My Manifesto on Life

There is nothing more challenging, fascinating, and invigorating than facing one's fears, taking on a new challenge, or doing something completely different. The past couple of weeks, I have been preparing for my big move to Venezuela, leaving behind a secure and stable life, a respected and well-paying job (with a lot of opportunities to travel and for professional growth), a lovely house filled with creative room-mates (who became some of my closest and inspiring friends), and my opportunity to legally stay and work in the United States. I am abandoning all of this for love, for adventure, for uncertainty, for the unknown, and to satisfy my deeply-ingrained desire to live a simple life on the beach. Needless to say, however, switching one lifestyle for another scares the hell out of me, especially when I lived the former one since the day I was born. But I guess feeling scared and anxious is part of the process, and I am ready for the challenge. I am ready to take it all in - the good, the bad, the funny, the scary, the sad, the happy - that is what life is all about, right?

I also refuse to stagnate and I refuse to live life passively. It is easy to be lazy, and let the hours, the days, the months go by. But life does not wait, and before you know it, several years have passed, and you're still at that same spot you were several years back - same job, same routine, same house, same circle of friends, same social activities, same dreams, same frustrations.

Finally, I have also learned that when you take yourself out of your element - if you step out of your safety bubble - you discover so much about yourself, and you grow as a person. Several years ago, some time in 2003, I travelled by myself for the first time. I went to Costa Rica (great spot if you want to travel solo), and at first, I was so insecure, nervous and embarrassed to have to go to a restaurant by myself to eat dinner. But as silly as this sounds to me now (I actually now very much appreciate eating by myself!!), it allowed me to get to know myself, to meet new people, to hear stories from both locals and travelers, and to try new experiences. And before I knew it, I befriended everyone in town - from the locals to the tourists to the expats - watching movies in one local family's hut to partying in some guy's mansion off of a cliff. 

This is life - you only live it once, and it does not wait for you to live it. Take the lead, and follow your heart and your dreams. Put yourself out there, be open minded, try new things, and most importantly, respect yourself and every person you meet, be generous, patient, honest and never put the material before yourself, your family, your friends, your acquaintances, your neighbors, or anyone. 

Enjoy.... !