Living The Real American Dream (in Mexico)
Who here would like to live life without being tied down to any specific location?
Sounds nice, right? Working on your laptop on the beach, sipping a margarita... ahem... coconut water?
No I will not pinch you. This is reality, my friends.
Location independence is gaining a lot of steam recently: people are working independently while traveling for months of the year. Hell, people are traveling the whole year round! They still have jobs, they just don't go to an office and they certainly aren't bound to specific hours.
And they survive! Many of them even thrive doing it!
This site is about you empowering yourself to achieve whatever you want out of life. I feel like this lifestyle is one that so many people would KILL for, but they don't realize that it really isn't that far-fetched.
Enter Doug Grootveld.
Doug is THE blogger over at Wellness Renegade, a site devoted to getting you happier, healthier and more energized by thinking outside mainstream medicine (he's been a licensed acupuncturist for ten years).
I heard about Doug at Corbett Barr's site where he was interviewed about this location independent lifestyle he was living, and I was immediately intrigued!
First of all, he called himself a "wellness geek." If there is one word that describes me out there, "wellness geek" would be it.
After contacting him and sending a few messages back and forth, I discovered that Doug is a laid back, positive, super-cool guy. So I asked him to share a little more about what empowered him to make the decision to give up the "American Dream," what has helped him along the way, and what might help YOU take the plunge to start thriving in your own life!
Hope you enjoy, guys! Doug, take it away!
Living The Real American Dream (in Mexico)
When I tell people that I live half the year in Mexico in a small beach town, almost everybody responds with a comment in a slightly snide tone like, “That sure must be nice,” or “I wish I can do something like that.” Or, they tell me their plans to do something similar in 5-10 years when they save up enough money.
I’ll tell you something about this lifestyle though; it’s not about money or luck. It isn’t dropped into your lap from out of nowhere.It often begins with an extreme dissatisfaction of whatever situation you are in followed by the discovery that there is a whole world out there that you knew nothing about. You begin to meet people that live a lifestyle that you didn’t know was even possible. You get a taste for it. And then, you’re hooked. There is no going back.
My Story
The Discontent and BurnoutFor me, the events that eventually led to this unconventional lifestyle began at age 26. I had just finished up my master's degree (my 8th long year in college), my first marriage to my high school sweetheart was beginning the two-year dissent to divorce, my uncle had just died way too early in his life, I was fixing up an old house I was living in, and I was just starting a new acupuncture clinic/business (including buying and renovating a commercial building). Needless to say I was burnt out and it just got worse for about two years.Insights Learned as a New Healthcare PractitionerAs a young man with little life experience, my beginning days as acupuncturist were extremely eye opening. I began to realize that health and life in general is extremely complex and dynamic. While we can do things to influence the direction of these two, ultimately we have very little control.Healthy, young people can get sick. Love can come and go. People die. People sabotage their wellbeing at every turn. The elderly are neglected. And, there is a huge undercurrent of depression and anxiety that nobody really talks about.As a tall, white, happy-go-lucky male from the suburbs, I was shocked to see these dark corners of life.Along with these discoveries, I would constantly hear things like this from my elderly patients:
- “I worked hard all my life for what?”
- “One month after retiring he died.”
- “You can’t take it with you.”
- “Once I hit 40, it was all down hill.”
- “Enjoy it while you can.”
- “It sucks growing old.”
- “I haven’t been able to get it up for over 10 years.”
- “He was laid off at age 52 after working for the company for 30 years.”
- “Oh, to be young again.”
This list goes on and on. While this was all rather depressing, there was also a lesson to be learned. Because life, death, health, and money are ultimately uncertain, it’s important to live your life as fully as possible.The Final Tipping Point – AlisonNewly divorced, I jumped into the dating scene. Not to long into it I started dating the cute waitress at the bar I frequented. She was a breath of fresh air, smart, sexy, confident, super independent, and a lot of fun.Alison told me about her dreams of surfing and tropical living when she finished her last year of art/design school. She wanted to travel. She didn’t know where, but it would be warm and it would have waves.I responded the same way as most people do now when I tell them about my life, “I wish I could do something like that.”And then I somehow made the realization that living my life exhausted me, and I could do something like that. I just had to make the decision to do it and figure out what it would take to make it happen.So I sold my house and made a little extra money, convinced my business partner (and great friend) that I could use a six-month sabbatical, and talked Alison into traveling together after she finished college.
The Adventure That Changed Our Lives
We decided to spend six-months traveling through Mexico. And, as you might guess, it was amazing. Don’t get me wrong, there were some ups and downs, but the ups by far outweighed the downs.We both began surfing, learned some Spanish, explored jungles, mountains, and coastlines, soaked up the sun, spent large portions of our days in hammocks relaxing, took in the local cultures, and had the most fun we’d had in our entire lives.The thing that impressed us the most, however, was all the amazing travelers and ex-pats we met. These people had figured out a way to spend anywhere from a few months a year to living full time living abroad and truly enjoying life.These people were all different ages. Single people, couples, groups of friends, and whole families with kids and even infants lived in Mexico part to full-time. With exception of a few people we’ve met on yachts, none of them were independently wealthy.Most had figured out a way to make seasonal money and then travel, had jobs or even started businesses abroad, or had “location independent” jobs.By the end of our trip, we clearly realized this type of life was the one we wanted to live. Over the next few years we gradually changed our lifestyle and our jobs to accommodate 6 months abroad in our favorite Pacific Mexican town and six months in Portland, Oregon. It hasn’t always been easy, and we are still are working out the details, but it has been worth it for the all the amazing experiences we’ve had.It’s been eight years since we took that first trip to Mexico and we’ve returned every winter since.
You Can Do It
The biggest block to lifestyle design is the “When …” mentality. When I save enough money… When the kids get older… When my internet business is up and running…Don’t get caught up in this because your dreams will never happen. If you want something other than what you have for your life, the first step is to decide to do it.Once you’ve made the decision, figure out the basic logistics and roughly how much money it would take to do it. Then, set a date and start working toward that goal.It’s best to adopt a “go with the flow” mentality, because things never work out exactly as you plan anyway. Do your best to be open to opportunities or other ways to accomplish your goal.
Stay Inspired
Make sure you surround yourself with supportive people that are excited for you and your new journey. Find ways to get stoked about the process, to stay positive, and have fun!Be sure to also check out these great resources to help you along on your way:The Art of Non-ConformityCorbettBarr.comLocation 180Doug has lots more awesome advice and thoughts, so make sure to check out his site, WellnessRenegade.com! You can also follow him on twitter and like the Wellness Renegade facebook page.