The end of a journey
I am finally back in the US after an unexpected 6-week trip back to Seoul, South Korea. ICYMI, one of my closest friends from college decided to get married quite last minute and I decided to go back to Korea just a couple of months after I had come home. After a long 14 hour flight from Korea back home, I'm feeling so grateful for the experience and the bonus month and a half I got in Seoul.
One of the number one goals for my mini retirement was to experience Korea in all of her seasons and because I went back unexpectedly, I really did get to experience Seoul all year round. I have to say that while winter was very cold, it held its own charm and delight with Christmas lights and decorations all over the city. I'll always look back fondly on all the precious little moments in Korea, which sparked a light and energy back into my outlook on life.
While I'm a little sad that my travel adventures are over--for now, I'm excited to be back. The last six weeks have been critical for me in building patience and practicing living at peace with my anxiety. I've been working on growing my self-confidence during this phase of unknowns and uncertainty and anchoring myself in gratitude and a sense of knowing that things will work themselves out.
The biggest conclusion that I've come to over the past year has been that I need to be my own boss to truly thrive and be my best self. I value independence and autonomy more than anything else when it comes to work and after much reflection, I've realized I'm comfortable taking on the risks and unknowns of being self-employed--even if it means making less money and less quickly. While I had previously considered myself to be unsuccessful in my career, I realize that I've been in roles within organizations that are by nature a bad fit. It doesn't mean those organizations are horrible (okay, some were 😂) and it also doesn't mean that I was a bad employee. It just means that there was a lack of alignment. I now know that I was the crazy one for expecting my job to give me something it couldn't (independence, autonomy to make choices, and freedom) and hoping I could enjoy something that goes against every natural instinct I have. While it certainly has always been a fantasy to work for myself, I've found that only in a year away from traditional work, have I actually been able to contemplate what a life outside of a traditional 9-5 job might look like. From trading, to getting my real estate license, to exploring different business ideas, I have welcomed a new openness to the shape and identity of work that I had never really considered before. This alone is a huge step in the right direction.
To wrap up, here are some recent updates on work-related musings:
I have decided to close down my negotiation coaching business. There just wasn't a lot of momentum and ultimately I realized that coaching isn't a sustainable business model for me personally. It's a very time-intensive job and I want to pursue opportunities that enable better scale. Trying something and realizing that it's not my cup of tea has been the way the way that I've been able to figure out whether or not I really want to do something. I'm closing down this business to create space for bigger and better things.
On the job hunt front, there has been a lot of action in the last 3 weeks. Post-Labor Day, I started getting a lot of replies back from companies--both rejections and interview requests, versus no response over the summer. I've gone through a number of interviews and while none have been a super great fit, it's been encouraging to gain some momentum in this area. It has also reminded me that while I would love a paycheck in the near-term future, other paths are way more exciting.
I will be doubling my options / trading capital by EOY. I have been going back and forth on liquidating a part of my portfolio and allocating a larger portion to trading. I have been looking for consistency in my trades to justify this decision and after 6+ months of data, I finally feel comfortable with doing so. I'm targeting around $90K-$100K+ in trading income if I'm able to perform with current targets of 5% monthly return.
Given my projected trading income, there are 3 options I am currently looking at pursuing, hopefully simultaneously:
Finding a more chill 9-5 that primarily helps bring in steady income, provides healthcare, and provides retirement account benefits.
Working on a startup idea that I've had for a while. I first started building this idea about a year ago and unlike the negotiation coaching business, I don't want to let it go. Even though I've thought about it on and off, I really do think it addresses a critical problem that is important to solve and a meaningful use of my time. There are a few ways of approaching it (building slowly as a small business or trying to raise money). In an ideal world, I'd be able to do it as a side hustle while working a chill 9-5.
Looking to buy a small business in the next 2-3 years - this is a backup / opportunistic plan. I know that some people search for an acquisition target full-time and even raise an equity fund to fund their search, but I prefer to also do this as a part-time hustle. This would be ideal in the case my startup idea flops or I find a great business opportunity.
While this plan is not super specific, it provides enough direction and clarity for the short-term while leaving space for flexibility in the future. If this last year has taught me anything is that we can't plan our way to the life we think we want. Life has its ups and downs, moments of surprise and revelation, and ultimately will guide us in the direction we are meant to go. We need to be open and receptive to opportunities when they arise and listen to our intuition when it comes to figuring out what's next.