PersonalRevolutionSAMPLE

douBt cruSHEr 173
Together they realized that they could save more in
tuition if Todd moved to Oregon and his son took
a gap year in Oregon to establish residency before
attending University of Oregon. A gap year would
give them the opportunity to travel and connect.
As for Todd’s mother, he researched the senior living
centers in Portland and found they were better, and
more cost effective, than those in New Jersey. And if
Todd retired, he could spend more time with her.
He decided that he would be happy to get by with a
little less money in exchange for more time to spend
riding motorcycles on the Oregon coastline, more
time to spend with his mother, and creating better
opportunities for his son in Oregon.
Although Todd was eager to retire, he couldn’t
create the momentum to do so when he took only
his needs into consideration. He made his choice
with confidence once he saw how it would benefit
his family*.
* When I reached out to Todd for his approval to use this story in
this book, he shared the following update: “For the past month we’ve
[Todd and his son] been traveling around China. Last week we hiked
the Tiger River Gorge in northern Yunnan province, not far from Tibet,
and tomorrow we check out the terracotta warriors here in Xian. I return
to Portland in a couple weeks to look after Mom while my son will stay in
China and travel or work and polish up his Mandarin. Then he’ll return
to Oregon to start his freshman year at UO. Since I’m a regular at the
Ducks football and b-ball games, I’ll get to have a beer with him down
there every other week or so.” Todd also mentioned that he’s been hired
for a fair number of consulting gigs since he “retired,” which he enjoys.