BEESANDTOES

When is the right time to leave?

Certainly not today, I’m not ready. Surely tomorrow. 

 

How many people go through this thought process while sitting in their office day after day? I can’t even begin to imagine. I mean unless I’m the only person on this planet who wishes for more than a routine working life, I’m guessing anyone who has gotten bored or tired of a repetitive job has at least once dreamt of taking off or making a radical change in their life. 

 

However in the vast majority of cases it is the notion of procrastination (on a large scale) that ties people down to their everyday lives. Despite having a clear desire of adventure or a simple craving for change, we remain passive, holding back, postponing that critical moment of initiative.

Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year… 30 years on we’re still at our desk job filling up paperwork wishing on that postcard on the wall.

 

The inability to take that vital leap of faith, to break the chains of routine, is greatly due to the fear of the unknown. Swimming in the shallow end where the water is clear and where you can put your foot down anytime you need is easy and comfortable but after a while it gets boring. Personally, I feel like I have reached that stage. I am now ready for the challenges and unknown depths of fresh and deeper water.

 

It would seem that one of the main factors that has kept me locked down to my everyday job is the apprehension of change. The thought of being out of my comfort zone provoques a sentiment of fear, and rightly so for humans are beings of habits. Repetition makes us feel secure and in control. However over time habits turn into routine and routine slowly numbs the brain. As we fail to stimulate our brain with new experiences and information, it becomes accustomed to our monotonous lives, eventually pushing us into a stale and inactive mental state - comfortably numb. This is exactly the way I have been feeling for the past couple of years each time I fall back into my repetitive working cycle. Just like a muscle, the brain needs to be trained and maintained to stay in shape. So whether it is by finding an activity that allows us to discover something new through art, music or sports or whether it is by travelling to discover new places, it is paramount that we avoid falling into lifeless routine. If you have a doubt about your need for change, make an honest introspection and try to see how you feel deep down. For my part, it is the call of the wild (nature’s grand yet humble harmony) and the desire to break free of my technology-orchestrated life and the career-based social expectations that has pushed me to take this leap of faith.

 

Of course like any situation in which we swim out into the unknown depths of open water there is a risk factor to be considered. That risk factor depends on all the things you have to lose if things don’t work out. Because let’s face it, as awesome as all those successful travel stories sound there are also all the ones that we don’t hear about, all the dreamers that turn back after 2 months because they are out of money or had some unexpected event that forced them back to square one. So before blindly jumping off the edge, it is critical to measure your risk factor. Do you have a job? Could you get it back if you were to return (if you wanted to come back to that same job)? Do you have active loans? Can you make money on the road with what you are good at? Are you willing to leave everything behind to start anew? All these questions will determine how realistic it is for you to pack your bags and fly away. Of course when I say fly away, it suggests making a radical long-term change to your life, not taking a two week holiday to Bora Bora (not that I have anything against that, it simply doesn’t involve the same risks and preparation). Obviously we don’t all have to go half way across the world to find happiness or personal fulfilment but if you are unsatisfied with your present life, it is up to you to make a change.

 

By breaking our routine we become more awake, more alive. Constantly faced with new situations and new challenges. Vulnerable and out of our comfort zone our body relies on natural instinct, such as the fight or flight response caused when facing a threat. A situation in which we are extremely alert and during which all our senses are stimulated. In travelling we find a similar alertness as we search for comfort in an ever changing environment.  

 

For my part, I have been pondering upon the idea of travelling across South America for a while (maybe a year or two) constantly trying to figure out how I would get out of this vicious working cycle. In all honesty, my first year making my own money was an extravaganza of shopping and travelling putting me straight into the financial red zone. I therefore needed a year and a half to get me back on track before I could consider embarking on any kind of long-term voyage. As a physical therapist there are many work possibilities in France and finding work in case of a failed take off would not be an issue. On top of that I have no active loans and I am leaving nothing behind which could accidentally force me back to work. So with our modest funds (a couple months worth) and the hope of becoming self-sufficient at some point during our adventure, it would seem that breaking out of our routine for a life on the road is well worth the risk!

 

So when are we leaving…

 

Tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Jonathan -