Picture our perfect day in five years

I have been listening to Cait Flanders Opting Out Podcast.  One episode was the perfect day in five years.  She gave a list of questions to consider where you want to be in five years. What your perfect day would be.  I thought this might be a good starting point to create some intentions to move us forward.

As we consider the questions of where we want to be in five years we should also consider how to move forward to that perfect day.  What can we set in place now or let go of that moves us forward?  

I’m not going to answer the questions here. I will be journaling about them.  Anything that comes up I should be doing or letting go of I’ll keep you posted.  I hope this gets you thinking what you need or where you might want to be headed.  Please drop me a line. I would love to see what comes up for you.  I’m a good listening and brain-stormer!  Here they are!  Remember this is your perfect day.

1. What time do you get up and how do you feel?
2. Where are you?  Home what does it look like?
3. Who is with you?
4. What kind of work are you doing?
5. How do you look and what are you wearing?
6. How do you get to work?
7. What do you enjoy doing after work – hobbies maybe.
8. What is your evening like?
9. How are you feeling when you go to bed after a good day?
10. What are you grateful for now / today?

As you can see the questions are more open.  Remember this is your perfect day in five years.  Sit with them. Journal them. Maybe put them away for a bit to mull over.  Then we can head back and start to move forward to that perfect day.

PS I’m usually someone who would answer questions realistically.  Just look forward to where I will likely be in five years and do my perfect day from that.  But NOT this time.  This time I am full on imaging what my perfect day could be.  The sky is the limit for this people!!

  

Being Intentional on my own path

I finished Cait Flanders’ book Adventures in opting out. While reading it I realized I have opted out a lot already.  My biggest one was backpacking in Australia for a year after graduation instead of looking for a job. That was major for me as up until that time I had followed the course set out for me. Or at least the course society deemed appropriate.

It wasn’t until I realized I didn’t have to follow that course. That as long as I’m not hurting anyone I don’t have a course I should have to follow. Which is what Cait Flanders said also.

I read the book as I was interested in her idea of opting out.  Also the tag line is “a field guide to leading an intentional life” that caught my eye more than opting out did.  She states everyones idea of what and how to opt out is individual – so true. It was interesting as her idea of opting out has basically been what I have been thinking about for a while.  Which is slow travel and long-term.

Slow travel for Cait was staying in one place long enough to soak up the area. She stayed somewhere for six weeks. Slow travel is not to be on the go constantly.  Trying to see six country in seven days. It is to become comfortable and familiar with a place. That appeals to me. To do day trips and leave a smaller environmental footprint.

As I was reading the book I was thinking about my intention for the next four months. Which was to live intentional. I’m not sure what the future of travel will look like but I’m still interested in living somewhere else and soaking it up. To have a local coffee shop and grocery store. To be familiar with my neighbourhood.

What reading the book made clearer for me is preparing for my opting out. It had me looking around my home (which I love) and thinking if I left for X period of time what am I suppose to do with this stuff? I’m not a minimalist or a hoarder, but there is stuff I don’t use and keep because “what if”. There are dishes in high cabinets I open and never touch in years.

So I am going to start intentionally looking at my stuff. All my stuff and decide what stays and what goes. I am looking at this project as the start of my opting out adventure. With the world right now it might be a year or more before travel is back to close to normal (if every).  That is okay I’m intentionally setting myself on the right course. To free up cabinets, drawers, well space period for new things to come in. I don’t mean new stuff. I mean ideas, opportunities and possibilities. Stuff can weigh you down. If I can clear out material stuff and mental blocks I will feel lighter.

I’m thinking if I do leave home for X period of time I might have someone stay at my place. They would need space for their things. I want to easily pack things away clearing space for possibilities.

So thank you Cait and Adventures of opting out for helping me realize I have been (mostly!!) on the right path. That all my opting out in the past has led me to where I am today. Someone that is more than okay not following what society dictates is the correct path.

Is there anything you would consider opting out of? The field is wide open. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering it could be social engagement you no longer find enjoyable. Or maybe it is saying yes when you want to say no. Opting out of events that don’t speak to your soul to attend ones that do. Even if no one around you is interested.

I’m starting to intentional look at my surrounding and decide what deserves a place here. What space physically and mentally can I start freeing up. This starts today with a goodwill bag.

If you want to know more about setting an intention check out this post. .