I am a dreamer and always wonder what is around the corner. I get frustrated that choosing one thing means not choosing another. I frequently wish that I could live multiple lives in series, so I could make different choices each time and see how that feels. But I also know I only get to do this once. Which, unfortunately, leads to analysis paralysis, because I feel pressure to make the One Right Choice.
But the reality is there is no one right or wrong choice -- there are as many that are right and wrong as there are sides to your personality. So the best you can do is to work through the pros and cons of each option and figure out, on balance, which option best balances those. And if you choose wrong, make another decision.
I took the "safe" route -- school, high-paying career, medium-to-low COL locations, stability, reliability, etc. And even with that, life threw me for a loop a couple of times! Lesson 1: Accept that no matter what decision you make, you have only limited control over what actually happens and how things turn out. Everything requires a leap of faith.
But beyond that, you made the decisions you did for a reason -- I suggest you figure out what led you to where you are now before you just chuck it to chase something else. I frequently wish I had not been so scared earlier in my life, that I had taken risks before I had mortgages and kids in high school and all of that stuff that makes me even more risk-averse -- I mean, really, why couldn't I have just taken a year to backpack around the world? But the reality is that that was not who I was at the time. I had no money, no family who could fund me, and the thought of working dead-end minimum wage jobs just to scrape up money for a train ticket to the next location filled me with dread. I came from no money, and so getting a job that could provide financial stability was the most powerful force that drove me. So for me to kick myself for those earlier choices is disrespectful to who I was then.
But the flip side of that is that sometimes who you were then is not who you are now, and earlier decisions might not fit years down the road. I have now achieved more than I ever expected out of school -- financial stability, same place and jobs for 13 years, married with kids, both families nearby, etc. And I am getting antsy, because choosing to prioritize security meant trading away adventure. So I do frequently reassess: I remind myself of why I chose this (because we tend to take for granted the good things we currently have), and I look realistically at the pros and cons of the other options. That is the same thing I would advise you to do: figure out what drove you to where you are now, what needs are being met and what aren't, and what the tradeoffs are for your other options, both good and bad (hint: if you are bored sticking around in your current location, do you really think you will be magically not bored sticking around in a location that you like even less?). Which option speaks to you the most, *for right now*? Do that. If it doesn't work, rinse, repeat, do something different.
