After 18+ months in San Diego, I’m contemplating my next phase.
Some days I feel wistful for the comfort of Portland, which was my home for 20 years. But then I remember all the reasons I left in 2020, went back, and then left again in 2022.
Those first few months as a digital nomad from Seattle to California were rocky to say the least, but even in the midst of all the chaos and breaking away from my past life, San Diego’s vibe felt right.
Then I met someone special. Someone not in San Diego, but close enough. It was 10 months of weekend adventures, many of which were spent in Orange County. That was a beautiful season with a beautiful person, and it really opened me up to seeing new possibilities.
I’m finally trusting in timing, and letting go of any inclination to force timelines when so many alternative futures exist.
What’s meant for me is mine. No matter the timeline.
So today I woke up curious. What’s next? I feel ready to pop. Something great is on the horizon.
So now it’s time for a new experiment:
Do it for the plot
I’ve run other experiments the past few years to level up during what I call my “Lightbulb Journey,” such as:
- The 100-day Plan a.k.a. “Confident Credentials” – Jan. 2022
- The 111-day Experiment – June 2022
- STAY TRU2U (v. 1.0-3.0) – Oct. 2022; April 2023; May 2024
- The Electronic Energy Shift – May 2023
(I plan to write about these in depth at some point, so if any interest you, let me know in the comments.)
Where did this idea come from?
The other day I was swimming laps in the pool and this guy hopped in at the end of my workout.
As I was stretching, he did a couple laps underwater, no goggles, and then stopped at the side of the pool to turn on his phone speaker full blast. Then he waved to get my attention and asked, “Do you want to race?”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t really my type… he was wearing a big crystal medallion necklace (and seemed potentially drunk), so I said, “No, thanks,” as I hopped out.
But then when I in the locker room showering, I started laughing to myself and thought, “Gah! I should’ve done it for the plot!”…
And thus, the DO IT FOR THE PLOT experiment was born.
And according to this cute tiktok from _trinanguyen, it’s “The Youths'” latest replacement for FOMO.
How would this work?
I’m keeping it simple for now. It’s just going to be a Go/No-Go question that I ask myself when presented with new opportunities:
“Would this make the plot better?“
At first, I thought “Should I do this for the plot?” was the best vetting question during this experiment. But soon I realized, that could go off the rails quickly, depending on my mood and risk tolerance that day.
Also, when you think about it, the plot really doesn’t benefit from a lot of randomness. The best plots flow even with their ups and down, and still have plenty of surprises.
Even if this sounds corny, it’s really given me a boost as summer is just around the corner.
I’ll keep y’all posted as this experiment progresses. 😘