Low Cost Probes
Seems like a lot of people in my circles are, to put it lightly, overachievers. Whether it’s a DYI home improvement or a planning a vacation, some people definitely fall into the “go big or go home” camp. As one friend likes to joke, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth over-doing.” In certain areas of life, I can be the same way.
It’s not uncommon for a lot of people to look back and wish they’d done a little more exploration before investing in the education and preparation necessary for their first career.
And there’s definitely no rush in planning the next chapter of life. Here’s our chance for a do-over. Let’s get it right. Today we’re going to discuss the idea of the “low-cost probe.” I got the idea from fellow coaches, Leslie and Matt Martin. It’s simple enough concept.
Plan for and enjoy a period of planned exploration before investing in and committing to specifics about whatever comes next.
As an example, last year about 400,000 people relocated to another state after retirement. That number has been growing for several years. The factors for this are varied, including weather, location of children and grandchildren, and cost of living. I understand the temptation. Just about every place we’ve ever vacationed, I’ve said to myself, “I could live here.”
But my wife reminds me that living someplace is much different from vacationing in that place. Were we to consider living elsewhere, I would want to take several low-cost probes before making that commitment. Maybe a month-long rental in the off-season would reveal something about a place that a week in peak season might obscure.
Another example would be the popularity of the RV lifestyle. You can easily spend as much or more on a Class A RV as an actual house. And yet it’s typical for these beautiful homes on wheels to spend more time in the storage yard than on the road.
Tricked out Sprinter vans are really popular here in Colorado, enabling people to cut the umbilical cord with official campgrounds and spend the night just about anywhere off the beaten path. Anyone with a little wanderlust in their blood has probably dreamed of being a digital nomad, working, playing, and living wherever the mood takes you.
It’s not hard to drop over $100 grand on a Sprinter van, but money may not be the determining factor of whether it’s right for you. What’s harder to measure is how well two reasonably normal people will fare spending all day, every day together in 80 square feet or less for weeks on end! There are plenty of rental options to try before you buy. It just might save your marriage!
I’ve known senior executives who were convinced they wanted to spend their next season volunteering at a non-profit close to their hearts, only to find out they couldn’t adjust to the different priorities and organizational structure of a small non-profit after years of corporate life. A low-cost probe approach would be to volunteer in a limited way before jumping in the deep end. Spend time with the director if possible. Interview long-term volunteers. Get familiar with the funding mechanisms of non-profits and how they are often driven by different values that for-profits businesses.
Another popular dream is to turn a hobby into a business. Say for example, a fly fishing enthusiast wants to open a fly shop. Or a baking enthusiast wants to open a bakery. A low-cost probe might be to get a job on weekends and evenings at a venue similar to what you have in mind. What are the realities of the community you’d like to work in? What’s the actual cash flow look like? What’s employee turnover like in a retail shop? All these questions can be answered, and your final decision influenced by a “try before you buy” approach.
As part of our Investigative Life Process, we help our clients narrow down their options, from many to a few. Then we encourage them to experiment and pay attention to what they learn. Many times, this can be done while still engaged in one’s primary career by utilizing vacation time, long weekends, and work-from-anywhere options.
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the low-cost probe is that it turns a Second Rodeo from a singular decision to a process. In our experience, many plans for the post-primary career lifestyle are a bit idealistic. That doesn’t mean those plans shouldn’t be pursued. It just means that an exploratory, baby steps approach can actually be part of the fun.
Give us a call and let us hear what your current dreams are. Our dream is to see your dreams become reality.
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