Creating a Meaningful Life

"Living the dream?" But beneath the sun-kissed beaches of Samui, I felt lost 😔 far from the paradise I'd imagined. Endless meetings at luxurious 5-star resorts tantalising with promises for the future, yet resulting in scant action.

On the islands, it seemed most people's dream was to do as little work as possible 🏖️. There were families, heavy drinkers, and bourgeois spiritual seekers who needed a week to "process" if there was no almond milk at the barista coffee shop or a full moon.

Many people here were running away, stuck in Peter Pan syndrome or overcorrecting from the rat race they'd burned out from. But I didn’t come to Thailand just to sit on a beach and wait 🌊.

I came here to make a mark, to create, to contribute and to help people in the real world🌍.

The island was full of maybe "next week" people with "sabi sabi" "next week" energy.

I was about "NOW" ⏱️.

Something needed to change. So I planned a week-long trip to Bangkok, I was on a mission.

David 2019

Has your life ever looked perfect from the outside but didn't that way to live it?

I have no friends, no contacts, and no network.

Every promise has fallen through: my marriage, my job, my new life, GONE!

I’m haemorrhaging money at a ridiculous rate—between dealing with the divorce, the visa, and having no income, I am stressed out and feeling overwhelmed. Efforts to collaborate with the resorts are fruitless, moving at a glacial pace, as their priorities are elsewhere.

Discussing my plans to move to Bangkok with other practitioners on the island was met with scepticism. But I believe there are opportunities in such a busy city; my services of coaching and helping people create more courageous, confident and connected lives are needed way more there than in this tropical paradise. 🌆

Stuck in my Samui condo with no idea where to start, I followed the Google rabbit hole down every avenue I could think of.

Each call to a potential venue was a battle, met with hesitation or outright rejection. I could hear the panic in the voice of the receptionist when she heard a "farang" (foreigner) asking for information. I was permanently put on hold, told no, and hung up on multiple times. ☎️🚫

It was BRUTAL.

It felt like a knife being stuck into my gut, this was my last hope of living in Thailand.

But each rejection just hardened my resolve. 💪

I would create my own connections.

I would make my own opportunities.

Through calling, messaging and speaking to as many people as I could. I arranged not one but six different workshops over a week. The plan was mad: But I could only afford one week in Bangkok and I needed to make it work.

I was putting myself under A LOT of pressure. Because I knew it was this or the end of my dream. 💥🎯

David 2019

Have you ever found yourself fighting for a dream in the face of relentless setbacks?

Facing the pain of everything I had hoped for being burnt to the ground was hard.

Amid the chaos of my marriage ending, navigating lawyers, seeking work, and searching for people I could trust.

If you want to find your weak points, destabilize your life and they will emerge.

Mine came screaming at me each morning. I woke up, anxious my mind racing with a million what-ifs before my eyes were even open.

But I could not let fear control me.

I trained myself to deal with the pressure of uncertainty. To not rely on people, I had listened to many false promises, but no one here wanted my dream as much as me.

I navigated the divorce process with a clear focus on integrity over being "right". I aimed to conclude our chapter with dignity, love, and compassion. Our parting on good terms stands as a testament to this, a fact that fills me with pride.

Armed with my papers, I set my sights on Thailand once again, knowing that to truly plant roots, Bangkok was calling my name. The lethargic pace of island life no longer matched my urgency, nor could I afford to wait on the "help" of others.

As I prepared to embark on this new chapter, I did not know what Bangkok had in store for me...

Circa 2019