Back in Early 2008, when I was playing with the idea of Location Independent Lifestyle (I didn’t know the term yet), when asked what I wanted to accomplish, I used to tell people “I wanna be a bum.” I would then smile and say, “I wanna roam the earth.”
What I really meant was, I wanted to be a hobo, a nomad, a vagabond, a wandering hippie. But I had not articulated it as such, so I used to say, I want to be a bum. It was cuter. It got me more attention. People were more curious, what do you mean a bum? You don’t really wanna be a bum do you?
One of my mentors, Marilyn Jennet of Feel Free to Prosper always warned, “Choose your words wisely, the subconscious takes everything literally.”
Then, just a few days before my 54th Birthday, I had a major argument with my wife, and I walked out on her. I handed her all my money (it was an argument over finances, in case you’re sure), grabbed my bag with balloons and my tip jar, and left home.
It was cold and raining. I had no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I walked on over to the neighborhood IHOP and sat there for an hour. Nobody even bothered to ask me why I was there or what was I doing sitting there in their lobby. I was surprised at their carelessness toward customer service, but that’s a different story. I was grateful that no one bothered me. My plan was, if they asked, I’d tell them I was meeting someone and I would have some water while waiting.
When the rain subsided, and I was certain I would be able to walk the rest of the way to the pizza buffet place where I entertained their guests for tips without getting soaked, I walked out and stated walking.
It was then, that it hit me. I was officially a bum. I had no place to stay the night, no money, and I wasn’t certain if I could make enough money on a regular basis to sustain myself, as my balloon business was still an experiment. I smiled to myself as I remembered Marilyn’s words, “The subconscious takes everything literally.”
Our subconscious is a powerful mechanism, and if we learn to harness it, we can accomplish anything we want in life. It is the true secret behind The Secret.
But I’m in my 50′s too and I can tell you it is important at that age to have a cushion, so I hope you have worked things out with your wife and have a more equitable arrangement now or will soon. Just because you left in a huff after an argument, doesn’t mean you should end it all so unfairly. You have a right to a fair share of your money if you built it together, so why give it all away?
We’ve had a few health crisis on the road, ( despite being healthy) so that is something to keep in mind when you do this kind of thing in your 50′s compared to someone doing it in their 20′s. There is more to maintain and health is the most important key to it all. Yes, 20 somethings can have them too, but for most people health issues become a greater concern after 50.
Good luck with your journey!
