Sinking islands like Maldives, increasing terror activities on tourist sites like Turkey, and corroding structures like the Taj Mahal. It seems like the world is just screaming “TRAVEL NOW OR MISS OUT ON LIFE!”
But are we really going to miss out? On life?
If that’s what we’ll be missing – what kind of life are we missing out on?
I’ve been pondering about why so many millenials put traveling on such a high pedestal. As if it’s the end-all experience. As if life was about traveling and discovery and losing oneself inside that journey.
While traveling is something that I certainly desire to do, it’s not a priority for me as of now. And I don’t think that it will be a priority for me until I’m in my late 30’s. By then I would most probably be thinking about it more and more.
The best thing that you can get out of traveling is insight and experience. Both of which you can get in the minute details of life if only you would pay conscious attention and take time to pause and think.
Personally, I’ve never been out of Asia. Which is not a bad thing. I love this side of the world. I love the Philippines. I think it’s one of the best places to be in – and there’s so many places to explore right here.
Growing Deeper
I’m now 28 years old. I’ve had my ups and downs and I wrote it all in the book ‘CEO at 22’. Life has not been perfect – but it sure flew by very quickly.
I’m now a father of 2 beautiful boys and a husband to a captivating wife. We just settled in our new home. A sizeable house that I have been so blessed to purchase at this age.
I have some accomplishments in my life that I can say I’m quite proud of. All of these things, are blessings of course. Here are some of them:
Started a company at 22 years old
Got married at 25
Blessed with 2 kids at 25 and 27 years old
Started my 2nd company at 25 years old
Started my 3rd company at 27 years old
Started my 4th company at 28 years old
Expanding my first company, SEO Hacker to grow out of the startup phase at 28 years old
Leading and managing almost 30 people
Published my first book at 28
Bought a sizeable house and lot in a good neighborhood at 28
These things don’t just ‘happen’ as the media and other blogs so often leads us to think. It takes a lot of grit, focus, hard work, vision, relationships, growth plan, faith, commitment and help to be able to pull these things off.
A lot of people write me off as a one-hit-wonder or a lucky smart-ass. I believe the data speaks for itself. 4 relatively successful companies coming from a capital of 1,300 pesos are statistically impossible to pass off as just ‘luck’.
I sacrificed a lot of things:
I sacrificed a lot of travel opportunities
A lot of job offers
A lot of going out with friends
A lot of movies that I wanted to watch
A lot of time otherwise spent on entertainment like computer games and TV series
A lot of recreational activities that I loved – like scuba diving
A lot of relationships that I considered to either be too strong to crumble – or unnecessary
These sacrifices were tough when I was making them. Very tough. And these things are the same things that a lot of people – mostly millenials are just not passing up – for whatever reasons. But mostly because these things give immediate gratification.
These sacrifices were critical. Without making these sacrifices, I would be miles away from where I am. And instead of inspiring people about the things I’ve been able to achieve with God’s blessing at a young age, I would just be ‘another millenial trying to get by’.
I grew my roots deep. So deep that I believe only the hand of God is big enough to uproot it.
Travel can wait.
