When you are at work, you dream of casting off the lines and sailing out into the sunset. There are no more rules, no more worries, and best of all, no more stress!
The reality is a bit different from the dream. You still have local and international rules to follow, and the customs agents can be very strict if they feel you are not taking them seriously enough.
No more worries, well, you have forces of nature and gear failure to worry about now. Instead of boss breathing down your neck, you have a squall! The big advantage is clear skies really do lift your spirits because it means the weather has cleared up and your worries have vanished as fast as the clouds did!
No more stress, also not entirely true. Instead of arbitrary work deadlines imposed on you, you now have to contend with weather windows.
The truth is, there is always something going on around you that needs your attention, and there is no further vacation to take once you live in a permanent vacation. This is where state of mind becomes very important.
You have transcended from your old job into a world that you used to imagine. This is the dream life you were waiting for and you can’t really escape in a daydream to anywhere else because your old day dreams have become your reality.
When something is bad, you need to fix it because you need to get back to the happy state. The more you have the more projects you will have to keep them all operating. For this reason, you need to set aside some “ideal time” where you get to live the life you imagined. You need to make time to sit on a beach and drink a fruity cocktail or a beer.
Work will always be there to do, but life is short and there is a reason you left the rat race. So, when you are given the choice to buy a fancy gizmo “that will make your life easier” think about it this way: Would you rather be fixing that piece of equipment or would you rather be sitting on a beach under a palm tree watching the sunset over your boat in the anchorage?
