Taking A Year Off To Live in Costa Rica and The Lies We Tell Ourselves!
Recently a good friend sent me an interesting article from Forbes magazine entitled Why You Should Take A Year Off.
The writer, Prerna Gupta and her husband recently sold their business in California and decided it was the perfect time to take a year off and live out one of their dreams by moving to Costa Rica.
Prerna outlines 4 lies we tell ourselves about why we can’t take time off to live our dreams. They range from not having made enough money and taking the children out of school to killing your career and being so close to winning. The author effectively addresses each of the lies leaving me wondering why more people don’t follow their bliss.
In reality we all lie to ourselves about many things. Most people wait for the perfect time in life to make changes that could make all the difference in how they live their lives now. We are caught up in the rat race, raising the family and keeping up with the Jones’s. Then we worry about what the Jones’s think of us.
When we finally decide the time is RIGHT or that we have enough money to actually follow our bliss, most people are tired, sick or they just no longer have the desires they once had. Their proverbial ship has sailed and they are left standing on the dock wondering what might have been.
Interestingly enough I see change coming! In recent years the world has continued to become smaller. In our 8 years here in Atenas, we have seen more and more young couples moving into our area and turning their dreams into reality.
With the availability of high speed internet in almost every corner of the world the virtual office is anywhere you call home. People are beginning to wake up and realize there is more to life than the rat maze we have been herded into. We have become tired of running into brick walls. We have also realized that the maze is unsolvable, without an exit.
I would like to address a few of the lies mentioned by Prerna and how they relate to moving to Costa Rica.
Work in Costa Rica.
We have had many clients move to our small town of Atenas and start small businesses or work from home via the internet in their virtual office. One of our clients owns a consulting business and he must travel world wide to assist his clients. As long as he has an internet connection and an airport near by his business is up and running.
The Costa of Living in Costa Rica- Money/Affordability:
The cost of living is still relatively low in Costa Rica compared to other parts of the world. A couple can easily live on $2000 per month and a family of 4 can live very comfortably on $3,000 per month depending on your lifestyle. Of course I know many people living on less. Much less!
If you have a modest savings you could literally just take the year off. However, if you have the luxury of working from home without having to report to an office, why not pack up and move? If you own your own home, rent out your house for a year, cover your expenses and in turn you can rent a beautiful home in Costa Rica.
Children and Schools in Costa Rica:
It is understandable that up-rooting your children can be a difficult decision. However the benefits of raising your children in a slower paced, less commercial/consumer environment will far out weigh any negative side effects that the up-rooting may have caused.
From one end of Costa Rica to the other, there are many wonderful private, bilingual schools that maintain the highest standards of education. Recently, friends of ours moved back to the States after having lived in Atenas for three years. Their children attended Green Valley School a private bilingual school here in Atenas.
The state they moved back to required the children to be tested so they could be placed in the appropriate grade level. Low and behold not only did they pass their entry exams but they tested 2 grades ahead of the grade they should have been going into. Let’s face it not living your dreams because you have children is not a good excuse. Be the example of the life you want your children to live. They will love you for it.
There are an infinite number of lies we can tell ourselves that will keep us all from living our dreams and the lives we desire.
By the time I was a teenager I had developed a strong enough disposition that I decided that nothing would stand in my way of achieving and living my dreams, myself included. The sad truth is that we are our biggest enemies in this struggle.
Your life is now, so live it now. Don’t wait till you have the money, the children are grown or when you retire. It will never get better than NOW!
I will close with one of my favorite quotes by Henry Ford. “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, your right.”
Taking A Year Off To Live in Costa Rica and The Lies We Tell Ourselves!Article ID Number 4530
Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?
All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.
