I'm buying a plot of mud

Yesterday I stood on an empty plot of mud, trees and grass in a village in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, with the seller and my Bulgarian assistant.

I'm searching for land in rural Bulgaria to build a homestead and animal sanctuary.

I don't speak the language, but a Bulgarian friend who found me through my writing has been helping me call people and talk to locals.

We went on our second site visit yesterday, and this one ticked my boxes.

I think.

It has mountain views, a good plot size, and enough space to build. I'll need to check it with a surveyor, but standing there, I could see it.

The seller asked what I planned to do with the land. I told him I had an idea and would take it step by step.

I don't know what I'm creating exactly, but I'm here and I will buy soon.

He seemed satisfied with that, which is good, because it's all I've got.

Everything is uncertain.

I don't know whether the soil is good.

I don't know whether there will be wildfires.

I don't know if I'll love living there for years or regret it within months.

I don't know if I have all the required paperwork.

I don't know whether I'll build the house myself or have someone else do it.

Many people are telling me about all the warning flags about buying property in Bulgaria, and there are about a thousand excellent reasons not to do this.

But I'm doing it.

I'm done with holding back, playing it safe, and hiding behind blog posts about what to avoid.

Waiting for certainty before you act is a trap that will kick your ass and keep you doing what every last Tom, Dick and Joseph does.

Certainty will appear AFTER you move, step by step.

Being okay with uncertainty is, in my view, one of the most essential life skills. I call this being 'outcome-independent.' You have direction, but you are not reliant on any one thing turning out exactly as you hoped, which only creates friction and excuse-making.

Being outcome-independent is one of 25 core daily habits in my book The Art of Self-Respect.

Learn all the habits, and act on them, and you will be a new person.

If you've been holding back on your dreams, this book will show you the small daily habits that instil a completely updated identity of calm, self-respect and success.

Grab the book bundle here.

Peace and mud,

Alex