2_E3_POSTCONFERENCE.magazine | Seite 18

I don ’ t know how . What if I don ’ t like it ?
I ’ m too old for this .
I ’ ll be embarrassed if I fail .

Do not let these excuses trap you !

I don ’ t know how . What if I don ’ t like it ?
Neither did anybody else the first time they tried something new ! But look at all the people you see doing things who make it look so easy . It wasn ’ t easy for them at the beginning either . When my wife , Jessi , and I bought our RV , we had camping experience but no RV experience . We ended up finding the rig in December 2015 . Our very first trip was to Michigan ’ s Upper Peninsula during a very snowy January . It was a little daunting , but we worked our way through various obstacles during that trip and came out more competent and prepared to tackle more obstacles that would come along later .
I ’ m too old for this .
Until you ’ re on your deathbed , life isn ’ t over ! We have met people during our treks that are well into their senior years . Many have been RVing for decades , but others just started out after successfully raising a family and retiring from their careers . They are driving all sorts of different rigs and making the most of every day still ahead of them , which will probably result in more days overall compared to folks who decide they ’ re “ too old ” and end up sitting around .
Don ’ t like it ? Change it ! When Jessi and I bought our rig , we were trying to decide between a Class B and a Class C . We ended up going with the Class B because it just felt better at the moment . But we also knew that regardless of the rig we bought , there might be days we wished we had gone the other way . Six years later , we still have those thoughts , and someday we might swap out our Class B for something larger . In the meantime , this fits our preferred style of travel . We know that we can change that style , the rig we use , the time we spend on the road vs . being stationary , etc .
One of the great things about living in a home on wheels is that you can easily move if you don ’ t like the place you ’ re at . The same goes for how often you travel . If you decide you want to leap to full-time , go for it . If you choose later that you ’ d rather be part-time , then use your travels to find that perfect spot for a new home base .
I ’ ll be embarrassed if I fail .
Thomas Edison supposedly said this when asked about failing to invent the lightbulb during his many initial attempts : “ I have not failed . I ’ ve just found 10,000 ways that won ’ t work .” Whether you ’ re full-time or parttime in your RV , you won ’ t know which you prefer until you try it . If you decide on a large rig and later find that you ’ d rather have the flexibility of a small one , you haven ’ t failed at RVing ; you ’ ve simply perfected how you want to RV . The same goes for going bigger if you feel you need more elbow room . There is a neverending opportunity for learning and growth when you travel in an RV , which is the positive way to say that you will continually fail and learn how to do it better on the next trip !
18 GOING FURTHER TOGETHER