13 IDEAS I WANT TO REALIZE… NOW WHAT?

First of all, Strangerless is now a year old, so thank you all for being here! I’m happy that so many ex-strangers have joined me on this continuously evolving journey – a journey which is not nearly as much about me, or about long-distance cycling, as it is about all the inspiring people I meet in this wonderful whirlpool called life. Yet, today, it’s about myself. It’s about the exhausting storm of ideas within me.

From thoughts into action

I’m a person who is always full of ideas and plans, and who loves creating new concepts. In fact, sometimes I think I should make brainstorming my main means of income. I’m not all that creative on my own, but when there’s someone to bounce ideas back and forth with, that’s when they it’s hard to put a stop to them. And I love it!

However, then there’s the moment when ideas should be put to practice. That’s when I don’t know which idea to stick to or where to start. It’s when I start with one, move on to the next one, come up with a new one, change everything and start all over again. And right now, I’m in the middle of such an idea overflow again. One thing I know for sure is that I want to do them all!

Ideas in my head

Here are all the ideas that are currently in my head. Somewhere far, there’s also a PhD, yet as it’s not in my future plans, there’s no need to make this mess any bigger than it already is! Please read at least nr 13 for the sake of this blog’s birthday, and leave me a comment if you will!

1. Book with another long-distance cyclist
I Should write a synopsis and start applying for grants. This requires being still in one place, as doing it while cycling seems tricky to myself (mostly because when I cycle, I want to stay with people and not locked somewhere writing!). We’ve started planning the book, yet have not brought the project any further. This could generate a small amount of money at some point.

2. Feminist manifest
Either a YouTube video or a small comic book. I have already written a script for this, but have just not done anything about it. The script was written in Peru, after I was asked for sex from a random truck driver. This requires about a week of work and would be done for fun. It would probably not generate any money, at least not directly.

3. Documentary on salsa in Cali
There are no great documentaries about salsa in Cali, so why do such myself? The salsa scene in Cali is utmost interesting and very little known, compared to the salsa scene in Cuba or Puerto Rico. I’ve been working with documentaries for years, so I’m quite sure this could actually turn out well. It requires staying in Cali for at least a few months and finding someone to lend me equipment (shouldn’t be a problem, though).

4. Voluntary work in a salsa school in Cali
I was accepted for the voluntary job in a salsa school, which I mentioned in my post on dancing. This means three months in Cali, working and dancing a lot of salsa. No pay, but I would probably learn to dance better and could join the salsódromo in December. I would have time to write paid articles, and this could also bring other, unexpected things along.

5. Cycling through Brazil to Suriname
Anyone who knows me, knows I want to learn Portuguese, French and Arabic. And everyone who has followed my blog for a while, knows I dream about visiting Suriname one day. I have a flight to Asunción on September 1st with a return ticket to Cali on October 5th. But what if I flew to Paraguay with my bicycle and all my stuff, and cycled from there to Suriname through Brazil? I would definitely learn Portuguese and would also get to know Brazil better. Moreover, I would also have a lot more things to blog about again! This would mean giving up on the voluntary work and dancing, though.

6. Business in education
This is something I really wish to develop at some point. I have a business idea for a company that does education on various topics, hires keynote speakers and organizes events. This is quite clear in my head, yet I have no inner strength to really sit down and start doing something about it. Maybe it’s just not the right time yet?

7. YouTube Series on San Antonio
As you might know, I just started a YouTube series last week about the people and places in San Antonio, Cali. I’m in love with this idea, as there are so many things to film here. Yet, where to find a cameraman and should I put all that time into this, instead doing paid jobs? This is not something I want to get paid for, so it’s useless to suggest it. There are things I love to do with any outside pressure, and this is an example of one of them.

8. Paid articles for online magazines and print
This has been going quite well during the trip and it’s where I mostly get my income from. I love writing, so I’m happy I can get paid for something I enjoy. Yet, writing takes time, so unless I leave it be (at least for a while), I won’t have time to develop most, or any, of the other things on this list.

9. Work in TV
I’ve had a videocamera ever since I remember, I’m a trained video journalist and I love being in front of the camera. Yet, I haven’t really concentrated on this while on the road (the fast videos I do from the road don’t count!). I just love being around video cameras and TV productions, and at some point want to get back to working in TV. This time in front of the camera, though. Should I go for it now? Where? In Paraguay?

10. Cycling to Mexico / Visiting Finland
I still want to cycle to Mexico and at some point I also want to visit my friends and family in Finland. Yet, when? In January? Or should I just cycle all the way up to Mexico and go to Finland later on? Maybe I could work in Finland when I go, but maybe it will mean an enormous gap in my budget for me. So, when to go and how long to stay?

11. Working in Finland
This actually seems like the most absurd plan of all at the moment. Yet, there are two entities I would love to work for in Finland, and I’ve already been in contact with both of them. Two amazing places that might need a communications specialist and a social media manager. If it wasn’t for these two possible work environments, I would not be even considering living in Finland for quite a while.

12. YouTube Series / Documentary / Book
About never being too old and about letting life flow. This vague plan has been in my head for ages, yet it’s such a complex topic, I have no idea what to do about it.

13. Blogging
I haven’t been too active here lately and if I stay in Cali, there won’t be all that much to blog about as if I was cycling. I won’t make any big life choices based on blogging (especially as I’m not paid for this particular blog), but I would love to know, what it is that makes you read me? Is it the experiences and the people I meet when cycling or what is it? Do you enjoy reading this kind of posts on my thoughts? Would you read Strangerless even if I wasn’t cycling? Tell me honestly, why are you here??!!

What would you do?

That’s all for now! That’s what’s in my head today. I know I should just stick to one thing at a time, but it feels that all these things are somehow connected, and for some reason my gut feeling is no wiser on this one than my reason. I know it’s a positive problem to have too many ideas, yet if you think I should do one more than another, go ahead and tell me!

P.S. The featured image was taken accidentally by my phone at some point yesterday. I have no idea how and when it happened, yet my phone sure knows how to read my mind!