Time for another story from someone who sold all their stuff. I was contacted by Jason asking to contribute to my old blog at PanamaDude.com, but we’ve kinda sorta let that one sit idle – even though it’s the funniest thing for expats to read, ever! Anyway, Jason told me his story how he opened a ropes course in Costa Rica and we felt we had to share because it’s nice when people have that “aha” moment and trade in a life of stuff for a life of memories. So here’s Jason Mueller’s story:
Sometimes in life you just have to mix it up, roll the dice, and take a chance – at least that’s what I believe. That is why I sold all my stuff to follow my dreams of opening a business in a beautiful foreign country.
My country of choice was Costa Rica, where I have been living since June 2014. Did I get to open a business? Yes! Not just any business, but a really cool ropes course at Jaco Ropes Adventure Park in Jaco, Costa Rica. Was it easy? NO! But as a saying goes that I hear on a regular basis when I listen to motivational stories; “If it was easy, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great”.
The garage sale was tough because I didn’t know what my stuff was worth and I was at a point where I had to sell all my stuff because I didn’t want to take much overseas, so I saw a lot of my stuff go for cheap. So there I was with a yard and garage with nothing but the sad remains of what I had worked my whole life to obtain. Was I upset to see it all go? Yes, but it made me very happy that I was one step closer to fulfilling a dream and getting out of my hometown that I outgrew.
If you are one of those guys that says “I will never sell this truck, it’s my baby” take it from me, you should never say never because some day you might. That was definitely the hardest part (along with the dirt bike and snowmobile).
So, one of the other hardest parts was selling ALL my stuff. It’s not easy at first but if you’re planning on making a similar life changing decision like I did, the good news is you will get over it. Pretty sure I was over it on the drive to the airport.
Stuff is just stuff that will come and go in your life. The memories that you create are priceless. Even if you fail, I guarantee you will learn priceless lessons from journeying off into the unknown.
My life is a much simpler life in Costa Rica and I couldn’t be happier. Many things are more expensive here due to importing laws, but the fresh organic fruit and vegetables are very cheap and are no comparison to what I use to think was fruit back in Canada. The luscious flavours burst in to your mouth – it makes you think about the simple things in life and how they make the world go ’round. At least that’s how I see it where I’m sitting on the beach.
I have done a lot of traveling in my life and there is one thing that I notice when I travel to countries that are less fortunate than Canada or the USA, and that is the people that have less seem to be happier. I’m not saying you can’t be rich and happy, but there is something about living a simple life that seems to make a person happy.
There are two kinds of rich, those that are rich with money and possessions, and those who are rich with love and appreciation for every breath.
“Take risks, if you win you will be happy, if you lose you will be wise”.
So true Jason. We also noticed that less is more in Central America and everyone seems to be happy there with less stuff. They spend time with family and that’s what is important to them.
Someone recently trolled my comments (pic below) saying we were being “cheapskates” and choosing to live in poverty while others don’t have that choice. Folks, our website and message isn’t about living in poverty, it’s about doing what Jason did. Don’t fall into that life of accumulating stuff – go find your passions, spend money on experiences, on travel, on stuff you enjoy DOING! And if you don’t know what those passions are, FIND THEM!
If you find yourself in Costa Rica, drop by Jason’s adventure park. Ropes courses are super-fun, we had an amazing time when we tried it in Asheville, NC, so I’m sure it would be just as fun in Costa Rica – and probably with some amazing scenery! Or visit Jason on Instagram and Facebook to see for yourself how fun a ropes course looks!
Now go sell all your stuff and follow a dream!