Want to travel, want to pursue a career. Can't seem to compromise.
Wow-- quite a few replies since my last visit. Thank you all for the input, it's been very helpful and has given me great insight.
What I've learned about myself though, is that, just as I wrote in my first post, I tend to see things in "black and white." It's either
travel the world or
stay stuck on the career path. I don't want to see life in that way, and I definitely don't want to plan things out to that extent.
I want to travel, but I want it to come naturally to me. And it will. I think all things in life, if you keep them in mind enough and put forth the action will happen. My problem is that I tend to obsess over something just to feel better, to give me the illusion that I'm DOING something. I keep thinking "I should travel, just leave it all behind, yeah yeah it'll be just like this this," but I'm not doing it. And you're all right - I should just do it if I want to. And since I'm not doing anything, I'm going to drop the thought for now.
There is a reason that I'm not taking off on an adventure like this, and I think it's because I'm already on one. I love what I do (even though it's a struggle) and I have a sense of purpose. But the beauty of life is that the possibilities are endless. Just because I choose not to travel today, doesn't mean that I won't tomorrow, right? : )
Reply to this Steve - that's really true - and I respect your decision to put your career first - and yes there will be opportunities for travel at any many times in your life - maybe you won't be able to find a time in life to take 6 months or more out - but when ever you take a holiday - just try to stretch it out a little even if it's unpaid.
Do us one favour though 😊
If you ever meet anyone that makes travelling a big part of their life - don't ever say - "You're so lucky - I wish could travel like you but my career won't allow it" 😉 - just about everyone that gets that said to them went through the same dilemmas you have - but the coin came down on the other side 😊
Good luck 😊
Reply to this Ali,
Yes, totally, I will bear that in mind when speaking with other travelers. I don't think I'll have to though, because being a freelance writer/filmmaker my hope is that my career will always allow for it. That should never be an excuse for me as long as I keep doing what I'm doing.
Good luck to you too!
Reply to this My problem is that I tend to obsess over something ...........
I know that one. I sometimes have to tell my mind to shut up. Otherwise, I would never do anything.
I would think of endless complications about the place I want to go to and then think that I should choose someplace less adventurous, and then when I am thinking of the less adventurous place I start to feel disappointed that I am not going to the place I want to go to and then I decide to be brave and just go where I want and then I start to think about the complications again...... And then there is the obsession about what I could buy with the money instead of spending it on flying halfway accross the world, for just a week or two, and then when I decide to spend it on the trip I start thinking of emergencies that could happen that I might need that money for...
Reply to this Well, I'm back, and the bug is with me.
It's been a full year since I created this thread and I feel no different now than I did then - antsy, restless, itchy, whatever terms you travelers use : )
For the past year I've been focusing on my writing - working on a screenplay. However, another one of my freelance jobs has just ended and, as always, it's another window of opportunity to take off. As much as I don't want to give up my career here in LA, I realize that I can write just about anywhere. Why should I force myself to struggle in an industry such as this when what I really want to do is travel? I can still do my thing if I want to.
It's all about balance, and I've realized that it might be necessary to combine certain aspects of my life right now. Write, travel, work. Somehow I'm going to pull all of that together. Don't know how, but I want to.
The other contributing factor to this decision was my own psyche. I had a dream the other night, where I was sitting at the kitchen table with my stepdad, and he asked me how I would feel 10 years from now if I kept things the way they are today and never journeyed out. I told him, "I'm going to say 'Yeahhh, I once had those dreams...'"
I woke up and realized how true these feelings are. I never want to say that.
Reply to this Something to ponder. In times past there was a class of people were more nomadic. They would stay at a place long enough to make enough money to move on. I don't think we have been made any different. It is just that the demographics have made this difficult. It is much harder now to make home where your hat hangs.
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