"Then What?"

"Then What?"

It's what I've been hearing since I've started telling people that I was going to move to New Zealand. It's almost comical now. Their responses might as well be in a robot voice...it's all the same.

Me - "I'm going to New Zealand."
Them - "Why?"
Me - "Why not?"
Them - "What are you going to do there?"
Me- "Travel around the country, work odd jobs and have a good time."
Them - "Then what? Then what are you going to do?"

I'm sure a lot of you have had this conversation before. I've had people tell me that I shouldn't go over there because I'd be "spinning my wheels". Spinning my wheels? What the hell are we doing at a job we hate for years and years? Making money for the future? Saving towards retirement? What we'd be saving for is something we can do right now. The problem is that our society wants us to rush into a career so fast that we never get the chance to figure out what we really want to do. There is a common fear for not having a plan. Ask anyone who's older and they'll say that things didn't go according to plan. I say embrace the fear and take your time. You can always make money...you might not always be free and have no commitments.

I try to remind myself that one day I'm going to die. It motivates me to do things that I might not do in my comfort zone. When people forget that they are mortal it makes it easier to settle in mediocrity and forget about dreams and passions. Think of dreams like you would another life. There are some dreams that can die pretty quickly. How about one like living in a foreign country? New Zealand's working holiday visa age limit is 30 years old. There are probably ways to get around this but what if you have a family, debt, job or a lease? It's pretty easy to kill that dream.

The next time someone says "then what?" just reply with the same question about their "plan". Then when they respond with their usual banter send them to this blog.

What are your dreams and are they living or dying?