.  Those who work towards their dream a little each and every day eventually find success.  They learn to do.  They learn what it takes to get through each and every situation.  They learn balance.  They learn patience.

The right time to go big is today.  You can start reading about travel, paying down your debt, starting a location independent business.  You don't have to pick a date to travel, or sell your house, or buy your backpacks.  Just get to work, and when the time comes to go you will know it.  It will feel right, not rushed.  You will feel confident, not worried.  You will be a pro.

Making big things happen takes work and patience.  That is all.

This game takes time.

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