The Story Of My Life - My 5 Years Expat AnniversarysteemCreated with Sketch.

in life •  7 years ago  (edited)
The best way to predict your future is to create it. - Abraham Lincoln

I couldn't agree more.

Opportunities are not given by chance, they are created intentionally.

5 years ago today I made the most important decision ever. I decided to leave my home country in order to live the life that I really wanted.

What I learned along the way is that there might be few things we're not able to accomplish.

It's all about your backbone.

Here's the story of my life which turns 5 years today 💙

Warrior @surfermarly

Pimp my life - The art of creating the life you deserve

Most people spend their lives dreaming of the life they'd love to live.

I don't know if it's due to my impatience, perfectionism or thirst for life in general, but I've never been able to be content with less than 100%.

There was this turning point in my life when I started to walk into the right direction.

Every decision on change starts with that one moment of consciousness, the ultimate enlightenment when you know that things are not as they should be.

It's the moment you let go what's been and embrace what's going to be at the same time.

You don't always end up where you thought you were going, but you will always end up where you are meant to be.

Five years ago today I decided that I wanted to live close to the beach no matter what.

I perfectly remember that day as if it was yesterday.

My eyes were filled with tears when I sat on that rock at my favourite seawater pool.

It was an overwhelming feeling to know what I wanted. I was tired of my current life situation that was merely defined by the value of status symbols.

I felt empty.

But suddenly I knew how to fill that emptiness.

OK, I said. Then let's do it. Who if not me might decide on my future?

Then the hard work began, because nothing worth comes easy.

I applied for a second job on the weekends, which meant that I was practically working every day of the week.

That lifetime dream was expensive, and I wanted to do things right.

It was tough, and surely there were moments of doubt. However, I kept going. Every time I was in doubt I thought about the beach.

I cancelled the leasing for my car and started to take the subway to get to work. Every saved Cent was important.

I remember one day in winter time when I hated myself for that decision. It was pretty cold and rainy (like almost always), and I was freezing and wet walking down the street while I watched the cars passing by. Surely they had turned on their seat heater, I angrily thought.

Today I'm able to laugh about these moments. Why? Because I fought until the very end.

One year after deciding to emigrate from Germany to Canary Islands I held that one way flight ticket in my hands.

I was tired but incredibly happy.

For the first time in my life I really understood why we are here: To create.

So be aware: you're the creator of your own destiny.

Opportunities are not given, they are made.

All the best for that journey of yours!

Marly -

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Every decision in life is about choosing sacrifice over comfort. There is always an easy or comfortable path which will rarely lead to actual freedom. Thanks for sharing your story Canary Islands look like a great place to live, are they still part of the EU?

Every decision in life is about choosing sacrifice over comfort.

I fully agree Stephen! Thank you. Have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate your comments in my blogs? If not: I do!!! 😊

Yes, the islands belong to Spanish territory. However, from the fiscal point of view we're independent and in a really comfortable situation. Sales tax is at only 7% e.g. It's a cheap life with high quality, so a real jackpot, hehe.

Looks great. I will add it to my travel buck list.

Beautiful and inspiring @surfermarly!

Perhaps one of the things people tend to misunderstand about "living the life we want" and "CREATING the life we want" is this notion that it's somehow going to be "easy." That the life we want will just be all sitting on the beach sipping mai-tais from now to eternity.

I've been "creating my life" since 1999... but it's not easy and I work at it every single day. It doesn't come from "nothing." There is no "Magic FedEx Truck" that comes along and delivers our perfect life in a box, after which we never need to "do" anything, ever again.

Life continues to be work, and we continued to encounter challenges and problems... but now we live from a point of joy and gratitude as we deal with those and move through them. I watch you "living your dream" but you also work your butt off!

Again, beautiful... and thanks for sharing and keeping it real!

Oh I just love your comments, have I ever mentioned that? :-) Sometimes I think they are even telling the main story, and my article is just a comment on it. You're brilliant!

There is no "Magic FedEx Truck" that comes along and delivers our perfect life in a box, after which we never need to "do" anything, ever again.

You are absolutely right.
I somehow tried to mention that in the middle part of my post where I said that "nothing worth comes easy". Yes, I definitely worked my butt off and still do (in a different way) :-)

Thanks for always getting to the point!
Big hugs and good night

Awwww.... you're too kind! I'm just a fan... and love that you're "walking your talk."

Big hugs back to you!

Quote..."Every decision on change starts with that one moment of consciousness, the ultimate enlightenment when you know that things are not as they should be."

Thanks for your ongoing inspiration! Things are not as they should be, and you have again shown us that it is possible with grit and determination to have the life you desire. I also really love the quote from Rob Hill Sr. you included in this post. He also said...."We are all one choice away from a completely different life." He's worth following:

http://robhillsr.com

screenshot-robhillsr.com-2017-08-16-11-49-55.png

Thanks for the adding Andrew! This one is REALLY good and so true :-)
Well said.
I'm happy to be an inspiration, that's much more than I might ask for.
Have a wonderful day!

Full 100% and resteemed :-)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :-)

Its easy to build the life you want or deserve when we are american or European , all you need its some braveness and faith .... but what about the people from the 3 World countries ? they need permission to build their life or move some where ... and most time their are not welcome ! its not always about ow you think to build you life or just live the life you want , this world is cruel ... but i am glad that there is a people like you share with us this feelings of happiness and satisfaction ... thank you .:)

I completely agree on every single word :-)
Thanks for the adding. You are right, I had a fortunate starting position which is not given to everybody in this world.

A lot of wise words, I fully agree and support you in this! I moved to Thailand 4 years ago, and the final decision to move just came out of nowhere. I remember sitting at home, just thinking about my possible future life in Thailand and getting this strange but pleasant warm feeling all over the body, like something good will happen and it is the right choice to take. I left stupid office job I had, bought a one-way ticket to Phuket and started a new life here!May be 2-3 weeks between making the decision and arriving to Thailand:) And I never regret! Not even once. I started working as an English teacher after 1.5 years and it changed my life a lot as well :) Congratulations, strong Marly, you've definitely made the right choice! And have an amazing Thursday !

Wow! So then you were even more spontaneous than I was!!! Congratulations, too!

I remember sitting at home, just thinking about my possible future life in Thailand and getting this strange but pleasant warm feeling all over the body, like something good will happen and it is the right choice to take.

Oh yeah, I know that warm feeling very well 😉

We rise to the challenge.
Have a great day, too!!!

Sehr großen Respekt davor! Ich glaube nicht, dass ich es könnte... Außerdem würde mir persönlich das Urlaubsfeeling verloren gehen... In Deutschland arbeiten und schlechtes Wetter verurteilen und dann wenns in den Urlaub geht, freu ich mich umso mehr :D

Wie findest dus jetzt nach 5 Jahren? Hat sich viel geändert? Und gehen dir manche Sachen dort sehr auf den Geist? Wenn ich fragen darf, was arbeitest du im Moment auf den Kanaren?

Liebe Grüße aus dem nicht mehr so verregneten Deutschland ;)

Außerdem würde mir persönlich das Urlaubsfeeling verloren gehen...

Ich verstehe, was Du meinst. Für mich hat sich die Definition von "Urlaub" einfach etwas geändert. Das bedeutet nun nicht mehr, dass ich dann endlich mal wieder den Strand sehe, sondern dass ich ein neues Land entdecke - unabhängig dessen, ob dort die Sonne scheint oder nicht :-) Ich suche mir nun auch eher Destinationen aus, wo ich eben nicht genau das habe, was ich von Zuhause kenne.

Es hat sich eigentlich ALLES verändert - inbesondere meine Mentalität. Ich hab mich meiner Umgebung angepasst, bin weniger kontrolliert, akribisch, pünktlich... deutsch eben :-) Das Leben ist hier sehr viel gelassener und auch sozialer. Die Menschen schauen mehr über den eigenen Tellerrand.

Ich arbeite in der Firma meines Dads, die in ein paar Jahren dann ggf. mal meine sein wird: https://steemit.com/daddysgirl/@surfermarly/having-fun-at-work-surfer-taking-over-the-green-houses :-)

Liebe Grüße von der Insel!

The dream is the free wheel of the mind. thanks for sharing

Nicely said! 😉

Auf den Kanaren steckst du also, na endlisch erfahre ich das mal :D

Ich hab mir immer vorgestellt, dass du in Mexiko abhängst, oder dem äußersten Süden der USA!

Ich bewundere die Entscheidung und den Mut, um das dann auch in die Tat umzusetzen (:

Ich plane etwas ähnliches, allerdings bin ich ein Mensch der alles gut durchdacht und nicht impulsiv vorbereiten muss und einen großen "Margin of safety" bei so einer gravierenden Entscheidung benötigt...

Hoffentlich kann ich in ein paar Jahren so wie du zu einem solchen Wendepunkt zurück denken.

Liebe Grüße nach Spanien :D

Mexiko? Neeeeeeeee. Viel zu gefährlich :-)

Ich plane etwas ähnliches, allerdings bin ich ein Mensch der alles gut durchdacht und nicht impulsiv vorbereiten muss und einen großen "Margin of safety" bei so einer gravierenden Entscheidung benötigt...

Ich hab mich auch abgesichert, daher ja der Nebenjob bzw. der daraus resultierende finanzielle Puffer. Jedoch denke ich mir immer: wenn wir zu viel planen und perfektionieren, verpassen wir das Wichtigste - das Leben selbst. Wer weiß schon, wie lange wir noch haben? Im besten Fall ein paar Jahrzehnte, vielleicht aber auch nur noch ein paar Stunden. Das sage ich ganz ohne dramatisch klingen zu wollen, es ist einfach realistisch.

Viel Glück für "Dein Projekt"! :)

Congrats on your five year anniversary of living the life you want- at the beach! I love that quote by Lincoln. I need to work on creating a better future for myself.

Thank you!!! Today is really special to me :-)

For you!!!

Oh that was cute, thank you :-))

You are an inspiration to us all!!

Thank youuuuuu 😍😍😍

You are so inspirational women .

Thank you, that was very cute!!! 😍😍😍

I always feel happy, do you know why? Because I do not expect anything from anyone. Expectations always hurt, life is short. Love your life, be happy, keep the smile, and remember: before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before praying, forgive. Before hurting, consider the other. Before hating, love and, before dying, live.

RESTEEMED

These were some wise words, @machhour! Thank you for that - and your support.
Expectations are the single most common problem in relationships. That's why I try to keep them low, too :-)

beautifully said! It's our responsibility to create the life that we want.

Absolutely. It's not only a "reponsability" but also a pleasure to have the freedom to choose :-)

Nice post!

As a fellow expat (though I was much too young at the time of our relocation to have had much of a choice in the matter), I salute your determination to get to where you most wanted to be.

Life abroad makes for a broad life :)


I just found a baby swallow and posted a philosophical story about it. Check it out here!. Or don't. It's cool. :)

Life abroad makes for a broad life :)

Nicely said. That so happened to me, yeah. My VP is at 70% so I need to recover before I vote again, but have bookmarked your story :-)

Thanks for your support and see you around!

Oh, thanks for checking that out haha. Much appreciated!

Hope to catch many more of your posts on here!

Very inspiring article :) My first and the only time surfing was exactly in Canary :)
Good weather( I would say perfect) and nice waves. Unfortunately, I surfed only for one month, but hey, maybe I will come back to do some more surfing :)

Nice! Where exactly did you surf if I might ask?

Well, it was like 5 years ago :) If I recall correctly it was Las Americas. Took some classes for beginners and then started to surf myself. Nothing extreme, but I did like it a lot :)

You actually are lucky that you get what you want after 5 years. I worked almost 18 hours a day for about 16 years and still struggling. I know I will get what I want one day, may be God has some concealed treasure for me, so I will never give up!

You actually are lucky that you get what you want after 5 years.

Well actually I got it after one, haha.
Am living here since 4 years now...

I was working in a similar rhythm to yours. To me that wasn't very healthy, so I decided to change it.

Crossing my fingers for you!!! 😉

This post received a 4.6% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @lichtblick! For more information, click here!

Very inspiring.
Resteemed :-)

Thank you so much, Jochen!!! :-)

Great story, sehr Schön!!! tanks goodness that you made it

Opportunities are not given, they are made. 😌

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

really ur goal is great @surfermasly and ur all videos i see on ur chanel really wonderfull i also subscribe ur chanel and see ur many posts its ur great work and videos u r a brave lady and u play wonderfull on waves ur videos attract me to surfer..and its really a good that u take some good decion and now u need to some hard work to get succees and we wish u that u get more and a great success in ur life and also in steemit comunity and u get ur treat aims god help u always and bless u

Nice! credit to you, i just travelled for four years and am back home in Amsterdam now, thinking about what will be next for me!
Super happy for you everything worked out.
Will keep an eye out for your posts.
keep them coming.

Four years, wow! That's been a ride then.
I've just jumped over to your blog - really interesting! I will follow you (and your world travel series) now 😉

Thanks, will keep them coming, enjoy your trips! they look like great fun.
Will keep an eye out myself as well.
in the meantimke i will decide whats next for me, just need to travel again.
Saving money for it as we speak.

Congratulations on creating your " new life." I did a similar thing back some 30 + years ago relocating from one part of the USA to another many miles away. It was truly very hard but, as I look back, it changed my life for the better for me and my children. All the best to you going forward.

Congrats on your bravery, too! If you look back an see that things have changed for the better, it's been definitely worth the efforts.
All the best to you and your family, too 😊

Thats great post

So much courage! I think you are great!

She's the best!

Aaaaaaaw 😍

Thank you for your kindness!!!!!!!!!!!!

we're the ones who give meaning to our lives we could make make it perfect. it takes courage to decide and do what you have to do. we have to feel strong in life gets tough and be thankful for it because it made us also thank ourselves for not give up. life is what we create not what given to us we make something out of nothing. "Most people spend their lives dreaming of the life they'd love to live." those people never fell strong or experience happiness at all they tend to dream about something forever, that's truly pathetic.
U5dsjm7kmQyjgepEr1KogUjKj68Hy6E_1680x8400.jpg
I made a post about meaning of life and I comment on your project @steemaniacs you told me that you will check my blog and send me tips but you didn't see my blog yet
![Capture.JPG]
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anyway glad to read your inspirational story. may blessings shower upon you @surfermarly

That's a though-provoking quote...
I think one of the most important rules in life is having goals - no matter how low or high they are.
Aiming to accomplish something, then getting there and being rewarded is one of the best ways to feed our ego, self-esteem and (in the end) health. That's at least my point of view...

I made a post about meaning of life and I comment on your project @steemaniacs you told me that you will check my blog and send me tips but you didn't see my blog yet.

It may seem weird, but I have a life outside steemit's borders :-) Sorry for being late!
I didn't forget you and commented on your last blog providing you with some tips.

Have a great day!

Yeah
If you want something then go for it

That's how it works, yeah! 😉

We can all sit there thinking about our dreams and craving them. However, to actually make those dreams into a reality you have to do something about it. You shouldn't just wait opportunities to come to you, you should be out looking and scouring to find something that will help you climb the ladder to achieve what you truly want.
I'm glad that you made some pretty tough decision which required a lot of strength and effort but it was all worth it in the end.
Great motivational post @surfermarly.

Thank you @arckrai! I appreciate your support :-)

To actually make those dreams into a reality you have to do something about it.

Nothing worth comes easy, everything in life has a price tag. We just need to know if we are willing to afford it - or prefer to stay in our comfort zones...

Have a great day!

This motivate me a lot @surfermarly <3

I'm happy to hear that 😉 Thank you!

One way tickets for the win!

Coming up to 2 years outside the UK now, Mallorca, Valencia, and next..... ooo it's a secret! :p

Haha, Portugal!!!!!!! I know it 😃😃😃

Do you now?! As much as I'd like to Steemfest I'm not sure I'll make it this year - I could be much further away!

That's a great post man lived reading it .

Haha that image looked like you were giving middle finger 😂

Nope. That's my sun protection :-)