Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Beginnings of "The Master Plan"

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called, "Shall I stay or shall I go?"  I ask readers what were the most important things that contributed to their decision to become a full timer.  Thank-you to all the readers who contributed their thoughts and ideas.  I so appreciate  the opportunity to learn from your experience. The answers have given me fodder for much thought.  Next March is Social Security Day, (SS) Day.  That is one Birthday I look forward to celebrating.  It certainly is time to get all the ducks in order.  So here is the beginning of The Master Plan....
  •  Make a list of accumulated material possessions and determine action needed.  This includes animals, vehicles, all possessions from a barn, tack room, garage and 5 bedroom house.  
  •  Follow many RV blogs gleaning from writers information needed to make wise decisions regarding preparations for travel. 
  • Continue Financial planning for SS Day in 10 months.
  • Pay down all debt
  • Travel in the local area extensively including 'alone' travel to get a feel for solo travel
  •  Make re-connections with significant people of my life  and spend quality time together.
  •  Make preparations for House Sale - Make updates and clutter removal
  •  Make preparations for Home of Record, Insurance, Storage of Important Papers and Family Items
  • Make Dream List -  Where and When to go
  • Determine D Day
  • Live every day fully..... Enjoy every moment!
Given that I am generally a spontaneous person, extensive planning is not my first nature.  It will require a great deal of self-discipline (which I often lack) to expand the above list to the detailed action steps  accomplishing  these activities.

Probably one of the greatest gifts to myself will be the  realization that this will be a learning process... one in which I must be face my fears, free to learn, and shift direction to where the process takes me. I shall wear flexibility as my new purple cloak.


Thought for the Day 

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality.  The beginning, as you will observe is in  the imagination.
                      Napoleon  Hill



7 comments:

  1. I like the plan! I'm not much of a planner and admire those who can.

    My main plan item is to remember that I'm mortal and act accordingly. Never know how much time you have left. :)

    What will you do with the animals? I had three horses that I boarded in a really super place. One died, so I now have two, and one is 29 and the other 22. They're happy, but sometimes I miss them.

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  2. Actually figuring out the plan for the animals is one of the hardest for me.... I have a hard time imagining life with out them :( They remain on the to be determined list.

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  3. If you can find them good homes where they're happy, that's what matters most. I have this tendency to think nobody else will give them as good of a home as I do, which is just silly. There are actually homes way better than me. It's really hard to aprt with them, though. Fortunately, I was able to take everyone with me except the horses. I did read about a fulltime Rver once who had dogs and cats and even pulled a horse trailer.

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  4. Lol, It would certainly cut down on the places one could stay.... But I suppose it would work for some.... Then of course it would be the constant hunt for hay!!

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  5. Wow! You have a lot of decisions to make but once you start it won't be so hard. It is the getting started when there's so much to do and so many choices. We were foster parents too! We loved that big part of our life and though we don't foster parent any more, we are still talking, remembering and laughing about those times.
    All your memories will go with you. They take up very little space and won't weigh you down. Like the first time you took in a foster child, hitting the road can seem daunting. If you can do what you have done in your life, you can do anything! Be kind to yourself. Be well and safe travels, Ann and Jerry 2010 27' MB Lazy Daze Class C motorhome.

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  6. Notes from someone who has been working my plan (more or less...) for several years: I started with the things on the edge, back in the back of closets, things I didn't use that much. Those seemed to be easier to get into the process with. It gets more complicated with the things I use sometimes, but not often.

    Also, if you don't have a document scanner I recommend one. Most printers now are also scanners, and can be had for fairly cheap. The important documents should be scanned, and any print pictures as well. This is a long-term project, but it can help get the paper stuff at least put someplace out of the way and still have the information and pictures available to you.

    FlyLady (flylady.net) in the beginning used to talk about how she cleared a room full of junk by just taking one thing each day and making some kind of decision on it. I sometimes have to do it that way myself.

    It's a process. :)

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  7. your Master Plan looks just fine... now take the jump!!!

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