Freedom Year: Half Way In

6-16-2017 Penang

I'm at the halfway point with Freedom Year and I'm thinking that I should maybe have something profound to write.

Perhaps it will come. I start most of my writing this way, I just jump in. I'm a big fan of auto-writing and indeed a big fan of auto-living. Although for larger, more complex living decisions I will imagine some sort of "plan" and work with Universe to bring such a plan to life.

Freedom Year, in one way or the other had been in mind for half a decade. It began as simply wanting to escape from Philadelphia. Through a series of events, most of which Universe and I managed to direct in favor of my desired outcome, this adventure was crafted into a global excursion.

The model was loosely based on a project called Remote Year where people continue to work at their jobs as they travel around the world; twelve cities in as many months. There's a group of seventy-five people that you travel with. There's a monthly fee that includes travel, room and board, that will presumably be covered by your salary. I'm not sure about meals and incidentals, probably not.

I thought I'd love to do this, except, I didn't have a job I could do remotely. The most significant part of my gig, at the time, was showing up; tough to pull off when you're on the other side if the world.

So as usual, I crafted my own little plan.

Just a note, this is not a cookie cutter strategy that "anybody can do." I'm not selling you a master plan here. There were opportunities available to me that may not be available to today's average dreamer. Believe me, although I am sitting in a noise polluted restaurant in Penang, Malaysia banging this piece out on my mobile device, I was and remain to be very average; it's just my dreams that are big.

The first opportunity I had to retire was on my double-nickel birthday, but it was nine months short of my twenty-nineth anniversary date, which would have cut some trim off of my post-employment income (pension). So I had to stick it out for most if that year. The difference between compensation for twenty-nine and thirty years was two percent. Since I am a military veteran I had the option to "buy" a year of military service. That means paying the pension board the equivalent of what would be deducted from my pay for a year. It was pretty steep, but worth it.

The Pope came to town that year and because of mandatory overtime I recouped the investment in less than four months. Essentially the Vatican paid for that year.

Thanks, Catholics.

There were a few other factors in play, but my main concerns were covered; income and no job to tie me down.

I left the gig on December 16, 2016... that was the day Freedom Year began. No reason to bore you with the minute details.

It took me nearly a month to actually leave Philly, but that turned out to be a blessing. I got to see people I would have missed had I left earlier.

Skipping ahead; I'm not got to sit hear a tell you anybody can do this. The way we are yoked to our jobs (which basically means income) and compensated for them have changed dramatically in the last half century. But where the old benefits have withered, new bennies, strategies and opportunities have emerged, many of which I have no idea about.

The one strategy I do believe can, will, has, and does work for everyone is imagination. It's stronger than desire. If you want to live a certain kind of lifestyle, you have to, more than want it! You have to imagine, think it, feel it, speak it, and you will eventually live it.

I've witnessed this "phenomenon" too many times to dismiss it as myth or fraud or untrue. Indeed I am living it now, as I know many of my friends are, as I am sure many if you reading this are. And if you're not there yet, you're no doubt on your way.

So, after a shaky start, I think this turned out pretty good. If it lies dormant on the web that's okay. When the right person needs the right inspiration and this piece fills that need, it will be found.

That us all.

Namaste.