Do you know how to live a good life?

Backpack Melancholy & Changes to the Blog: How to Live a Good Life!

As you know I’ve been back home for almost a year, with no major trips, (except for the whole of July which I spent it in Panama, the 20 days in Italy in Feb and a few short trips to London here and there). 

I know, I know. To a regular person that’s already a colossal amount of travelling… 

It’s me and my gypsy mind that make me want to roam and roam non stop. I’ve also come to the logical, but sad, conclusion that I’ll be spending at least another six months here. And even though it makes sense, and I know it’s the best for the long run, I cannot help but feel that craving for packing my backpack and taking off again without a return date. 

I was toying with the idea of taking off for my longest trip yet. For a whole year! Starting this October in Sri Lanka, then probably India and wing it from there… But it won’t be possible. It is possible, but it is reckless and doesn’t tie nicely with “the long-term plan.” Now that I am ‘an adult’, I have to adhere to some sort of routine and exercise some sort of self-control.

Don’t get me wrong… those days of living out of a backpack with no particular destination and the whole world ahead of me, are still here. They are still in me and will come again… Just not for now. And that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with it. 

This blog…

This blog will be changing slightly. If you’re a real fan, you’ve already seen it happen. 

For those who have been reading from the start… you know how I open up, share both the good and the bad. When I am happy, and when I am sad. 

When I first started this blog, the idea was to make money from it somehow… Years passed, and that never happened. At least not in any significant way. It became the personal blog of a nomadic entrepreneur (some may even say travel addict) who would rather live in a shared dorm in Bolivia than get a corporate job with a boss. And that hasn’t changed. 

What has changed… is that I have now figured out what I will “do” with this blog. 

I’ve been getting into Philosophy. Mostly western philosophy, but one must read a bit of Eastern Philosophy too… you know, to have some balance and understand what’s out there. 

I have this app called Nibble which teaches you a bit of everything. It’s an alright app. I like it, don’t love it… When it asked me, ‘How likely are you to recommend this app to others?’ I rated it a 7 - but would of given it a 6.6 if it had given me the chance. So now you know!

Anyways…

Today my lesson was on the Japanese concept of Ikigai. Having spent 21 days in Japan last year, it resonated with me. 

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that roughly translates to "reason for being" or "reason to live." It's about finding purpose and meaning in life by aligning what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

Check out this super Venn diagram:

And I thought… What do I love, perform well at, and would helps the world? 

After much thought, my conclusion was that: I am the best at living a good life!

Living a good life is… in many ways… my speciality. I have become a master of living well. Living according to my values, following my rules and being true to myself. I’ve had tens, if not hundreds of people asking me how I do it, saying they would like to live like me. How I am unapologetic for being who I am, and constantly strive towards being more like myself and discovering who I truly am.

And… how can I make money from that? From knowing how to live a good life, and reach a state of Ikigai?- a fulfilling life — a reason for living! Well… you guessed it! What if I taught people how to live a good life?  How to identify what they love, what is important to them, and how to carve out time or change their routines to do what's important to them. I could so soooo do that!

It sounds crazy, but— not soooo crazy. Not the craziest thing I’ve done by a long shot… I mean… those of you that know me, know about my past e-commerce venture that made me so much money… That was 10 times more crazy. So why not?

And how would I go about it? It won’t be simple, but it would be rewarding to do.

Firstly, I’d start by sharing with you guys lots of my little rituals and life rules I use in my day-to-day. How I think of life, and how I go about doing what I do.  

I’ve already written that e-book on personal finance, and even though it’s not my best work, it’s quite good…Highly rate it. Why personal finance? Because if you are struggling with money, with no safety net or back up plan, that’s no way to live. Soooo fixing your personal finances is an important step towards living a good life. You cannot live the way you want if you are struggling with finances. I have been on that train, and let me tell you... it sucks. But, I maintain, personal finance is key, but it’s not the main aspect of living a good life.  

The idea of teaching people how to live a good life makes me happy. A life that you are proud of, enjoy waking up to every morning. How to live a more fulfilling, more honest with yourself life. One in accordance with your passions, your desires, your values. 

And how will I help? Oh… you’ll see. 

I have lots of neat little life tricks that make me live joyfully every day. I am sure I can help others get in touch with themselves and make small adjustments and steer them in the right ways. To be more like themselves. To live a good life.

And what is a good life? Only you know… we all have our own unique personalities. For me, it’s travel, adventures, rock and roll, sunsets, sunrises, beers, margaritas, airplanes, paradisiac beaches, hot jungles, getting lost, meeting new people and doing it all while living from a backpack and a laptop. But that’s just me. 

The “issue” is that, many -I would even dare to say most- people don’t even know what they love. They have no passions. No fire in their souls. Or if they do, they constantly (subconsciously or consciously) blow it out. Shut it down and lock it with their hopes and dreams. Naaa man. I am here to tell you that there is only one life, and that you can still (and you should!) go after your hopes and dreams. But first, you have to know what they are. That’s all part of it.

Soooo that’s what this blog will slowly become. Uhh… I hate the words “self help”… but… Maybe that’s what it will be? Mmmmh not sure. Hate that label.

The point is, there will be some changes. I won’t just tell you about what I am up to, where I am heading and how my entrepreneurial ventures are going… I will also share content on how to live a good life. A life with meaning and according with your values. Soooo yeah… Happy days. 

All of this 'thought' began because I was looking at pics from my trip to Laos last year. I was overwhelmed by a melancholic feeling, craving to grab my backpack and take off. Is the backpack really that important? Yes, it is. Anyway... my 'adult' responsibilities will hold me here for a little longer, but that’s alright. It’s good here. And because (yes, I’ve said it 10 times already), I am a master of living a good life wherever I go and whatever I do.

Being true to yourself and knowing your values, what you love, and what you treasure are

important parts of living a good life. But living well day to day is also important.

The internal struggle I constantly face:

1) Live for the now, while we are young! Let’s run, climb, and swim while we still can! vs.

2) Build for the future, because the future will come, and we don’t want to be those old men who still have to work...

So now, I’m focused on building for the future. And that’s alright too. It’s even exciting.

Anyways… I am getting ahead of myself. Hope you are all well. 

Sending love xx

Ivan Tornado

Here I am in Laos, being my usual goofy self.