Intro to the "Plan B" lifestyle

I was inspired by my best mate, Cricket McGraith, to switch my allegiances to this wonderfully literate venue I've dubbed "myspace for grown-ups". I've thus begun my blog journal which is essentially a living chronicle of everyday (almost) happenings and thoughts, with an undercurrent of the "Plan B" lifestyle. Being that this is a new blog, many of you (probably not many actually) may be wondering, 'tell me Simon, what is this "Plan B" you speak of and how may I follow the ways of your teachings?'.

There comes a time in a man's life when he begins to question everything he's done, what he's doing and what does it all mean. This usually hits around 33. I've read that this is some sort of cosmic "coming of age" year, with Jesus's crucifixion and Hitler's rise as 2 famous examples. Not two names you'd often say in the same sentence, huh? Anyway, I think this came early for me, more like 25 or so. In fact, as 33 came and went, I find I'm still there. I think I'm getting clarity however as to what I'm doing and why. It doesn't necessarily fix it, but I dont obsess about it either.

So, back to Cricket. He and I have been friends for a couple of years and we spend many sunday afternoons holding "meetings", drinking coffee and comparing notes on life's idiosyncracies. What we've deduced is that the way we live and the paths we're on are essentially necessary. Unless you're born rich, you win the lotto or have that million dollar idea and slave away to bring it to life, most of us go to college and then get jobs to earn a living. If you're lucky you'll like your job, maybe even find it rewarding. The reality though is that the reward you'd rather have, no matter how much you love what you do, is enough money to never have to work again.

With that said, we all need a back up plan to keep us going. You know, for when "the shit goes down". That's what Plan B is all about. Having a back up plan. The spare apartment in Amsterdam, a new name, the passport and the swiss bank account with some cash socked away. It may be a Bourne Identity type of dream, or you may actually follow through. That's the beauty of it, you dont actually have to do any of it, you just have to have the plan. The plan gives you a type of confidence you may have never thought you had. Say, you have a shitty day at work or you get in a fight with a loved one, what do you do? Sulk? Hell no! You think to yourself..."fuck this crap, if I wanted to I could leave all this shit behind and start from scratch".

Remember, no one owns you (or limits you for that matter) except yourself.