For years I had felt lost, like a vessel sailing aimlessly across a vast ocean, no longer knowing who I truly was. Purpose and drive were words that became nonexistent to me as I sank deeper into a dark chasm of self-pity where escape had eluded me time ago.
In that moment I had failed, failed to a point that I could have never comprehended it as a child knowing that everything I was going to do and every decision I was going to make would lead to failure. Without that ever-elusive crystal ball we can never predict the future to make changes accordingly but I now understand the philosophy that every event in our lives has purpose, there is a powerful intention in every situation we live.
I learned this the hard way, yes I had failed, I had given up hope to truly live once again and become the man I knew I was meant to be. However, it was not game over for me, game over will only happen when I paddle to the great lake in the sky for that ever lasting slumber of peace.
I soon realised I was just living one misadventurous chapter amongst many virtuous ones in my story book of life. Life is full of failures, successes too and I no longer wanted to be defined by my errors. I knew I was much more than the shadow of a man that I had become.
By embarking on a journey of ‘self discovery’ it became clear to me that there are no outside factors that control our lives, our futures and our destinies—just ourselves. I have now taken the time to get to know who I truly am, connect to my values and constantly encourage personal growth within myself. I have managed to learn so much about myself and once again come alive by connecting to my true passions in life—SUP and adventure. I have found my calling to live a more meaningful life, which is why I have created the ‘Nomadic Paddler’.
We should never let go of our dreams and always strive to gain new experiences and enjoy life for everything it has to offer. I am fully aware that it is one of the biggest clichés going but it could not be truer, life is about the journey and not just the destination.
The idea of my company is not just to supply individuals with high quality lifestyle and outdoor recreational clothing but to offer an open invitation to everyone to release the pressures of modern life by taking on our personal quests to have an adventure no matter how big or small to once again come alive.
It became clear to me that there are no outside factors that control our lives, our futures and our destinies—just ourselves.
Nomadic Paddler is about creating a community to bring people together to motive and inspire one another to live through adventure. We want to encourage people to share their stories of exploring the unknown within themselves and pushing theirs limits out in the world to help liberate others to grow as individuals.
I have now reached a great place in life, which is why I am fully committed to my business and why I have taken the plunge to leave my job to grow my brand. Unfortunately the pandemic we are facing as a world collective has put a halt to the launch of the brand and as I handed in my notice at work months before this outbreak it has left me in quite a predicament.
However, with this journey of growth that I am on and being a much stronger person than my former self, I know that this will not deter me. I am capable of surviving like we all are; this will not stop me from helping others and preparing for a positive future.
The world has come to a halt and despite all the suffering that is going on around us we should use this gift of time that we have been given. A time for self reflection, a time to figure out what we want in life, figure out who we are and where we are going and when the time does finally comes for life to get back to normal, we should all make a commitment to be more determined and dedicated to truly live a good life. A life we have only dreamt of and thought was out of our grasp.
Lets all take full advantage of this detour to once again become proud of ourselves so we can go on to write many more profound chapters in the storybook of our lives.
If we neglect the opportunity to better ourselves now, then when can we ever hope to encounter the opportunity again?
Entrepreneurship is about taking that first step, even if it scares you.
(Photo by Francisco Deane on Unsplash)
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