It’s nearing the end of the year and as I was looking back at the events that transpired this year, it made me look even further back… back to when I was still struggling in the corporate world, doing a job I wasn’t happy with, like many people do, with all the commute, traffic, office politics,  and stress that come with it. And I thank God for that fateful day as I was drowning while surfing the huge waves of La Union back in Dec. 16, 2007. Right then and there I told God that “should I survive these huge waves, Lord, I will quit my job and finally do what I wanted to do — be free”. And that’s what I did the next day! And I never looked back. Even my million peso retirement was not processed by me… someone else did because I didn’t want to even physically go back to my old workplace out of the emotional and mental trauma it caused me. When I say no to something, I really mean it. I didn’t want to be persuaded otherwise.

This was me ten years ago when I posted about doing freelance work for my very first VA client:

I never really thought I would last this long doing what I do in my Virtual Assistant biz. It used to be just something I wanted to dip my toes in, see what it’s all about, where it will lead me. Anyway, if I don’t like it, I can just quit and find something else to do. I did find other things to do because of the time and financial freedom it gave me — I was able to travel more, venture in other side hustles while at the same time doing work for my VA clients. And now, we were even able to set up a farm and a budding agribiz (So thankful!)

I’ve had so many virtual offices over the years… from beaches to hotels and resorts, to coffee shops, to inside the car in the middle of traffic, to airport floors, … basically anywhere there’s wifi connection that I can use for work.

Boracay is still my most favorite virtual office. I stayed there by myself for 33 days back in 2011 because I wanted to really see if I can live a life as a digital nomad to the fullest. And I never looked back since. I’ve lived in other exotic places after that and my life was never the same. 🙂

Looking back, indeed, I’ve been able to design a carefree life where there is play-life blend which I never thought was possible. And when I say “play”, I mean work (like how kids at Montessori schools are taught to use the word “work” for play) because I just love what I do and thankfully because that’s just how I am built… I am a workaholic by nature, more so when what I do really makes me happy that even if I become a billionaire, I will still probably be “playing” in my own terms, in my own time.

So I just want to put it out there, tell it to the universe, pray it out loud to God, how grateful I am for the carefree life that I get to live this last decade. Growing up, I never thought this was possible because we were taught to study, get a high paying job, get security of tenure, marry and raise a family (if you want), rise above the ranks, retire. Kids nowadays are lucky because opportunities are everywhere. You can be a billionaire in your teens if you want to (like Kylie Jenner). You don’t even have to look for opportunities. They just sometimes fall on your lap especially when you’re exuding positivity (law of attraction at work). So, thank you, God, for the amazing life I’ve lived these last ten years (and despite the heartbreaks I experienced along the way — they just made me stronger and more resilient!) I feel so blessed!

How about you? What are you grateful for in your life? Remember, what you appreciate, appreciate! Have a lovely Christmas ahead! Til my next post… ( A LOOK BACK AT 2018… GRATEFUL FOR THE YEAR THAT WAS).