In this article, I share why stepping into the unknown may be the best strategy to achieving your dreams. I am writing this article as I’m driving to Mexico to spend the winter. Overwintering in a warm climate has been a dream of mine since I was young and now that dream is coming true.
Stepping Into the Unknown: What is it?
Stepping into the unknown is taking a leap of faith. It is moving forward toward a dream or goal without a concrete plan. It is trusting that everything will work out. It is believing that opportunities will appear because the stars are finally aligning in your favour. While it may seem like a high-risk move because the path forward is not clear, it is not. It is very much about embracing your dreams and figuring things out as they unfold. Most importantly, it is about never, ever giving up.
Cheapest Place to Live in Mexico on the Beach
I have to admit that I always thought I would be looking for the cheapest place to live in Mexico on the Beach or some other tropical location for my retirement. Yes, our six months in Mexico this winter comes on the heels of my husband and I retiring in June this past year.
From all my exotic beach ventures in the past I only ever researched beach towns to retire in. I never thought in a million years that I would end up in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.
And choosing San Miguel was a fluke. After producing what would be our last major marathon last October, we were meant to head to the Palm Springs area of California for a month of big mountain hiking. A week-and-a-half out I had to cancel any hiking plans as I fell out of a U-Haul truck while unloading race supplies and my knee was still hurting.
When I told my husband I could not hike, he turned to me and said:
Anywhere else you’d like to visit?
I paused, then responded, “Yes, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.” This picturesque town kept coming up in my interior design magazines as a go-to place for designers and I had been dabbling in design as a side hustle so off we went!
Pueblo Magico San Miguel de Allende
Pueblo Magico San Miguel de Allende is one of many villages and towns in Mexico awarded this designation by the Mexican government. The translation is quite literally “magical town.” This designation is awarded to places that have kept elements of original architecture, culture, folklore and, history intact.
Falling in Love with San Miguel
I knew I was falling in love with San Miguel from the moment we drove into town and wandered down tight cobblestone streets last November. In addition to the “Pueblo Magico” designation it also holds the distinction of being a Unesco World Heritage Site for its Spanish colonial Baroque architecture and importance during the Mexican War of Independence.
For me as a creative, this place embodied creative exploration. Doorways still displayed colourful archways of flowers from Day of the Dead celebrations. And the pottery, woodworking, art, sculpture and, modern crafts and decor were breathtaking!
Cultural Explorations in Food and Drink
San Miguel was also a mecca of cultural explorations in food and drink. We would spend every day wandering the hilly streets in search of a different coffee house. Whether we indulged in Americanos or cappuccinos the beans were rich and flavourful and I honestly had difficulty drinking regular coffee after this amazing experience!
We enjoyed trying different restaurants too, letting our wanders throughout the city guide us in choosing. One of my most loved meals was an oyster mushroom taco that was mouth-watering and beyond delicious!
While we were only in San Miguel de Allende for five days I said to my husband that we were coming back. The irony is that I say that about nearly every travel destination that I fall in love with. What was different this time?
- This was the first non-beach town that I fell in love with
- San Miguel is located in the central highlands of Mexico. I also love mountain towns but this is not one. While I understand there is great hiking within driving distance of the city, it does not have a mountain culture that I find myself attracted to (I have a love for New Hampshire and the White Mountains and we often go back to hike)
- Every day you can get an excellent workout by just walking around the city as it is very hilly
- Even in “winter” people gather and socialize in the central square every night. Perhaps this is still somewhat of a “pandemic hangover” but I’m craving socialization and cannot bear the thought of another isolating winter up north
- Mexico is extremely festive and there are parades, fireworks and, celebrations ALL THE TIME
- I am smitten with beautiful structures and in San Miguel this is everywhere! The Baroque architecture is fascinating. I love the mystery of what stands behind the walled buildings lining the streets of San Miguel. I enjoy exploring beautifully landscaped hidden pathways throughout the city and I feel like the culture is romancing us with its sense of style from furnishings to art to decor and more!
Stepping into the Unknown to Get to San Miguel
For my husband and I, getting to San Miguel was very much about stepping into the unknown. We just retired. We have a modest pension but needed more if we wanted to live in Mexico for six months. Additionally, another opportunity had come up for my husband. And in all honesty, it was me that fell in love with San Miguel. My husband would support me in realizing my dream.
While I had made a plan a few years earlier to overwinter in San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, this never materialized. In all fairness, when I started talking about overwintering in Mexico, my husband thought I was probably only dreaming again. I had not yet stepped into the unknown.
To add a twist to the plot, my husband had the opportunity to sail from our home in Niagara (Canada) to the Bahamas. The journey would be from September to December. I would have loved to be a part of this momentous adventure and tried to acclimatize the cats to the boat but that ended in disaster.
Read my story here about not being able to sail
Hiking Solo and Starting a Blog
For my 55th birthday in June, I embarked on an epic adventure in the White Mountains hiking solo. I was so motivated by that adventure to start writing that I took a course in blogging and search engine optimization.
Goats on the Road is a great entity to study with and guide people in transitioning to international living. My plan in July was to work studiously at building my blog and search for remote work I could do in Mexico.
Remote Work Success Rate (for me): 0%
I found myself canceling more “free trials,” unsubscribing, paying for one-month subscriptions and, calling my credit card company to cancel a subscription when my efforts failed. Kudos to anyone who finds remote work that pays anything realistic from a cold solicitation.
Interior Design Side Hustle
I was feeling slightly disheartened but then an amazing opportunity came up doing an interior design side hustle. It was a project that I had been doing some design proposals for in the past year. The project had never come to fruition as the client’s timeline was incredibly tight and contractor after contractor turned it down.
Stepping into the Unknown Again
As quickly as the interior design side hustle came up I found myself stepping into the unknown again. From my years of directing major sporting events, I knew that I could hustle regardless of the industry. When the most recent contractor turned the commercial renovation project down I stepped up and said “I can do this in the timeline.” And so I did.
Officially I was the general contractor, project manager and, interior designer. I can finagle budgets and make them work. I can juggle logistics to make anything happen. It all came at a great stress load though. I knew that going in and I was used to it (although it is one of the reasons I took early retirement).
Why did I so boldly step into the unknown in an industry that was so new to me? The answer might surprise you.
I chose to take on this project not to afford to live as an expat in Mexico for six months. I took on this project because I have spent a lifetime trying to figure out what is in my soul. What drives me. What makes me tick. What makes me move forward regardless of the challenges. And I had this vision that I had translated to drawings on paper and I was with an incredible client that gave me free creative reign. Like many creatives, I need to express that. I wanted this project to happen. I connected with the client's reasons behind wanting the renovation. Beautiful design changes lives. It makes for an amazing experience for those who engage with the design. This opportunity just happened to arrive at this time in my life. And I just happened to have the hustle and logistics ability to make it happen. So I stepped into the unknown and got the project done.
Obstacles in Achieving Goals
I have written previously about overcoming obstacles in achieving goals and the months leading up to our departure for Mexico were filled to the brim with obstacles. While I worked super long hours on my renovation project wearing many different hats, my husband set off to sail for the Bahamas. It was good that I was so busy so I did not have time to dwell on how much I missed him. But my stress level and challenge level increased immensely as I prepared our house for our Airbnb license.
My city introduced licensing for short-term rentals this year so we were among the newest wave of holiday renters to go through the licensing process. This meant we had to finish small details of our multi-year renovation and make a slew of changes to meet licensing requirements.
I will spare my readers the stories of despair I experienced as I embarked on some fixes that were completely outside of my comfort zone! Okay here is one that nearly broke me – trying to affix this trim to the new entrance that required drilling and screwing to a spot with limited wood to grip. I had multiple holes at one point and went through three different-sized screws! I had my husband on video chat to walk me through the process of changing drills and bits on our two drills. At the end of the day, I learned how to properly use drills and went on to use them for a few different fix-it types of projects for the house.
I am happy to say that a mere five days before we left for the winter for Mexico we obtained our official short-term rental license to be able to list our property on Airbnb.
Stepping into the Unknown: Key Findings
Getting to Mexico has been about stepping into the unknown and embracing obstacles along the way. Looking back I would say I experienced A LOT of stress as I juggled multiple projects along the way. Stepping into the unknown is completely new for me as I have always been a planner. This venture has truly been a leap of faith. Here are some of the lessons that I learned:
- I often felt completely overwhelmed as I took on an incredible amount of work. I did find myself saying “I’m not sure I can get this all done.” Any time I said that I would then coach myself and say “Stop. Put those thoughts aside. Just keep going. If you have come this far already just keep going.” To give you perspective, I went through this mental process up until the day before we left. We still had lots of organizing to do the day before. I also had to do one last site visit to my clients
- You never know what opportunities lie ahead so identify your end goal and then be open to what unfolds
- Do not give up
- When “option A” closes, look for “option B.” I had written off staying in San Miguel de Allende at one point because I could not find a rental for the winter that I could afford. I tried another route and found something but it took over a month to confirm my accommodation. Now I have my dream house in my dream city in my dream location. Yes, I am very aware that my exact dreams and wants have materialized
- Ask for help when you need it
Again, I have rarely taken such an incredible leap of faith before in my life. There is something I connected to so deeply in San Miguel and I think it may be creativity. The night before we left I went to sleep dreaming of several interiors I can not wait to revisit and relish in all their aesthetic glory. I do wonder if this trip is happening because my soul is now in alignment with my larger purpose in life.
