First day of the new month, random ramblings

Ok, technically it's not the first day of October. It's the 5th. But it's my first working day of the month, as I took the last few days of last week off from writing and spent it doing research for a project I'm finishing up the first half of this month.

Without getting into too much because of the NDA, I can at least say that the overall scheme of the project is about poker. Something I had little/no knowledge of prior to this project, outside of playing a few hands now and again at parties and social occasions. Little did I know just how epic in scope the game is, and how much it has evolved in the past century. I can honestly say this is a project that I have learned a lot from. I've spent a couple of weeks working on the project so far, and I've still got another two weeks worth of work, but I will say this: I never knew there were so many variations of the game, and I never knew just how lucrative (albeit risky) the game could be. There are some incredible success stories in the realm of the game. Normal people going from nothing and becoming multi-millionaires, and not just based upon sheer dumb luck. There is absolutely skill involved with professional poker playing, as is evident by the professionals who make their living playing the game.

Onto our new favorite show, Numb3rs. I can honestly say it's made it into my top 5. How the hell did we miss this show? Probably because we never really watched network TV back when we were in the States, but kept to our cable shows. We just finished season 2 of this gem last night, and both of us agree that it's been slotted into our number 2 all-time favorite shows. Absolutely phenomenal, and I have to admit...it's started a craving within me to see if I can somehow enhance my math skills to really learn more about this subject.

We've been blessed with a financially secure position at present, and there are a lot of doors opening in terms of opportunities, and we are having a hard time choosing exactly which doors we want to open. We've also got time for a lot of hobbies, and when I wrap up my language lessons in February I'm looking into taking some math classes.

I really do need to brush up on the subject, not only for personal desires. I've been debating earning a viticulture degree from one of the universities here. One of our long-term goals is property investments, and tied into that is vineyards. Bulgaria is phenomenal wine country, and my enthusiasm for the grape is such that I want to own my own. I'd like to get started on a vineyard in about 5 years or so, so that it has plenty of time to mature and get to the point where it's providing a healthy yearly revenue for us, but I don't want to be just the money behind the operation. I have a passion for the grapes, and I absolutely want to be as hands-on as possible in the daily operations of said vineyard. If there's one thing I really want to do in the next 5 years, this is it. And math does play a part in that. Seeing as how it's my only weak point, time to brush up.

If things work out the way we are planning (and keep in mind that life doesn't always give you what you plan for), working the part-time hours I've kept the majority of this year should give us around 30k USD in the bank by the end of next year, after taxes. If I work more hours, take higher paying projects, sell stories, or etc., then that number goes up. If Evy's work picks up next year, that number goes up. 30k's a good start for an investment. We don't plan on dumping all of it into something, but over half, probably. We are going to buy a piece of property to start, and go from there.

Granted, that's all based upon things the way they are now, which we don't foresee changing in the next few years. The apartment is paid for, and barring a natural disaster, we won't be moving until the houses are built out in the countryside, which is something that is currently on hold until her mother and company can get the wells drilled...which is taking extra time to get permits from the government. Originally they were supposed to be built by 2008...then 2010...and now it's pushed back again until who knows when. We are personally figuring that they won't be ready until 2014 at the earliest, even if they started building next year, because things in Bulgaria don't work like they do back in the States. Things are slow here. Getting better, but bureaucracy gets in the way more often than not.

Which actually ties into our "5 year plan" rather nicely. Yes, we have one. Yes, I know some people say it's a waste of time to have a 5 year plan, because you can't plan "life". That's fine...what you can do is set goals and have aspirations, and that's what we are doing. Our cost of living for 2009 was around 8k USD, total. Closer to 10k USD when you throw in entertainment for the year. That's 100% total.

10k vs. 60k. Same amenities. You do the math.

This was my first year working freelance "full time". As in, I've had work when I wanted it. I've landed most jobs I query for. I've found one client who has kept me busy all year long with steady work, and another client who is keeping me busy until the end of the year. I've taken pet projects between those. When everything is said and done, I'm averaging around 25 USD between high and low paying clients, although I've really only had steady income since May. First few months of the year were shaky as I was still establishing myself, but since then it's been reliable. If I wanted to work full time, I can say with reliability that I could break 50k USD for the year. Which, as far as I'm concerned, isn't too bad of a wage for a second-year freelancer with no college degree and not even a high school diploma. Especially considering only 10k of that is needed for living expenses, and the entirety of the rest goes straight into the savings account, and doesn't even factor in Evy's income.

Work could dry up next year. But I doubt it. We are in a unique place. Bulgaria is on the crux of a big development push. The last few years have seen significant changes in the country as they joined the EU. Government has changed. Money is being spent in the right places. English is more common. Businesses are in the "calm before the storm" phase due to the recession, but things are poised for a giant leap forward. The beauty of being where we are is that we are ready to take advantage of it. Now, it could all go south, but I don't see that happening. Even if my work were to dry up entirely from the US, most of my work isn't from US clients. Most of my work is from Europeans, and the European market is booming in comparison to the US.

I'm also not putting all my eggs into one basket. I'm planning on starting a construction company here next year. I'm also going to be looking into getting a translation company going for businesses. Also tied into that will be more Bulgarian-specific services for websites and companies who want to make an online presence and have a native English speaker and professional writer who can make their websites read the way they need to read in order to appeal to the investors coming into the country from the West. I have the fiction book to finish writing. I have an e-book I'm working on presently. I had a cook-book planned that I still want to do, hopefully in the spring. My freelance writing is going strong. Stories are selling.

It's an interesting position to be in, and I'm incredibly excited to be blessed enough to have the freedom to expand upon those entrepreneurial concepts.

I read something recently about a lady back in the States who was complaining about her job, and I had to ask the question: why are you still doing it? Don't like what you are doing? Change your circumstances. I honestly don't believe that "you can't do anything about it". That only holds true if you believe that you are stuck wherever you are, and that chances don't exist. The only person standing between you and success is you. You either want it, or you don't. I've seen a lot of people complain that "well I can't change jobs because there aren't any other jobs to be had." Stop being so limited. You don't have to live and work in the US or the UK. Europe is a big place, and there are a lot of countries in it. Canada, Australia...they all have similar economies, but they aren't packed full of people all with the same credentials looking for the same jobs. Market yourself on a global scale. Stop limiting yourself by local constraints. The world is your oyster. Get out there and crack it open.

Understandably everyone has extenuating circumstances, but are you going to let those get in the way of living the life you want to live?

That's enough for a Monday morning :) Time to get to work. I hope you all find success in what you do, and are happy with your circumstances. Evy and I have been extremely blessed this year, and I hope to be able to see more people enjoying such success in the years to come.