Homeless and unemployed

Today marks one year since I abandoned the safety net of a stable job and became a (un/self)employed bum. One year later I find myself on the other side of the world having the time of my life. Just after quitting my job in a spur of the moment I made a decision never ever again to do a single day of salary work. Then a funny thing happened. Two weeks later a new work found myself and as a result I went to Lapland to do a website for a hotel. Officially the motivation behind that trip was getting a new experience, but work is work after all. Funny how life has got its ways of putting things in order. To recap what has happened in my life during this year, here is a short list of highlights.

  • Started a company, found myself as a freelance entrepreneur.
  • Lived in Saariselkä, Lapland for two months. Did lots of cross-country and downhill skiing
  • Went to Fusion, Rainbow Gathering and Flow festivals
  • Had a blast last summer. Visited Ahvenanmaa, Berlin, Valaam, Treriksröset and Ödeshög
  • Did a 10 days vipassana meditation retreat
  • Took a Transsiberian train from St. Petersburg to Irkutsk
  • Had a glimpse of Siberia. Saw Baikal and Sayan mountains
  • Went to Gobi desert
  • Spent one month traveling around East China
  • Saw casinos of Macau, skyscrapers of Hong Kong and modern life of Singapore
  • Celebrated Christmas and New Year on the beaches of Thailand
  • Saw Hindu Thaipusam festival
  • Hiked in one of the oldest rain forests in the world
  • Met a lot of people, got totally new perspectives on life, saw some spectacular sunrises and sunsets and tasted amazing food I had never had before.
  • Currently bumming around Malaysia and one my way back to Thailand
  • The journey continues.

And one last thing. I do not know that many people back at home, who would leave everything behind and start travelling, so naturally I felt a little bit special. But while travelling every second person I meet is in the same position as myself. Homeless and unemployed – sounds almost like a cliche. Talk about selective bias.

3 thoughts on “Homeless and unemployed

  1. Stepping out of your own social circle and meeting up new people greatly opens up your worldview. I’ve met people who travel with no money. People who travelled non-stop for five years. People who do insane working hours, as well as professional loafers. Monks with no possessions at all. People who dance for living. People doing “shitty” jobs, but enjoy extreme flexibility and masters of their own free time. At some point I made a realization that life of a salaried software engineer doing 9 to 5 hours with one month vacation a year is not such a good choice if you value your own time. Or how you can live with very little money or very little possessions.

  2. Do u think it’s really possible for u to forget about all possessions and sacrifice comfort? I guess, no. (But maybe I don’t know you that much)

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