After living in Bali for a couple of weeks I went surfing for the first time and it was a great feeling to get into the water, feel the sun and try something new and fun. It’s been a while since I’ve had access to a beach and water like I do here in Bali and so I couldn’t have asked for a better morning.
Yet as I sat at lunch that day, feeling the wind blow by, watching the stalks on the rice paddy fields sway, almost out of nowhere I started crying. At first I couldn’t figure out what it was, but eventually it came to me. That day was the first time I had gotten onto the water in Bali and I couldn’t help but be reminded of my time on Guam.
It’s been almost three years now since I’ve left and reality is like most of my past, I tend not to think too much of Guam. But being on the beach and in the water again, something that I did on a weekly basis, I couldn’t help but reminisce. Between thinking about the good times like playing poker, training with the national team or learning French that I’ll never have again and the bitter moments like Altanx’s cashflow issues, the loneliness or the abrupt painful ending to my time there; I was, for a while, overwhelmed by all those memories and the emotions that came with it. The reality is that time has passed and while I grasped that mentally, the nostalgia got to me.
But perhaps the biggest realization I had looking back, is that a lot of the things that I was once wanted on Guam, I now have. Fast forward three years, nowadays business is going well. Altanx is a cashflow positive, financially responsible business that runs itself while Video Husky is a remote, high potential but challenging business that forces me to grow as a leader and entrepreneur. I can live in places like Chiang Mai and Bali where thanks to communities like the DC, I’ve been able to meet a lot of similar lifestyle entrepreneurs. Beyond that, all of the above allows me to have plenty of time to write more and learn Japanese — two goals I’ve had for years now.
Admittedly not everything is perfect. I’d still like to earn more from Video Husky and ideally sell Altanx. Moreover, on a daily basis I know that I can be more positive and optimistic as well as be more present to the people who I’m with. But while it’s easy (at least for me) to focus on the future and gloss over the journey, the lesson I learned that day is that it’s worth stepping away from the grind and taking the time to slow down, reflect and be grateful. To be grateful for the privilege that my family has afforded me, to be grateful for the people around me and finally to be grateful for the time that we live in that allows for such incredible opportunities.
So how are you showing your gratitude today?