Hello 2018: What’s Next For Me

2017 will always be the year I took the leap. 2018 will be the year I take back my life.

What does that mean? While I don’t have too many specifics, I will do my best to try and explain.

One specific I can give you is I will be leaving New Zealand as soon as possible. Whether that is when my visa is up in May or sooner is yet to be seen, but I do not plan to stay and settle here. There’s a lot of reasons behind this but they are not limited to cost of living, weather, and lifestyle. Kiwis are much more outdoorsy than I am, and while I do enjoy hiking, I would much rather spend my day lounging on a warm beach that I didn’t have to walk an hour through bush to get to.

This isn’t to say New Zealand is a bad place; this is a beautiful country with a lot of unique experiences to offer. I even had an opportunity to stay long term, but after a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion its not for me. While I wouldn’t mind staying to the end of my visa as planned, the cost of living here is really catching up with me and making it hard to pay my bills. I am also missing the creativity and purpose of my former career, and staying would mean not only would I be giving up travel, but I would also be giving up my chances to do something creative full-time.

This leads to the next question: where am I headed next? The short answer is: I don’t know. The long answer? I want to find a “home base,” and a creative job in a place I can see my self-living long-term. I have focused a lot of my search for jobs in Florida, as that is where home is for me. However, I am also applying for positions in Australia, Singapore, and other places in the states and around the world. The outcomes of these applications will determine where I head next.

How does this have anything to do with me “taking back my life?” Well, I want a career again. I want to make and create meaningful content, whether that be at a tech company, a news organization or something else. I miss having a job that I am proud to go to every day. (Or at least a remote one that would let me travel.)

2017 will always be the year I decided to live abroad for the first time. Its been full of highs and lows and lots of life experiences I would’ve otherwise missed out on had I not done it. I have grown spiritually and emotionally, and I am so thankful for this year. Fortunately or unfortunately, my first stop on this adventure wasn’t meant to be the final stop. It’s scary and frightening to be back to “not knowing” where I will be in a few months again, but it’s also a little exciting.

However, if you still want more New Zealand content, don’t worry! I have quite a few new adventures to write up and share with you, as well as a potential 4 more months here, so you can look forward to that in 2018.

Happy New Year.