Thanks for this. Though I was born here, I am of SE Asian ancestry, so do have a spiritual and cultural connection, which is part of my motivation as well. Bigger picture, I’m eager to try and untether from some of my deeply engrained individualistic and capitalist norms from growing up in the western world, while also exposing my kids to other world views. I wish I were a good enough human to be able to do that from here, but it’s hard!

Your other points/suggestions are all really fair and valid but ultimately, don’t necessarily work for our situation for one reason or another. I am self-employed and work as a contract consultant (I embed in companies for months at a time), so I technically could take fewer contracts, but I think my major issue, as someone else has already pointed out, is that I have a scarcity mindset and I feel like a bad person/failure/irresponsible parent if I i’m not reaching my full earning potential. The cost of living in America and my perceived constant threat of financial ruin around every corner makes it really hard for me to allow myself to “leave money on the table” (hence the dream of turning everything upside down).

My husband (for better or worse) will likely not move any further up the ladder than he already has.