Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)
Which brings me to the start of our journey and how I ended up here in Cairns.
I had already figured out what was important to me as well as what my core values were but why was I still unhappy? (in the context of how I was living my life) and did I have the guts A.K.A. "intestinal fortitude" to step out of my comfort zone into the unknown?
1. What's important to you?
I brainstormed again and came up once more with my several core values: security, peace of mind, choices, freedom, health, rest, advancement, time, family and friends, fun, accomplishment, personal growth, spiritual growth, giving back, and happiness.
Once I had listed my core values in mind, the financial planner in me took over and created a Core Values and Where To Live Excel to rate cities I had an interest in living in terms of how well they aided me achieving each of my values. Ranking them 1-10, 1 being Not and 10 being Awesome.
This systematic analysis revealed that cairns most clearly aligned with all of our values.
Other cities we considered included Sydney (where we were initially), Gold Coast, Melbourne, Honolulu, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur.
2. What's the bottom-line?
I didn’t buy the first flight to Cairns the minute I finished my Excel analysis. I needed first to get all my financial ducks in a row. This actually took me over twelve months of research, research and more research followed by weekends up to Cairns to meet business owners and get a feel for how business is done.
Relocation costs had to be considered, managing client and business relationships in Sydney and Melbourne as well as managing costs of a new office in Cairns were front and centre.
All the above needed to be invested and assessed before proceeding. The bottom-line, was this move financially viable and advantageous?
3. Flexibility=efficiency
Even after all the research and preparation, keeping flexible was the key ingredient to maintaining sanity and moving forward while transitioning life and business to Cairns. The biggest frustration being the pace of things and managing own and others’ expectations.
The additional lessons I have learnt is dependability is a premium that is worth paying for. This goes for communications, utilities, services, staff and stock.
4. Do it for You
No one is going to live you your ideal life for you, so you have to make it happen yourself. For the longest of time the choices I made were coloured by what others might think of me.
Clarifying my core values and challenging myself to make reality my decisions was both a scary and liberating moment for me.
Initially I was worried about what others would say if I failed, or their opinions about doing something they wouldn’t do themselves. Now I hope to encourage others to "Give it a go, or you'll never know!" .
Importantly most of my friends, family, colleagues and clients have told me they now hold me in even higher regard for the guts to make the move. They also have visited or are making plans to come visit soon.
I'm still getting used to the weather up here in Cairns. Today it's a beautiful 22c, blue skies and no humidity, however it's winter and summer up here can be mighty uncomfortable.
Helping you "Live your ideal life, without financial concerns".
This post was written by Me, as such they are my personal views and not financial or general advice.
You should always seek independent financial advice when it comes to choices about your personal finances. This is one area of your life where it’s worth paying for it to be done right.
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