The beginning of a new adventure

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

– Steve Jobs

A new adventure awaits me this week.

Sitting beside me is a bag of potential and adventures. Those that have been following along with this blog will know that a few months back I quit my job – If you are new here and would like more detail then read my Fall Forward post first for a little more context.

My job was always envisioned as a temporary thing that I knew I would have to leave behind and take a big step in my journey forward into a new life of travel and personal growth. Quitting was a scary yet necessary step to enable me to grow into the best version of me and live my best life. Without radical change, we can’t truly move forward. Clinging to what has been making true change an impossibility.

Day by day I’m heading outwards to beyond. Side trips and highlights along the waysides slide into then out of view again to disappear into my metaphorical rearview mirror. There are on occasion stops and starts, wonders and horrors, but always, always, I move forward. The destination is unknown but it’s always the journey. Always the journey that matters.

I was deliberating about writing another personal “life post.” I always feel a little odd writing about myself. This is new for me and I can’t quite escape the feeling that it’s ever so self indulgent. “Talking about yourself again,” asks my inner voice in a disapproving tone. I think this a self-confidence issue and part of my journey forward.

It’s my sincere hope and a big part of why this blog exists that I can help and inspire. I was stuck so long in a place of unremitting darkness with hope seemingly an impossibility. So much was wrong that it seems entirely unfixable… And yet I have managed to change my life and continue to do so. If I can do it then anybody can do it. You CAN. So I write this now and you will forgive my indulgence and I very much hope that I have something valuable to say.

New adventure long term plans

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!’”

– Hunter S Thompson

So the plan before COVID-19 was ( and still is ) to cram as much travel into my life as will fit. I dream of open roads, open skies, unknown vistas, and all the delicious foods I can stuff into my face hole. To facilitate my dream I’m arranging my life into 3 stages. SAVE. TRAVEL. REPEAT.

The save phase. On returning to London from my last trip 3 month journey across Southeast Asia, I entered the saving phase and began to raise money for my next ( longer trip ) to Southeast Asia again. I took a job doing what I used to do because it was the fastest way to raise money for my next new adventure. On reaching my saving goal I quit. Obviously I’m not travelling right now because of this pesky pandemic.

This saving phase isn’t just about raising money though. Here back in London I am free to explore, to write, and create and most importantly, to grow. Life should be a glorious experiment. My progress is frustratingly slow but I remind myself this isn’t a race.

Since I’ve been back I’ve started meditating, started a blog, online photography sales ( shutterstock / fine art ), reading self improvement books, time blocking my days, started side hustles, signed up to be a walk-on actor, and recently exercising regularly. Being here in London gives me time to grow and is a big part of my journey. Looking back as I write these words I feel a sense of pride in how much I’ve actually done.

The travel phase. This was is pretty self explanatory but I’ll clarify a little. My aim is to travel, mostly, to long term travel. I define the long term as any period upwards of 3 months. Not to say that every trip I take will be that long. I’ll certainly take anything from a weekend to a week but my aim is focused mostly on the long term travel.

With most of my destination of choice ( southeast Asia ) closed right now I’m waiting. My intended 6 month trip travelling across multiple countries: Taiwan, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanma is obviously not doable right now. If a single country opens then I may well just spend 3 months exploring it. Thailand is probably going to be opening soon… Although, honestly, I’m unsure that I want to travel during the pandemic. So… Waiting. Let’s see.

My new adventure awaits.

To infinity and BEYOND!

– Buzz Lightyear

Right now I am waiting. But maybe there is a way to combine the save phase and the travel adventure phase into one? When I quit my job, I did so with a view of doing just this. It’s been a long and difficult road paved with many difficulties. I almost gave up, to be honest, but with persistence comes success!

So how can I travel and save at the same time?

I’ll soon be taking to the roads of London as UberEATS delivery rider on my Ebike! My UberEATS delivery bag was the thing inside the mysterious plastic package I showed on my Travels with Belly Instagram account

What is UberEATS?

I’m sure most of you know what UberEATS is but just in case you have been self isolating on the moon for the last decade, I’ll summarise. UberEATS is a delivery platform ( there are others such as Deliveroo, JustEat, Stuart, and more ) A person orders food from a selection of restaurants and have an UberEATS delivery rider bring the food.

How does UberEATS work for the delivery rider?

As a rider, I’ll get a notification about your delivery. Much like Mission Impossible, I can either accept the food delivery or decline. The major difference between the IMF and UberEATS is lack of espionage and my phone won’t explode in 5 seconds. Probably.

As a rider, I am classed as self employed. I can work when I want and where I want for as many or as little hours as I want. This is perfect in so many ways. I get to travel around my beautiful city exploring London while I get fit and make more money for the next new adventure abroad!

I have no boss. As an introvert, I don’t really have to deal with people very much! I love being outside and exploring! This job involves food! Another great point is that when I want to travel again I can just stop and pick it up again when I get back! I am my own boss! Everything is win-win – Well, it is at the moment. The can always change but it’s best to be optimistic! …Ask me again in winter!

The Future ????

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

– Steve Jobs

So I have no idea of the true earning potential of delivering food for a living. I’ve seen estimates from those that do it varying wildly from almost nothing up to a £1000 in one week although this top estimate was with by super fit rider out delivering 12 hours+ every day and using multiple delivery platforms (UberEATS and Stuart) to do the deliveries. The truth, as with most things most of the time, is probably somewhere in the middle.

A lot is going to depend on my fitness ( still not great) and my growing experience with the job. I don’t expect to make much out of the gate. I aim to start very slowly with a few hours here and there while doing 2 or 3 days a week and slowly ramp it up as my fitness level and experience grows.

I have no idea if this is the job for me. I’ve no idea if I can make enough money at it, or if this is what I want to do. I still have no idea what I want to be when “I grow up.” Who knows what I’ll be doing in years to come. What is fundamentally important, I think, is that we continue to grow and experiment, that we have a curious childlike mind, open to new ideas and new experiences. If we don’t try then we will never know. As Danny Kaye said, “Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.” So I continue to explore and try new things.

Final Thoughts

I am grateful for the breaks I have had and to be in the position that I am in right now. I’m proud of what I have achieved and the changes I’ve made in a relatively short time. The journey continues. I’ve done much to change things but there is still much work to do. I am, as are we all, a work in progress. We should accept this uncritically and with kindness and acknowledge we can do better.

I sincerely hope that if you are in a position where you have to make changes in your life that posts such as this are helpful. If you are in a situation and find it difficult to change then HOLD FAST. Be patient, sometimes we have to take small slow steps.

I am actually pretty nervous about starting this UberEATS new adventure. I have no idea why! I guess new things are often scary just for the solitary reason of being an unknown. Often the only way to proceed is to treat life like a plaster (band-aid) and rip that sucker off right away, fast as possible. It’s going to be a shock at first but you’ll be glad you did. So I’ll be starting in the next day or two… assuming we don’t enter another total lockdown, I guess! Wish me luck!

As always and forever, thank you for taking the time to read. If you have any comments I would love to hear from you down below. Please share if you enjoyed this to help the site grow and consider subscribing! Good luck with your own new adventure whatever it might be. If you live in London and hungrily order food… You might get a delivery from the Belly!

See you on the road and as ever, Happy Travels.