Around Oz the First Time - Chapter 66 - Eighth Week Down

The odometer has just passed 10,000 kilometres.

We seem to be falling into the same errors we identified at the start of the trip. There is too much focus on the destination, rather than enjoying the moment. Because we have lost almost 2 weeks to the breakdowns of the Jeep, there is this panic to catch up, something in hindsight, we may need to consider in later trips.

Having an open-ended itinerary will need to be considered.

This initial foray has been fraught with insufficient focus on the feeling and too much on the doing. We seem to want to get to places and then if it is not a fishing or surfing spot, there is nothing to see and we are all too eager to move on. Robyn particularly, has been unsatisfied, exacerbated by the poor-quality internet, with the focus on water sports, as opposed to the sightseeing and experiencing what the countryside has to offer. The dingo experience is a classic example, we were too focussed on getting to Yardie Creek and working back, to consider stopping and photographing the poor animal, and the dearth of feral animals we have seen, particularly camels, will probably mean we won’t see another.

Whilst we are grateful for not only their knowledge of all things caravanning and their attention to the itinerary creation, it’s the itinerary that is now herding us rather than being the guide. This again stems from the need to be home at a certain time.

Running into a group at Carnarvon (which suggests this was written after the end of the eighth week – for that I apologise), who had a family in the present formation who had been on the road for almost four years has brought this to bear with a big thud. “Silver Schoolies” we most definitely are, rather than Grey Nomads, and we have a lot to learn, but the learning needs to be quantitative rather than qualitative. We need to look inside and understand our WHY and then formulate the plan accordingly.

Are we retired or just on holidays?

I used to talk at length with business owners about their WHY. Many cannot articulate it. Those who suggest its an itch are wrong, there is more to it than that, and until we understand, although we might make a profit, and live comfortably, we will never be satisfied. Further if there is not focus on the WHY, how can we measure real success.

I remember back in my twenties; my goal was to be a millionaire by 30. On paper I achieved it, and within twelve months I was bankrupt. I had lost sight of the WHY. It was never to be a millionaire, and had I been more focussed on it, in hindsight some of the riskier decisions I had made back then, may have had a different focus, but we will never know. I told myself at the time I had simply forgotten to refocus the line, but it was much more than that.

In life we have various things we need to do. We earn money, we build assets, and we retire. Some people work ridiculously hard all their lives, with a focus on the number rather on the end game.

Until we understand our WHY, we will just be holidaying.

We need to ensure we take the learning from this trip and build to the goal, whatever that may be. Seeing this country will take time, and who knows how long we will be here or capable to do it.