Why I took time off from blogging and why I’m back again

I think that I owe you an explanation.

I haven’t posted anything since February. I had actually decided to quit completely. My family and I have had several whirlwind months that haven’t left me with much time.

For the last month and a half, I’ve been working as a door-to-door salesman marketing Vivint home security and automation systems. I greatly enjoyed my time with Vivint.

However, the hours are long (six days a week) and I wasn’t able to spend much time with my family. I will be starting MBA school in the Fall, which also means working long hours for the next two years.

Therefore, my wife and I decided that our summer would be better spent as a family. I quit knocking about a week ago and we have left St. Louis (we had relocated to Missouri just for the purpose of knocking).

The days ahead

With the rest of our summer, we intend to spend time as a family by visiting family around the country. About 98% of the stuff we own is in storage in Wisconsin where I’ll be going to school. The rest is in our minivan, which we’ll be driving cross country three times this summer.

I will be doing some freelance work and we’ll be otherwise living off of savings. This rare opportunity has also freed me up to begin blogging again, which I’m excited to do!

My family beginning our adventures at the St. Louis Arch

Our gypsy summer

As I described our summer plans to my older sister, she compared us to a band of gypsies. That may be somewhat accurate.

With only days under our belts as gypsies, I am already learning several lessons.

1. Minimalism is hard
   We had already placed most of our belongings in storage before moving to St. Louis. But with the decision to roam the open road in just our van, we had to ruthlessly decide what to take with us. I’m down to just two ties! If you don’t know me well, then you can’t possibly understand the implications of that statement. Picking which two was a ten minute decision and I had to consult other people.
2. The joy is in the journey
   Had I continued to sell, I was on track to make approximately $50k in just four months of work. We had all kinds of plans of what we’d do with that money. But I walked away from it because there was no joy in the journey. That much money in the bank would certainly provide financial security but I was going to miss having any time with my three children before starting MBA school. So we’ve decided to just enjoy the journey for now.
3. I can’t be a gypsy forever
   I want to make sure that I clarify how I feel about work. I believe in working hard. I believe in providing for my family. I do not believe in living off of welfare. We are fortunate enough to have enough money in the bank and some other opportunities to be able to take two months off. But then it’s back to the grindstone.

Finding a holy cause

In a small way, I’ve been having a bit of an identity crisis for a bit.

Not one of those go out and buy fancy cars and get a new wife crises, but rather just being unsure about things. There have been a number of events over the last year or so, that have left me somewhat apathetic.

And that just won’t do.

During one of our sales trainings, the trainer talked about having a holy cause – something that fills you with so much passion that it will drive you through the rough days.

I realized that I don’t have a holy cause. At least I didn’t for sales.

So I’m taking this time to evaluate who I am, determine what I want out of life and find my holy cause.

Have you ever had a gypsy summer and if so, what did you discover?