@Wayne Wong exactly, don't get caught up in the feelings

@Joe Stone in reality, the one's with an advanced degree in an academic setting are the furthest from a "permissionless" life. Take pride in the fact you've discovered an alternative to the wage slavery and "prestige". You don't need a degree to be worthy.

@Alex Dudder I was working Gilbert and recall everyone was moving out to STV at the time. I have a goal to close on my first deal by end of Oct so I may be in the area when you come down depending on when my offers are accepted.

@Rene G Originally from the Austin area, now in Houston. I guess 15 years sounds a little dramatic. It's 3 year of living overseas, 6 years of school with no income, 3 cross-country relocations, learning 4 different markets. Over the past 12 years, I haven't live in the same city for more than 2 years which has made it challenging to get started. But, I'm still here because I know the power of REI.

@James Van Tassel This may not be a direct answer to your question, maybe more a thought or theory or mindset shift, but my laziness stems from my desire to arbitrage everything. From time to money to location, I’m always making choices based on how I can maximize the most output for the least input. Whether it be earning money in stronger denomination and spending in a weaker denomination or meal prepping or having systems/checklist to set a predictable routine and maintain expectations. To me, the laziness comes from breaking down a desired goal then finding complementary, actionable tasks which overlap, then I work only those task in the margin. The gains are always in the margin and Venn diagrams are your friend :) There is book called "Thinking in Systems" by Donella Meadows which can assist with organizing your thoughts and creating actionable tasks. Additionally, there is a concept of a "second brain" which uses technology to create a map of your thinking and assists with linking concepts together. Even using a small journal to write down concepts and reviewing them over time will re-wire your brain to think in new patterns. In modern times, our minds are flooded with information and it's important to flush out the noise and focus on the signal.

@James Van Tassel this is a basic visual for what I was attempting to describe. I know very little about construction, so I used weight loss for this example. The concepts are universal. Take your desired goal (left) and what you perceive to be your current limitations (right), then think about what actions you could take an list them in the overlap. Focus on working on those specific tasks in the margin and reap the rewards 🙂

I’m shooting for $12-15K monthly, but could easily manage with $6-7K. End goal is being able to slow travel to any part of the world I choose. My goal is be able to appreciate life and experience it on my own time whether is scuba in the Caribbean, motorbiking through Cambodia, or hoping on the Shinkansen. I’ve been geo-arbitraging for the past decade and it’s surprising how little money you actually need to live when your housing expense is covered.