I have not posted here for a long time and my deepest apologies for that. A lot has happened and we even changed the continent a couple of months ago! So I hope you understand. It’s time for a new beginning.
Please allow me to reflect some of my inner thoughts in this blog post. These words are probably meant more for my own “self-healing” and processing this huge change, but I guess sometimes new beginning requires one to really stop, analyze the past a little bit and then start to build a new life and new beginning from the scratch.
Adios California!
Our four year stint in sunny Southern California is over. Even though I was totally adjusted living in the US and I think I can honestly say that I was made for America, all that time in Santa Monica seems like a very distant memory now. Which is sad in many ways. I truly loved living in the US and I often say that “I was probably born in a wrong country”.
America is an idea. Not a place. That’s why she calls for so many freedom seeking individuals from all over the world. It’s amazing to see and feel all those tens of millions of people, who have decided to leave their native countries behind, acquire the citizenship and become a part of that insane cultural and human experiment. This just wasn’t my time to do that quite yet. But that time allowed me to observe many issues close by and fundamentally understand certain dynamic drivers in the US.
America is huge. Not just geographically, but in every sense. And especially today, societies all over the world have become very polarized. It seems like we’re all torn apart and cannot function as a one, civilized society anymore. We’re being divided by a few major issues and that is not good for anyone. Nowhere else is this scary trend more apparent than in the US. In that sense I think we all need a new beginning. Whatever that means.
Welcome to Switzerland
Due to our family circumstances (read: my wife’s work) we decided to move to Bern, Switzerland. As a sole entrepreneur with an extremely flexible and global business model, my physical location doesn’t matter. Of course I have personal preferences and it’s no secret that Southern California has the best climate on the planet! I’m sure this new beginning back in (Central) Europe will provide amazing adventures, even though I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t see snow for the rest of my life.
Building our tribe in the US turned out to be much harder than I initially thought. The start was actually pretty promising but then something went wrong. I still can’t put my finger on the pulse exactly, but I have a pretty good idea what it might be. At least I learned tons of new stuff and started in various new and exciting endeavors, which will be with 100% certainty greatly beneficial in the long run. Now those learnings will be put to yet another test here in Switzerland.
Bern is tiny. After Los Angeles and about 20 million people in that crazy hub, Bern presents herself as a small town with 133,000 people. I can assure you that I can FEEL the difference with every cell of my body. When I open the windows in our new apartment, I can see cows and I can hear their cowbells ringing almost 24/7. I wonder if they ever sleep. And I love the change! I am a country boy originally and I sure know how to appreciate the nature, and there’s plenty of nature around us now.
Key take-away from the US
I love Americans! Yes, they can be very loud and they have many “weird” habits, which we Europeans will probably never truly grasp, but deep inside, they are such a wonderful bunch of people. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like to generalize things and put people in neat little boxes. Sometimes it helps, though, to cut corners and make the message more clear. In this particular case my point is merely to illustrate my deep appreciation for Americans and their unfaltering urge for freedom. Which I believe we Europeans have not truly understood, what it really means. I talked more about the importance of freedom in my earlier post.
Americans are masters of making their lives as convenient as possible. You can see this everywhere: Every car has enough mug holders. Shopping experience, online or brick & mortar, must be as smooth as possible. Service culture is fine tuned and maximized to make sure every customer feels welcomed and their business is appreciated. Furniture culture is an episode of itself. Same goes with food. I guess nowhere else can you find boiled and peeled eggs in vacuum bags. And the list could go on and on. When we think of their obsession for convenience, it has benefited the rest of the world immensely. Just think of all the major tech companies and entertainment industry stemming from the US, especially California, and you get the picture.
What this new beginning really means?
As I said above, building our tribe in the US turned out to be a much tougher nut to crack than I anticipated. That leads to a natural conclusion that a lesson must be learned. Victors are successful, not because they didn’t have any challenges and obstacles along their path, but just because they encountered those difficulties. They overcame those challenges and found a solution around them. That’s it! For me it means really honest and painful self-evaluation process. If something doesn’t work, most likely culprit stares you back at the mirror.
So it just makes sense to me to stop, take a deep breath, step outside your own sphere and analyze your actions and reactions. After a careful and honest analysis it’s time to build a new strategy and new beginning. Despite what my wife might say, I really don’t have an ego, which would prevent me from seeing who I really am. I am the first person to call out my own BS.
Right now I can already see a lot of potential in Switzerland and numbers actually prove this to be true. DACH region has something in health care space that Finland for example lacks a lot. People are more willing to look for all-natural solutions first, and I love that. I personally try to avoid putting anything artificial in my body and after 6 years the results are becoming more and more evident that I have chosen the right path.
If you share my thoughts, truly want to change your life and you are willing to take that famous leap of faith, why don’t you join our tribe! To give you a sneak preview of what we do and why, please check this out!
