Does your life ever feel like this?
For the past two weeks I’ve been living the dream. No longer have I needed to be anywhere at any specific time. I can work on my own schedule, and get a run in whenever I feel like it. To be honest, it has been great, and I have been more productive than ever.
Well that was last week. This week has been a different story. The reality of life has set in a little bit, and all of those things that I just expected to work out, have become more problematic than anticipated.
I had planned on collecting unemployment for a while I looked for other ways to pay the bills. Well the review process has turned out to not be as smooth as I would have hoped, and I am currently waiting to find out if I am eligible.
But you know what, that isn’t a huge deal. I have been saving, and if I have a few months with zero income I can survive. Well, about 30 seconds after I opened the envelope telling me that the unemployment could be an issue, I received another heartwarming notice:
“We are sorry to inform you that we will be unable to provide you with medical insurance”.
Hmmm, I’m 24 years old, no major health conditions in the last decade, and aside from slightly high blood pressure (which I imagine is due to the stress of the changes that have been undertook over the last few months), I am as healthy as can be. I even went and got my annual check up the day after my last day to verify that I was in good shape!
If a healthy 24 year old can’t get quality health insurance, then who the hell can?
I’ll admit I haven’t been the most avid of followers when it comes to health care reform, but I think it is about time I start paying attention!
NOTE: I also do realize there are plenty of options out there for health care, it was mostly the timing of the letter that let some of the wind out of my sails.
Welcome to the life of the unemployed.
In the last 24 hours there are few other minor things that have occurred that have been a bit disappointing, but I will spare you those details.
All that being said, there is one thing I would like to make very clear. The purpose of Location180 is to provide an accurate representation of the ups and downs that go along with travel and creating your own lifestyle.
Let me reiterate:
THERE ARE UPS AND THERE ARE DOWNS.
For the most part on this site, I focus on the positive aspects of my life. I don’t want that to always be the case though. I think the most learning occurs when times are a little bit tougher.
When this lifestyle presented itself to me, I didn’t know what to expect, and frankly I still don’t. I damn well knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I have found that no matter how hard it gets, the most important thing you can do is stay positive.
I don’t care how bleak things get, if you can’t keep a positive attitude about your life and what you are trying to accomplish, then you are going to have a really tough time getting where you want to go.
I generally try to apply the 1 year rule. I ask myself, if whatever issue is bothering today will have any effect on me 1 year from now. If the answer is no (and most of them are), I take a second, relax, and move on.
That’s been the case with these issues. Will it matter a year from now whether or not I get a few weeks of unemployment? Probably not.
What about health care? It will work itself out one way or another. I might have to pay more, but in the end, it really isn’t worth stressing over. After all, it is stress that got me here in the first place!
While I may have experienced some setbacks this week, that hasn’t changed my overall attitude towards what I am doing. I still think this is a hell of a lot better than sitting in my cubicle all day, although I am learning that you do have to put serious thought into the reality of your situation.
While I would love to do nothing but blog and golf every day, at some point I will have to focus on making longer term plans. Each day I am making progress towards those plans, and right now I am in a good spot.
This week has also taught me that things aren’t always going to be perfect. No matter what you are doing there will be good days and bad days, and your success depends entirely on how you react to each situation.
I choose to stay positive. It has gotten me this far, why would I give up on it now?
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Just keep moving toward your goal, even if the steps you’re able to take are only small ones sometimes.
The year rule is a good one…when I quit my last job, I had no clients, few connections outside of that job (I moved to LA for the job, and since I worked all day I didn’t have much time to socialize!) and enough money in the bank to survive a month.
I made it work and a year later I had some enormous clients under my belt, a huge network of people from all over the world and was able to start thinking about leaving the country and working from wherever.
I made it work because I had no other option, and you’ll do exactly the same thing. You’ll do it in a different way, of course, but you’ll figure out how to get from point A to point B, and when you get there it will be hard to remember why you were ever concerned at all.
As always, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help out! Good luck, buddy!
Sean –
There was a woman I met in Panama who used to say, “Bad things only happen to those who expect it.”
I’ll let you in on a secret of mine…I don’t have health insurance and haven’t had it for about a year now. This includes not having travel insurance when I was in South America.
I’m not saying this is the smartest way to live life, and in fact I’ve been researching options recently, but I will say that it’s not the end of the world. The few times I’ve needed medical attention I’ve been able to pay for it or get it for free.
Things ALWAYS have a way of working themselves out.
Sean,
I always appreciate when people have the guts to write about their reality. Why is the whole world not nomadic? Because it’s not easy! A lot of pioneers froze in their first winters or died of illnesses and suffered many setbacks. As nomads, we are pioneers of a new lifestyle that has not yet become mainstream. Our society is not set up to accommodate this life choice yet(as you’ve quickly seen with insurance). But just as pioneers forged ahead and grew in numbers because of the promise of a better life, I believe the numbers of people seeking to design their own lifestyle will also grow. Hang in there. If you can make it through your first winter you’ll be good as gold! And remember we’re rooting for you!
Ugh I just had a similar problem, I’m launching a nutrition practice over the next couple of months and I called to increase my personal credit line. I had $13,500 line of credit upon calling…and when I called the lady on the phone actually ssaid she was going to have to DECREASE my credit line (which i understand is normal these days) but I’ve never been late on a payment, I’ve used the line that they’ve given me, I do everything possibly right with my finances, and I’m not likely to get a business loan anytime soon so I too found a drawback to living a free lifestyle.
Sean, I think I may have missed some of the details of you leaving your former employer so please forgive me if this isn’t pertinent to your situation.
However, if you did not voluntarily leave your position, you should be eligible for both Unemployment and COBRA benefits. If your company has 20 or more employees there also is a new federal program in which the company will pay 65% of your COBRA costs for 9 months (and receive those payments back in the form of a tax credit).
If that doesn’t pertain, I’d suggest looking at Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s individual major medical coverage plans if you haven’t already. I’ve had pretty good luck with them in the past.
I’m really interested to see where you head from here!
Steph
You know what’s worse? When you are working and still can’t get health insurance. But I won’t go into that.
You will make it work. When you have to make it work you just do. So give yourself time and things will happen.
Can you get unemployment when you quit? Or only if you’re layed off or fired? Also, check out assurant health. I’m still working full time, but I found that I could get a better cheaper temporary policy through them than I could through work.
Hey Sean,
I’m glad you’re taking the positive approach to these potential curveballs.
Double up on your multi vitamins and think healthy. You’ll be just fine.
Take Care,
Jill
If you do not intend to be in the US that much, I’d say shop around for international health insurance (british BUPA has pretty good options).
Also, if you go for “worldwide, excluding US”, you’ll see your premiums more than halve in cost..
I like your one year rule. I left my job right before the recession really hit, planning to find another one. Well, life doesn’t work out how you expect – I couldn’t find that perfect job, wouldn’t settle (turned down several offers), and I’m now a full-time writer and consultant.
I went for 6 or 7 months without health insurance simply because I couldn’t afford it. You are covered by COBRA for a little while – the individual insurance is actually an affordable option if you are making ends meet elsewhere.
Good luck! I think you’ll be fine. Let me know if you need any advice.
I’ve wondered about health care for the self-employed a lot. I’ve asked around, but can’t seem to get a straight answer to save my life. So far, the default answer seems to be to piggy-back onto your employed spouse’s health benefits. Well, what if you’re not married? Or if you’re married, what if your spouse isn’t working or doesn’t have employment benefits? What then? Commence the blank stares and the chirping crickets. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you ask) for me, I’m still young and don’t have chronic problems outside of my hearing loss (which I pay out-of-pocket for anyway because my insurance doesn’t cover it).
I’ve also heard about the difficulty of getting good credit limits and loans when you first get started and perhaps even well afterwards.
That said, I do agree with you that things have a strange way of working out when you believe in yourself. And that most things really aren’t a big deal and can be overcome when we get down to it. Thanks for the reality check, Sean.
@Colin/Derek Thanks for the continued support guys. It is people like both of you that have given me the confidence to know that it is going to work out. And I actually have something in the works, that I could use both of your help with, so I will keep you posted on that!
@Carmen I have always tried to be honest with my writing; if for no other reason than I am not really sure how to lie! I think if this blog is going to be a useful tool for anyone, then they have to understand that not everything is going to be perfect. I don’t want to set false expectations for anyone! But your story is a continued inspiration, as one of the original pioneers to this lifestyle!
@Alexander When you are working for yourself a lot of things can become more difficult, so it doesn’t surprise me that they lowered the credit line. Of course that doesn’t make the fact they did suck any less! Keep me posted about how the business works out, I would be really interested to hear more about it.
@Mary Yeah, that would be worse
And things always have a way of working themselves out!
@Jonathan. No you can’t, but in my case I didn’t quit I was “let go” if you want to put it nicely. I purposefully haven’t gone into many details on here, as I don’t want to play the blame game. I don’t have any hard feelings towards the situation, I am just trying to look forward and prepare myself for the next step as best I can. And I will definitely have to check out assurant, thanks for the tip.
@Jill Great advice about the multi-vitamins I am adding it to the list
@Wille I am actually thinking the insurance thing could be a blessing in disguise, as I need to look more carefully at international and travel plans. So that is the next step.
@Monica It is always nice to hear about how other people have made it through in similar situations. COBRA is an option, but it is still really expensive, so we’ll see what happens. And I may just hit you up for a little more advice! Thanks again for the support!
@Valerie Yeah things definitely change in a lot of regards when you are “self-employed”. You can piggy back on a spouse’s or even a “domestic partner’s” insurance in most cases, and you can apply for individual coverage. The biggest problem with that, is they are SUPER picky about who gets accepted for coverage. If you have hearing loss for instance, they could very well use that against you, even if you aren’t expecting them to cover it (although it depends on which company you go to).
Credit limits can be tough too, as Alexander can attest to. So it really just means you have to do a little creative thinking, but they are all things that can be overcome. Thanks for the thoughts!
I really like your positive way of thinking, it’s going to take you a very long way. It just keeps getting more and more interesting following what you are doing, and I’m getting a great look into the situation that I hope to be in eventually. Cheers.
hey buddy -
I can definitely relate – blazing your own path is definitely not as easy as they make it out to be in the movies
But, like Colin said you will always find a way to make it work. It may not be ideal at the time but if you continue to move forward on your goals just a little bit every day, more doors will begin to open and you’ll be amazed at where you are a year from now. Just think of where you were a year ago and what changes you’ve undergone.
At least this is the philosophy that I’m banking on and it allows me to focus on what I CAN do as opposed to what I’m NOT YET doing…
Paul
Sean,
Now you are sounding like an entrepreneur! I think the saying goes the good weeks are more delicious. I think entrepreneurs receive 1000% more bad news than the average employee. This week, for example, I think we were in the same boat. All the more reason to kick ass next week.
Great to see the level of honesty that seems to be going round the blogosphere at the moment.
It is relieving to see that everyone else also has the same struggles and fears.
@Carmen – what you said is sooo wise and a great approach – lifestyle design has not hit its stride yet and all of the folks making this change ARE the pioneers.
Sean – I was so off-kilter when I left my job over a year ago. I took some time to get some structure and work the logistics out. But it was good because even that gave me some purpose every day while I found my new rhythm. I now work part-time (still paying for my own health insurance) and have time to pursue my creative path, so this hybrid approach works well for me. It doesn’t have to be all one way or another. Keep thinking about different angles, you’ll soon find what works best. Then change it
I am still amazed that the richest country in the world is so far behind on providing medical care to its citizens. In most countries, medical care is a basic right. What is wrong with the US?
There definitely are ups and downs to lifestyle design. It has been glamorized mostly by people who are dreaming of making big changes. The people in the trenches know that it takes hard work and sacrifice to designing your ideal life.
I am scared as hell, but also excited to be able to change my country again and restart my life. I am glad to be alive at a time with so much opportunity.
Sean, you are so knowledgeable and correct!!!!
Bravo for being honest, and for staying so positive! It will help so many other people in their quest to find their own ideal lifestyle.
Very best wishes!
I’ve spent today worrying about choices I’ve made and making, about whether I’ve eligible for a loan – this has reminded me that (being British) at least I don’t have to worry about healthcare. hope that doesn’t sound too callous! I guess it good to remind ourselves that we’re not the only people facing a problem or two.
I also think that the trick to living with some sort of serenity is being able to deal with things were the 1 year rule very much applies; realising that something has happened which will change the course of your life, and not in a way that you’d like, but that that isn’t going to stop your life being interesting and worthwhile.
“That’s been the case with these issues. Will it matter a year from now whether or not I get a few weeks of unemployment? Probably not.
What about health care? It will work itself out one way or another. I might have to pay more, but in the end, it really isn’t worth stressing over. After all, it is stress that got me here in the first place!”
You make a great point, Sean – it’s easy to get wrapped up in the drama of daily life, but you’re right – will it matter a year from now? I always try and base important decisions on this – Does this REALLY matter? How much of a difference will it make 5 years out? If the answer is not much, then I try not to worry about it…even though sometimes that’s easier said than done. Especially when others are putting external pressure on you to do x, y, z because those things are important to THEM. But that’s another distinction that needs to be recognized, and if that’s the case, discarded in favor of prioritizing the things that are important to YOU.
Hey Sean – That’s strange about your health care denial. That is a problem indeed, given one never knows when disaster will strike.
It comes down to money unfortunately. With enough money, we can buy anything and anyone for that matter!! Happens in Washington DC all the time!
One thing that I do to try and limit worry is to ask myself if there is anything I can do about the situation. If there is, I go do that thing. If there isn’t, I remind myself that most of what I worry about never happens anyway, and so I should let it go.
@Jackie Thanks for the comment, and excellent advice. I try and do the exact same thing. If something is entirely out of my control, there is no reason to stress out and worry about it!
Sean – if you were let go (involuntary termination), then you are eligible for reduced COBRA premiums for 9 month. The federal government will pay 65% of your COBRA premiums and you will be responsible for 35%. This subsidy is because of ARRA – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. You will need to fill out a form that should be included with your COBRA election form that you receive from your medical and dental providers.
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