I’m not lucky.

I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not luck.

Several times in the recent past, I’ve had people tell me I’m lucky because I’m going to Portugal.

Each time, I bristled.

Luck had nothing to do with it. I got to this point through action, determination, perseverance and the belief that failure was not an option.

In each case, the people telling me that weren’t trying to negate my actions – in fact, none of them understand the scope of what I did to make this happen.

I’m not lucky; I worked for it

Still, I felt the need to say, politely, no, I’m not lucky. It wasn’t luck that got me to this point. I worked for it.

Back when I first got this idea and started sharing it with people – I’m going to move to Portugal – people would respond in different ways. Some were supportive; others incredulous. A few would say they wished they could do it, too.

Even then, I knew it was possible for anyone to do it – if they really wanted to. The thing is, most people don’t want to do what’s necessary to make it happen. They don’t want to give anything up or make changes.

I did.

Big changes. I gave up a lot.

But I wanted it, and that’s the only way I could see it happening.

There probably were other ways I could have gone about it, but in that moment, this seemed the clearest path – the most likely to produce successful results. It’s the path I chose.

Where I want to be

A year later, I’m where I wanted to be – or nearly so. As soon as I touch down in Lisbon, Portugal, I will have achieved what I set out to do: move to Portugal.

Granted, it’s not quite what I envisioned. I wanted to move there permanently, but that wasn’t an option right now, and maybe I don’t want to live there permanently. After all, it’s a big world, and I want to see more of it.

Portugal was my first step to living other places. Technically, Tennessee was my first. Portugal will be my second. Already, I’m looking ahead at where I can go this fall and winter. I saw cheap airfare for Croatia …

Really, I only need to set my sights on it, and it will happen. The hard part is over. My next move won’t take a year of planning and preparation. Rather, I’ll be able to enjoy my newfound freedom more easily.

I suppose some people will still see me as lucky. But I know the truth.

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Be a Better Writer Tip

We are continuing to look at preparing questions for an interview in this segment.

Once you’ve determined the purpose of your interview, you move onto the subject. This is where you do your homework.

What do you already know about the subject? What do you need to know? What can you find out online? (Another time, we’ll talk about good sources and not-so-good sources online.)

This can get tricky, because you likely don’t have time or inclination to learn everything about a subject. And if that’s the case, why do an interview? However, you still need to be somewhat versed in the topic and your subject so you know what to ask during the interview.

For example, if you’re writing about travel locations in Croatia, and you’re talking to a travel agent, you’ll likely prepare different questions than if you were talking to an ex-pat who lives there. Yes, some questions will be the same, but others will differ. Someone living there will be able to talk about the best coffee shops. A travel agent can tell you the most popular destinations for each season.

Start by writing the basic questions. Use the journalistic who, what, when, where, how and why to start. Who are you? Why are you an expert? What is your area of expertise? Where do you do it? Why do you do it? How do you do it? How did you get involved in this?

Then, go for more detail. What’s most important about this subject? Why? What do you hope readers will take away? What’s the best thing about this? What’s the most challenging?

Dig deeper into the research you did about your subject. Ask how he or she came to this point.

Think about what information you want your subject to share, and then craft questions to get at that answer.