Doing something you've always wanted to do - what then? - ⚚ ∙ Life on Earth!

Last year I did something I'd been working towards for years, I visited Japan!

My partner and I had slowly saved up together for 5 years, so that we could get comfortable flights, and stay in nice places while there. We went for two weeks, and traveled to lots of different places up and down the country. We were so busy, and I was so excited and happy to visit, have opportunities to practice my Japanese, eat food I enjoyed, and more!

On the way home, and immediately after getting back, all I could think was that I wanted to go back and visit again right away!

and do all the things I wanted to do but didn't have time for. I was so motivated, I was going to cut all my personal spending, and get saved up for another visit ASAP this year.

But now it's been a few months - it's been Christmas, new year, several birthdays and I... haven't really saved anything. I keep buying things! It's really hard to motivate myself to reach a long term goal, and I'd overspent on the original trip anyway

As a family, we've cut down on food spendings - selecting goods that are better priced, and incorporating more bulk buying where possible. But it's clear to me that when managing my individual finances, I've not stayed in the right headspace to visit again, and I seem to be constantly chasing short term enjoyment over working for the longer term goal.

A side point is, I'm a citizen of a country that recently got access to visit China without a visa for up to X days. Regardless what anyone might feel about China's policies, this is another country that I've wanted to visit since I was young, as I really admire many aspects of China (it's a huge country, with a long history, and nowadays it would be hard not to agree that they have had impressive modernisation). I can't really save up to visit both places (heck, I'm barely saving up to visit one of these places). But the news gives me a sense of curiosity, like, it's an opportunity to visit while the relationship between our countries is heading in the direction of improvement. Well, if I could save up, anyway!

Additionally, I have some anxiety about planning travel for anywhere (at least outside of Europe) with the current situation of the world. I'm concerned at putting myself at risk due to unpredictability from multiple actors on the world stage. So that's also a concern.

Well, overall I still really want to go back there, it's just that a few months on from getting back, I seem to be holding myself back in multiple ways. I hope I can get into the headspace to get myself back there again.

Anyway, getting to...
The point of this post!

I'm wondering whether anyone in the Melonland forum managed to follow their dream like this, completed a dream that they'd been working towards for a long time, what was your experience afterwards? Did you want to do something else afterwards? Did you find it difficult to motivate yourself to work towards another goal? I'd love to read about it.
Or alternatively, if you have a dream/goal that you're working to achieve but haven't reached yet, have you thought about what you'd like to do afterwards?