I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want out of life and where I go from here. For the last couple of years, I haven’t really concentrated on living the life I want but instead have let circumstances dictate where I focus my attention. I am incredibly thankful that I had the flexibility to spend time with Daddy before he passed away, but now it’s time to refocus and figure out what I want do. When a friend asked me recently what I would do if I could do anything, I knew it would be to travel. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I think would be a good story for my life. I haven’t settled on the details, but I know it involves reaching a point where I can work from anywhere and travel the world. Here are my current intentions:
Focus on ways to sell my designs without a lot of ongoing effort.
Currently, with my Etsy store, I custom design products for each of my customers, then have them printed by printing companies. Once I receive the item from the printing company, I ship it to the customer (Etsy doesn’t allow drop-shipping). I have researched and found several ways to create products, have a third party sell and ship the item, and then receive a commission on the item. I want to transition to more of a passive income with my design work. In addition to selling my surface pattern designs this way, I am also interested in doing some stock photography and typography work.
Find other avenues of revenue.
I am an avid reader and enjoy writing. I would like to use those skills to add to my income. I am currently researching copyediting and proofreading. From the little research I’ve done so far, I think this would be a great way to generate income from anywhere in the world. I have also been studying calligraphy and find it very relaxing. I would like to eventually somehow add that to my revenue streams.
Lighten the load.
In the book Packing Light, the author begins her journey by selling nearly all of her possessions. I’m not looking to go that far; I love my home and would like to be able to keep it (and a lot of my stuff), but I do sometimes feel like all this stuff is weighing me down a bit. I have already started this process but I’m going to continue purging stuff by selling, and giving it away. In addition to purging the stuff I have, I will pay more attention to the things I bring into my home.
Practice, Practice, Practice.
While I really would like to travel everywhere, one place that I have always wanted to return to and possible spend months (or more), is Italy. I’m sure knowing the language, beyond hello, goodbye, thank you, and help, would be useful. I recently discovered that I can access online language courses for free through the local library, so I plan to utilize that option and look for groups in the area that I could join to practice my language skills. In addition to practicing Italian, I intend to continue practicing calligraphy and developing other art skills.
If you could do anything, what would you do?
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