I randomly decided to go to the Amazon for a week. I met a guy in Panama and didn’t feel like boarding my flight to Guatemala, so I booked flights to Iquitos in Peru and set off for a few days in the Amazon. There was no WIFI, no Internet and no TV. Nada. It was perfect.
I was constantly surrounded by nature and was completely spoiled by the number of animals I saw in their natural environment. From squirrel monkeys, to sloths, to the rare pink dolphins; it was an animal lovers paradise.
It was the perfect opportunity to defrag and process everything that had happened in the past few months.
I feel like I’m at a fork at the moment. I have two clear options:
1) Free Travel Girl:
Enjoy the fact I can earn a decent salary and basically work no hours. Save what I can, be frugal but not too frugal as to not enjoy this opportunity. Worry about the future when it comes. Travel, travel, TRAVEL.
2) Business Girl:
Set up shop somewhere for a few months and work hard, really hard. Take my business to the next level. Hit that elusive $30,000 a month target. Work on new projects.
I had been flipping between these two options for the past two months, not really knowing which was the ‘better’ option.
I tend to be someone who works best when they’re obsessively engaged with a project. I’m not really good at balance… I would prefer to cycle really hard for a while and have a break than cycle at a constant pace for a whole trip and I think that’s how I need to approach my business, too.
I’m going to settle down somewhere for a month here in Costa Rica and work on my projects for a bit. I have a few things in my mind that I want to start working on so I need to clear my head a bit and focus. The goal is to still make my way to Antigua, Guatemela, but I don’t think it’s going to be a direct route.
With all that free time to clear my head in the Amazon, I have learned it’s more important to listen to what works for me, rather than what I would like to work for me. I’ve enjoyed the past few months of unplanned travel, spending without abandon and doing what felt right rather than what makes the most sense, but now I need a little more purpose and direction.
I’m on the hunt for some great volunteering opportunities in Central America… so if you know of anyone who’s volunteered here or of any great projects please let me know.
Are you good at balance or are you more like me, and prefer periods of hard work then a break?