Downshifting

CHAPTER 8

79

WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO

Don’t ever slam a door; you might want to go back.

DON HEROLD¹

SHOT DOWN—NOW WHAT?

If you are reading this chapter, you may be anticipating difficulty in selling your plan to downshift or perhaps it has already been shot down. So now you’re facing a critical decision—what to do next. For most of us, three options are available:

1. Stay put
2. Try again
3. Leave

We’ll discuss each of these alternatives to help you arrive at a decision. However, even though we review the pros and cons of each alternative, the overriding consideration for you is “How important is it to me that I change my lifestyle?” We’ll talk more about this. Now let’s turn to your first option.

80

Stay Put

As you can imagine, there are some potent ...