Last Updated on July 3, 2023
Hi, I’m John Spencer Ellis. There was a time when I thought more was better. More fancy cars. More homes. More stuff. From the outside, it looked glamorous and flashy. It was. And it was also a pain 50% of the time.
It’s time to reset and re-evaluate.
I’ve been in business since 1992. During that time, I did a lot of fun things, traveled through Europe, wrote some books, built several businesses (some successes & some failures) and bought and sold several homes and office buildings. Ya know what? Some of it what great, and a lot was a pain.
In the past, my businesses were physical, meaning I needed to be there to make the money, and/or I shipped physical products from my warehouse. That is no longer the case. My life and my business are 100% virtual. My tangible assets are gone. I know some will think that’s a bad move. I get it. And, I’m glad I made these decisions. Life is so much easier.
I always wanted to get a huge RV (Maybe 43 feet or bigger) and hit the road. But, I had so many other responsibilities/expenses, I wasn’t able to make it work the way I wanted. Managing 2 businesses, 3 homes, 2 fancy cars was hard enough. The act of going on the road for 3 months would have been very challenging.
So now what?
It’s was time to scale way down. Waaaaaay down.
I had nothing to lose, and just experience to gain.
I now have just 3 suitcases, and it’s glorious.
So, it’s time to shop for an RV.
My only experience with RVing is when I was a kid and I went with my buddy and his parents for a few days. It was a blast. And, my grandpa has a trailer he used 2-3 months per year for extended camping and fishing trips.
As I started shopping for RVs, I looked at everything from a conversion van to a Class A 45-foot diesel pusher with 3 slides. I was shocked at how much a Class B “anything” Mercedes chassis/engine runs. WOW! That’s just crazy talk. And, if I’m going to live in this thing for weeks or months at a time, I needed more room.
Although I haven’t bought anything yet, I’m really leaning towards the Thor Windsport 29M
Key Features
10” Touchscreen Dash Radio with Bluetooth®, iGo primo™ Navigation & Sirius/XM® Radio- 1000-watt Inverter
- 15,000 BTU Front Roof Air Conditioner
- 30” Over-the-Range Microwave Oven
- 360 Siphon® RV Holding Tank Vent Cap
- Automatic Generator Start
- Automatic Leveling Jacks with Touchpad Controls
- Exterior 32” LED TV on Swivel Bracket, Soundbar & Radio
- Exterior Kitchen with 2.6 cu. ft. Refrigerator & Sink
- Heated/Remote Exterior Mirrors with Integrated Side View Cameras
- Legless Lateral Power Patio Awning with Integrated LED Lighting
- Pet-Link™ Multi-Purpose Tie-Down
- Power Driver’s Seat
- Power Drop-Down Hide-Away Overhead Bunk with Cotton Cloud™ Mattress & Bunk Ladder
- Rapid Camp+™ Multiplex Wiring Control System, w/Blue Tooth and 7” Touchscreen
- Solar Prep (Includes Solar Controller)
- Solid Surface Kitchen Countertops & Pressed Laminate Dinette Countertop
- Winegard® ConnecT™ WiFi Extender +4G
I will buy one that is slightly used so someone else can depreciate it for me!
Going back to the life changes that allow me to now consider this lifestyle….
Here are some important lessons learned as I scaled down my life:
- It’s just stuff. Very few things really matter. Anything else can be replaced. And, you likely didn’t need it anyway.
- If you think you may not want it later, sell it/donate it/throw it away now.
- It’s more important to collect memories than things.
- It’s liberating to NOT have a bunch of stuff.
- If it’s hard to carry, I don’t want it.
- You save a lot of money when you don’t have space to keep things you may want to buy.
- People who share experiences seem to be more fun and down-to-Earth than people who just talk about possessions.
- Less stuff means fewer decisions to make each day. This is a good thing.
- Some routine is good. Too much routine is awful.
- Life is short. Most people see/do very little. That’s a bummer.
I’m grateful that my businesses are 100% virtual, mobile and online. My team is also virtual. We use Skype, Zoom, text, phone, and email to communicate. You can do the same. Basically, any business can be transformed from brick-and-mortar to mobile/online.
If you are interested, I have a free training video that shows you how I did it, and how you can do the same. Here’s the link: https://johnspencerellis.com/online-expert-empire/.
Thanks for reading. I hope my story inspires you to simplify and enhance your life through experiences rather than things.
