There was a time when I would wish my time away and want the moving day to be here……right now. I was impatient to get to Portugal and then begin living my life. But that would have meant that I wasn’t living my life for the five years that we expected our move to take. Not a way to live.
When we started out in 2007 we had plans to work, work, work, pay off our mortgage and then move to Portugal mortgage free. I’ll happily admit that it was too much for me. My job became such a source of unhappiness that I couldn’t do it anymore and quit in December 2009. This effectively dropped our income by 50%.
Losing that much income obviously affected our financial goals, but not our desire to move to Portugal. Of course there were questions: Could we still do it on one income? Could we still move to Portugal and pay off our mortgage early? At times it became a little overwhelming.
But then, sometime during 2010, came a sense of calm. Simplifying your life can do that.
Now we’re slowly and surely ticking along getting ready for the move. Not at the fast pace like in the beginning, but at a steady controlled pace which allows us to enjoy every single day along the way.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a big believer in living in the present. I’m a big planner, so I always seem fixated on my future goals. I felt the same way about my mortgage. I was absolutely fixated on getting it paid. The only thing that saved me is I made sure to plan in fun things along the way. Weekend activities, vacations and time with friends and family. Otherwise it just seems like you’re working your life away.
I’m wondering where your sense of calm came from? Was it an event, maturity, hitting a breaking point or just finally slowing down. I’m curious..do tell.
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 8:25 am
Hi Sandy, to answer your question, it was a combination of leaving work, time and slowing down.
I always found it hard to get my plans for the future thoughts to gel with my living in the present thoughts, now at last I think I’ve achieved it
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So true, you should never wish your life away. Though I know exactly how you feel . Our place near Messines lies empty for most of the year but all being well with the UK mortgage paid off in 4 years our life in the sun will become a reality. Heyho in the meantime learn that language and have a daily fix of the expat forums.
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 7:55 am
Hi golf04, it really requires a lot of patience doesn’t it. How are you finding learning the language?
PS. I’ve never been to Messines but it looks beautiful.
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Slow and steady wins the race! I have to remind myself of this on a regular basis. My trouble is, and always has been, I’m very all or nothing (ie very thrifty or very spendy). Striking a balance between the two is a work in progress! Looking forward to reading that post one day when you’re actually living there
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 7:58 am
@Shoestring, I’m exactly the same, all or nothing! It’s so difficult to slow down, but once you have, life becomes a lot easier
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I can sure relate – just look at the name of my blog (which I changed almost two years ago from “life begins at retirement” to “life doesn’t begin at retirement – it beings now!!) You just can’t wait for the years to pass without living for the here and now! At least, I found I couldn’t!
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Jane: so true! The trouble is I don’t think we realise how quickly the years go, until they’ve gone!
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I feel like this post was written directly to me, lecturing me {but in a good way.}
Last January, when DH and I decided it was finally time to hustle, finish the house, sell it, and relocate…well, I felt like I was living *in limbo* until we could just get down here. Now we are *here*, but we’re not in our house yet. (We are making a couple of renovations before we move in.)
So, now I find myself in a rental house, just *waiting* to get moved into our home. I have been going stir-crazy, wishing the days away, wanting the renovations to be started and finished!! Again, I feel like I’m *in limbo*, waiting for my life to begin…which is really dumb.
I’ll be honest — I still want the aforementioned renovations to start (and finish) but I will work on my attitude. Afterall, I live 6 minutes from the beach. How difficult can life be, right? ; )
Thanks Laura!
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Hi Karen. It’s difficult when you feel like you’re in limbo..I feel a little like that with our house at the moment, knowing it’s not my forever house, but I read a saying once ‘bloom where you’re planted’ and it really spoke to me.
It must be so exciting designing your house…I would love it.
I know you do this, but just imagine how great your house is going to look because you’ve taken the time to get it just right
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I can totally relate to your latest post. Especially the part where you stated that your job became such a source of unhappiness that you couldn’t do it anymore and quit. The same thing happened to me. I was working in a highly stressful job teaching ESL to beginner refugee students through a government program. Even though I dragged myself home everyday thoroughly exhausted, my students were not the problem. I couldn’t deal with staff room politics and in particular an office bully who attacked and humiliated me in front of co-workers several times. Management just brushed her behaviour aside stating: ‘Oh, she just does that to everybody…’ This was not a satisfactory outcome. Also at the time my beloved mother was dying of cancer. I realised that I had to create my own employment on my own terms. Two years on and I’m still struggling to realise my dream and suffer from guilt and anxiety that I haven’t come up with the ‘magic’ way of realising this yet! I too dream of living in Portugal. What to do?
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Laura Reply:
February 9th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Hi Jennifer, I’m so sorry about the circumstances that lead to your leaving work. Creating employment on your owns terms is not always easy, especially if you want to move abroad. Does being a teacher lend itself to working abroad quite well? Could you do this in Portugal?
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