I am living in paradise. I open my blinds each morning to colorful mountain divides and aspen leaves quaking in the first daylight breeze. The beauty that my natural scenery creates can bring me to tears, but that’s not what makes my new hometown paradise. It’s the call to step into that beauty- each day beckoning me to hit the trails, dip my toes in rushing snowmelt, or wander the valley floor. The small community that’s lucky enough to call this place home is tight-knit, and despite our differences, we share a core belief: live big by living adventurously, and never take this life for granted.
Designing a life you love isn’t just about picking the perfect spot and moving there. When my husband and I began to talk about our futures, back before we had kids and felt our lives change more than we could imagine, we both agreed on a few characteristics of an ideal life: freedom to spend our time mostly how we wanted, fitness to explore remote places and push ourselves in new challenges and hobbies, and enough financial stability to support our travels, philanthropy, and family commitments. We didn’t sit down and map out every detail- what each day or week would look like, how we’d work, or where we’d spend our money. We just knew what mattered most to us.
Living a life by design doesn’t happen automatically when you check off the last item on your to-do list. It’s a long, intentional process we need to work at.
As our lives evolved, so did our dreams. After having kids, community became far more valuable to us, and the dreamy concept of nomadic adventures became less realistic as school schedules charged into our lives. We still craved freedom of time, physical and mental challenges, wellness, and the means to fund our adventures and contributions- but we also wanted a place to truly anchor ourselves- a community that understood our values.
Eight years after having our first child is when we took the final action to uproot our family and leave behind the house, the place, and the friends who we came to love all so dearly. But the wheels began turning long before that. We had been working towards a financial plan for a decade that was aggressive by most standards, and that was on purpose- because following most traditional plans would not have allowed us both to stop working by our 40s. We used our real estate investing knowledge, and a very intentional tax strategy to find the perfect home in a place with limited housing options.
Leaving our close-knit group of friends was heartbreaking, but it was a scar we chose to bear for the life we envisioned. We traded three acres of forest and a sprawling 3,500-square-foot home for a cozy 1,500-square-foot condo. Downsizing is a journey in itself, and it hasn’t been easy. I’m happily embracing the challenges in exchange for being able to bike my kids to school and bump into friends and teachers in town. Sure, our tiny kitchen can feel cramped, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything if it means my kids grow up loving and respecting the incredible mountains right in their backyard, and the people they share them with.
Hitting our financial freedom number doesn’t mean we’ve arrived at the point where we can begin our ideal lives. Plan your ideal life along the way, so that when you reach your financial goals, you’re ready and aware of the transition you want to make.
Amazon doesn’t deliver to our home in less than three days. Our town lacks a big grocery store, or any major chain. The only oral hygienist moved away, so I’ll have to travel for my next dentist appointment. While these quirks can feel like a hassle compared to the conveniences we had grown accustomed to when living so close to Denver, they add to the charm of small-town life. They encourage a different way of living—one that fosters community, where asking for help, offering it, and lifting each other up, becomes second nature.
Living a life by design doesn’t happen automatically when you check off the last item on your to-do list. It’s a long, intentional process we need to work at. It takes constant attention to what we need and what we want out of life, and then meticulous, and sometimes painful planning before we finally take the actions to get there. Hitting our financial freedom number doesn’t mean we’ve arrived at the point where we can begin our ideal lives. Plan your ideal life along the way, so that when you reach your financial goals, you’re ready and aware of the transition you want to make. Take the steps you can to create your ideal life now, and don't wait until you've hit financial freedom.
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