A few weeks ago I was living my normal life in Sweden. But now I live in Spain. Normally, it would have been time to go "home" to Sweden soon. But this time it's different. This time I am already "at home" in my new home country.
It's a big change, of course, but mostly on the external level. The decision that led to this was taken a long time ago. Then there were a lot of practical things that needed to be solved after the decision was taken.
But the big internal process happened before the decision.
For me, it started with asking the right questions. Maybe these questions can also awaken an inner process in you?
What do I think is important in life? Do I spend my time on this at the moment?
What would I do with my time if I had unlimited money?
What do I spend my money on? How much expenses do I need and want?
What is important for me is spending time with my family, exercising, being out in nature and having more time to just be (because then creativity and ideas and energy to implement them will come). I didn't spend most of my time on this.
The second question seemed unnecessary at first because I don't have unlimited money. So why should I think about it. But after giving it some thought from time to time, the answers got deeper and deeper. At first, maybe I should travel, fix at home, exercise more. But then? Surely there will come a "regular" day even with unlimited money. Helping others is something that creates meaning in life. What am I good at? What can I do to help others? For me, these thoughts led me to start making dietary plans for people who exercise. Exercise and nutrition are two areas I know and do well, and where I could positively impact others. I first did it as a test and soon felt that being able to help others who exercise to eat better and improve their quality of life - feels incredibly meaningful and gratifying. So this is something I would love to do even if I had unlimited money.
The third question about what we spend our money on, my partner and I discussed a lot together. The big expenses for us were housing, food and a car. We had already cut out a lot of unnecessary expenses beforehand like some insurances, eating out, reviewing subscriptions and of course making sure we had no loans other than the mortgage on the house. Our holiday accommodation in Spain is paid for and has very low overheads so if we were to remove the accommodation in Sweden the cost of accommodation would reduce drastically. Food expenses we had looked over, choosing good food but thinking smart when shopping, we already did. In Spain much of the food is cheaper e.g. vegetables, fruit. And is often locally grown. The car was a big expense because my partner needed it for work. This meant the car had to go a long way every day and we needed a second car for the rest of us in the family. In Spain we hardly use the car at all.
The answer to all questions is not "Spain". And you probably have different answers than I do. But for us, it resulted in the decision to move to Spain. With lower expenses, I can now choose to work part-time and spend more time with family, training and just being. Of course, the ease of being able to be outside (in the sun) all year round, easily able to get out and cycle, walk or swim also helped. The light during the winter months. Palm trees! Learning a new language. And the realisation that life is an adventure! To dare to take the plunge and do something unexpected and new! And gain lots of lessons and experiences in the process.