For the past few weeks, I've been looking back at the person I was years ago and comparing his perspective to the one I have today.

This week, I'm pressing pause on that series because in just a few days, I'll be boarding a one-way flight to Portugal.

A lot of people have asked me the same question:

"Why Portugal?"

The truth is, Portugal isn't really the story.

The real story is how a series of small decisions over the last five years quietly built a life that makes this possible.

After graduating college early, I moved back home. At the time, that felt like a step backward.

Looking back, it was one of the smartest decisions I could have made. Living below my means gave me the freedom to invest in my business, travel, and figure out what kind of life I actually wanted instead of rushing into one that looked good on paper.

(Thank you to my amazing parents)

Over the last two years, I've visited around ten countries.

Each trip taught me something different about how I wanted to live, work, and spend my time.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn't looking for a permanent home base, I was looking for freedom.

Portugal happened to check every box: affordable living, an incredible community of entrepreneurs, proximity to the rest of Europe, and a schedule that works well with both my European and U.S. clients.

People often ask how a move like this is financially possible.

The answer is much simpler than most expect.

I built a skill, found people who needed it, and repeated that process until it supported the lifestyle I wanted.

That's been the foundation of everything I've built since I was seventeen.

The location changed.

The process never did.

But if there's one lesson that has become crystal clear this year, it's this:

Peace isn't something you find. It's something you create.

For me, that has looked like slowing down enough to hear my own thoughts.

Meditation.

Long walks.

Time with family.

Being intentional about the people I spend my time with.

Building a business around helping people instead of chasing arbitrary numbers.

Ironically, the more I focused on creating peace, the more clarity I found.

Some of my best business ideas have come while doing absolutely nothing except giving myself the space to think.

This move isn't about escaping where I am.

It's about continuing to build a life that feels aligned with who I've become.

And maybe that's the better question we should all be asking ourselves.

Not:

"When will I be ready?"

But:

"Am I waiting for the right time... or am I building it?"

Thank you for listening today!