1. WHO YOU ARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU DO
Understanding this is to me is one of the most important factors of personal being. The question is not “what do I want to do with my life?” it is rather “who do I want to be in my life?”. The perspective of the question changes the answer. The former is locked and loaded like a gun, and leaves you with a mandatory fixed path for the rest of your existence. The latter is wide open. There are infinite number of ways to be who you want to be, without being limited by your work.
Who do you want to be? This is the root of your own happiness.
2. THERE IS NOTHING YOU ARE “SUPPOSED” TO BE DOING WITH YOUR LIFE.
Stop beating yourself to death with it. You can force the issues as much as you like inside your own head. It’s not going to get you anywhere. The notion that there’s “one thing” out there that’s right for us is as silly as the notion that there’s only “one person” for everyone. The difficulty with a career is the same as the difficulty with a relationship. After a certain number of years, you get comfortable. It’s easier to stay where you are than to give it all up and start over again. Think of your work as a girlfriend. Does she make you happy enough to marry her?
If you aren’t completely happy – maybe it’s time for change.
3. IT’S NEVER THE “RIGHT” TIME FOR CHANGE.
You will never be ready. You will never have enough money. You will never reach some magical point in your life where the universe says “OK bro, now is the moment, go for it.” There will always be huge barriers to making a change in your life. Don’t think that everyone else falls into doing that-thing-you-want-to-do by luck or chance. They fought to get there. There is no right time to go freelance, to start a company, to change career, to find a better relationship, to travel the world, to move to a new country. There never will be.
If you want something – don’t wait for a sign. Make a decision.
4. EVERY DECISION HAS SACRIFICES.
People often tell me they’re jealous of my lifestyle. Particularly when I’m posting photos of sunny locations – which seems to attract particularly loud choruses of “go fuck yourself”. The reality is that most people want the positives of certain lifestyles, but they will never be willing to make the sacrifices that go along with it. We get too comfortable with where we are regardless of our finger-pointing and complaining of where we would like to be. You need to understand that every choice has consequences, whether good or bad is what you make of it. Travelling for us now comes at a higher cost considering we have a beagle coming along with us. The bigger the benefits of what you want, the bigger the sacrifices will inevitably be.
Everything comes at a price. You have to be willing to pay it.
5. YOU WILL NEVER BE SURE
I wasn’t sure about going into operations or web design after studying business at university. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to study business at the time, keeping in mind where I wanted to go. I wasn’t sure when I first started a company at age 17 and travel the world. In fact, I was completely terrified on every occasion that it was going to be a huge mistake. Even once you’ve got past the timing and the sacrifices and you’ve made the decision… You still won’t be sure. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re crazy and, helpfully, others will often confirm this for you. People are afraid of change, including you. The question is whether or not you can overcome it.
Leap of faith required.
Go do it. Live it. Enjoy it.