What Do I Want Out Of Life?

I'm looking for answers wherever I can find them.

I was recently asked by someone very close to me about what I want out of life. It has taken some genuine soul searching for me to answer these questions. Admittedly, most people could probably answer them with relative ease; this is not true in my case. Perhaps I think too much about life. Maybe I operate on more data than the average person requires. Understanding the 'Big Picture' has made me slightly nihilistic and hollow. Either way, here's my best attempt at answering the following questions.

Where Do I See Myself In One Year?

Within the next year, I'd like to have moved to a new place. North Carolina has been really great for me, but it's time to move on. There's not too much left here that I haven't seen. The Triad is fairly small, with little to offer in terms of entertainment or of an interest to my hobbies. By Summer of 2016, I'm hoping to either be in the process of moving or have just completed a move.

...In Five Years?

In five years, I'm hoping to have settled into the new place that I eventually move to, wherever that may be. Hopefully, my collectibles business would have expanded and still be able to support me. In terms of writing, I want to be published by then. I'm not too picky about in what manner I want to be published, though. Whether it be a novel, a collection of short stories, a screenplay or even a children's book. I also want the audience of my blog to have at least doubled by then. Currently, I average around 4,000 - 5,000 unique visits a month. Writing has had a truly positive influence on my life. It's something that I'm actually good at.

...In Ten Years?

In ten years, I'll probably be looking at moving again. I don't want to spend my entire life in one place. I'd get bored with my surroundings. Hopefully, there'll be multiple books that I've published at that point. By then, maybe my website will have become a place where those whom read my work can contact me, as well as enjoy my daily articles.

...In Twenty Years?

I'll be 52 years old in twenty years. By then, I've hopefully left the retail collectibles business behind and am solely supporting myself as a writer. Maybe I've expanded into the screenwriting business and have had a motion picture filmed of my work. I'll probably have moved yet again -- it's hard to imagine that I'll move three more times within twenty years, but that's likely the case.

Where Do I Want To Go?

The two places on the top of my 'To Go' list are Scotland and Japan -- this is probably the easiest question for me to answer. It doesn't matter which place I visit first, but I want to go to both within the next decade. I'm hoping to go to Japan in 2016 if everything works out right. By 2020, I want to see Scotland. Within the United States, I'd like to tour the Pacific Northwest and Southern California. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are also places I want to see. I want to travel to the Northeast and visit Colonial Massachusetts -- specifically to see the Adams National Historical Park. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are also on my to-do list. Finally, I'd like to see Hawaii and experience the life of the native people there. I have a great deal of respect for traditional Hawaiian culture.

Where Do I Want To Live?

I'd like to live out west and experience life on the other coast. Having lived on the East Coast of the United States my whole life, I think seeing how the opposite side of America lives would be good for my mind. While I don't think I'd want to live in Southern California, I might consider a smaller or medium size city in Northern California like Redding or Chico that doesn't sit on an active fault line. In terms of what I want to see in a city, I want a place with a thriving downtown area and an art scene. I envision myself spending nights walking from an art house to a bar, then to eat at a restaurant. A place with an active brewing community would be great as well. Being able to make friends with some politically motivated individuals would be nice, as well as those whom like to read a lot.

At some point, I want to live in Japan and Scotland, not just visit them. I realize I can't stay there long term without immigrating, but a good three or six month span would be nice. With Scotland, I want to experience life in a small village along the coast or in the Highlands. Inverness would also be an interesting city to spend some time in. In Japan, I'd like to live in Tokyo and travel all along the length of the country. I want to ride the rails from one tip of Japan to the other, then hop a boat ride to Okinawa. There's just so much there that I can't even begin to list it all -- the cuisine, the shrines, the natural beauty, the sea life, the art, the people.

What Do I Want To Do?

I want to be a storyteller. Honestly, I believe my ability to tell stories is one of my strongest skills. Not one to stick to only fiction or non-fiction, my works would transcend genres and mediums. I want to write a biography, a children's animated film and a fantasy epic. When future historians look at the most diverse writers of the 21st Century, I hope my name is occasionally mentioned. I pray that my stories will make people cry, will spark the imagination of a child, will bring two lovers together, will inspire humans to travel to the stars.

What Do I Want Out Of Life?

I want to figure out what makes me happy. I'm not truly passionate about anything right now. The only way for me to figure that out is to see new things, travel to new places and meet new people. Being trapped behind four walls like a hermit is no way to go through life -- and I've been living like that for far too long. When I reach the twilight of my life, I don't want to feel like I wasted my chance at making my mark.