I MUST BE INSANE! That's exactly what the majority of people around me were saying in March of 2016. I was at the top of a very successful company in which I helped build into one of the most successful of its kind. I was making great money, living in beautiful San Diego surrounded by all my amazing friends, but something was missing. After one of my 14-hour work days I was driving home down the coast and found myself gazing out the window. It wasn’t your normal day-dreaming type of stare; it was like my mind was a bit numb. I’ve always been someone who thrives on always bettering myself by constantly learning and keeping my brain active. When I got home that evening I decided it was time to do something radical to reinvigorate myself.
The next day was extremely tough as I gave my work a two month notice to help them prepare for my exit and started planning the next year of my life. I began by traveling through Central and South America hiking, camping, horseback riding, kayaking and basically accepting all adventures put in front of me. I then took a month and drove across the United States from San Diego to Maine stopping to explore many of the amazing National Parks, small towns and family along the way. Once I arrived in Maine where my brother and his family lived I took a job running a 5-star seasonal island resort off the coast of Maine and when I wasn’t working I was playing “Uncle Buck” to my two young nephews. After the season was over I then set off to travel Europe making my way to Valencia, Spain where I settled in for a few months to study the Spanish language and teach English. Next on the adventure agenda was Southeast Asia where I flew into Hanoi and rode a motorcycle South for as long as I had the land to do it.
Throughout all these adventures please realize that not for one second I was just laying on beaches with an umbrella drink in my hand. That was not the case at all, I started this adventure because I wanted to get my brain going again. Therefore I mapped out a game plan and told myself I had to spend 20-25 hours week learning, writing or just being creative. I dedicated myself to that plan and it was fairly easy to do so with all the tools available online today. For those hours every week I would take classes, watch webinars or just research through online avenues such as Skillshare, Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning and Udemy. It was amazing how excited I was to learn new things every week, I’d always wanted to do so but never had the time with my previous work schedule.
Maybe I am a bit insane but one thing I know for sure after this adventure is that I’m definitely more well-rounded, educated, cultured, a better food connoisseur and most importantly excited about my next phase of my life. When I made to decision to embark on this journey I didn't want to turn the page and see what the next chapter was, I wanted to write the next book.
