Hello everyone! This is my very first post.
I'm new at writing, so I'm sorry if the content is not very clear.
I hope to improve as I keep doing it.
I'm currently studying development (mostly Javascript), trading and reading about philosophy, economy and cryptocurrencies as a modern phenomenon. I plan to write about this topics and maybe some random stuff.
For this one I think it's a good time to tell a little about me.
This is a personal short story and might be very boring.
I've started my professional life in the advertising business, working in small and medium firms for about 7 years, until I got really burned out. In the beginning, the whole "work hard, play hard" was very appealing to me, but as I got older, I've come to realise that... I was always out of time and my job had taken the biggest part of my life. I had no time for friends, for family, for relationships and even for DotA (I no longer play this).
So one day I was invited to a dinner with some friends and got one of those Chinese fortune cookies (that I now know, are not a thing and basically marketing, but at the time I didn't).
Mine said:
"If we do not change our direction. We're likely to end up where we are headed.".
I saved the note in my wallet and full of confidence, in the next weeks, I quit my job and then moved to a farm, where for a year I helped planting corn and feeding the kettle and basically did a lot of cloud watching. The things you do in Harvest Moon, but with tractors and in in real life.
In the end of that year I was invited by a friend to start a small design studi. Filled with energy from my sabbatical year, we worked very hard and in five years time, grew to be a moderately successful business (with 7 employees, a new partner and a lot of clients).
Then I started to feel burned out again... The last few months had become a burden with overdue projects, clients and staff bickering, a growing insomnia and no professional and personal fulfillment. I was miserable and even coffee breaks and birthday cakes were no fun.
One night at home, I opened up my wallet and there it was.
I read it with a grin.
In the next few months I left the company and here I am now. Starting a new cycle.
I hope to read more, take better care of my health, spend more time with friends and family and if possible, contribute with some knowledge, if I can.
Thank you very much for reading.
I feel I must end this post with some brief considerations:
1. I am very privileged and grateful to be financially stable, to have a good education, to grow up always with whatever Nintendo console was the last one as a kid, and to be raised by a kind and loving family.
2. Since I moved in with my partner about 6 years ago, we both had jobs with reserves to endure about 6 - 12 months of our life cost. We have no children, nor any big debts to pay.
3. I do not believe in meritocracy. Society is not fair and people are dealt very, very different hands. And
4. I know that is very few of us that can make decisions like quitting and starting something new without having an enormous impact in their life. I do not cast a judge on anyone's life choices and do not think it is anyone's business doing so.