Taking a Leap of Faith:
How it all began
Many people ask us where how we came on the idea to start traveling and to move away from our home country. Especially with a baby that is not even 1 year old. Well, before the idea even started to travel around the world and to search for the perfect place to work and live with our family, there were a few important key moments that changed our life. Both as how we function as a family as in our mindset. Looking back to it, one of the first and most important changes that unintentionally has set some of the tings in motion, was the moment that I stopped working as an employee and started my own business.
From Employee to Self-employed
One and a half year ago, I stopped working for a great company, and took a big leap of faith. I left behind a great team with awesome colleagues and beautiful minds, and went down a path full of risks and uncertainty. It was just a few days before I turned 30 years old, and just a few months before we became proud parents of our daughter Aylena. I always knew that one day I would start for myself, and that this would also be the last company were I would work as an employee. However, I still didn’t expect it to happen exactly that year. Covid19, different views & opinion on IT and business, the realization of turning 30 and becoming a father, pushed me towards the path of which I knew I would eventually cross.
I Quit
With no plan, no prospect of a first assignment, and with a clear deadline of only a few months before our baby would be born, I quit.
I just finished a big home renovation in our house, and with a baby on its way, my studio became the baby room, and the attic became my new office. With the money that we had left, I bought the gear that I needed, and bought a small Fiat 500 for the family and gave back my company car.
The Last Work Day
I never forget that last “work” day. I drove to the office and handed in my Tesla. The sun was shining and my wife sat with our baby in her belly on the passenger’s seat of our new loyal fiat 500 😊.
With not much money, no certainty, but a big inner drive and a strong ambition, we drove back with a big smile and beautiful dreams of the future. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I knew I was going to, and make this work. In a few days I changed from employee, to self-employed.
Uncertainty becomes certainty,
Once you accept it & take full responsibility.
Giving up (a form of) certainty, and embracing uncertainty was not easy, but it was the most liberating feeling that I have felt in years.
Looking Back
Looking back to it one and a half years later, this was one of the biggest key moments that led me and my family to the place were we are now. It was the kick-off of to more financial freedom, but even more important, the beginning of living life on our terms. Or how I would like to call it, creating a life by design. I started to think about what a happy and full-filled life would look and feel like, and what that meant for me in my work/life balance. Once that was clear, I started to take clear and intended actions towards my goal and changed the way I lived and looked at my life. Since then, whenever I took on a role, project or contract, I made sure that it supported 100% remote working. This way I could be more with my daughter & unintentionally, it also set up the lifestyle of a digital nomad. It was not always easy, but I knew why I did it, and that made me much stronger during the negotiation process.
Till this day, I’m still so extremely grateful that I took this leap of faith, and that my wife supported me all the way and all the time. It was a crazy but awesome year, and one that surpassed all the expectations. I want to thank everyone that helped and joined me in this awesome journey.
I can’t wait for the upcoming years.
Thank you.