Quit your Job, Move to Hawaii. Part 1 of 3

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This is a guest post from Ryan Martin, a good friend of mine that has done what many have dreamed of doing: move to an island paradise.  In this short series of posts he will document his thoughts on leaving, arriving and living the island lifestyle.

As I sat on Hawaiian Airlines flight 39 bound for Maui, I pondered, how did I get to this point? How on Earth did I gather the courage to pack up shop and buy a one way flight to literally one of the most isolated places in the world? The answer is complex and convoluted, but in short it was one part fate and two parts ambition. Let us back up a few months and the answer will become more clear.

Months before departure: I come home every day bitching to friends and family about how I dislike my job. I was a conveyer belt salesman, for a mining supply company.  Many people would love my job. I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted and pursue potential customers in whatever way I saw fit. However there was one problem.  There is no way I could care less about the product that I was selling. That’s the problem with sales. If you’re not passionate about your product, the job becomes boring, monotonous, and unfulfilling.  So there I sat in my truck on my way to the next customer, thinking how to get out of this “rut” in my life.

Then my phone rang from a good friend in living on Maui. “Hey man, I know you really hate your job. You should move to Hawaii and live with me. It’s great over here and we would have so much fun. Plus, I need a wing man.” That’s all it took. I was in. What better way to make an exit from rainy Oregon than to get a one way ticket to America’s paradise.

Sometimes in life, opportunities present themselves and you have to be ready to act. And I know it’s not for everyone, but if you’re like me and have an adventurous spirit:

Be ready to act.

You only live life once and what’s life without the experiences you gain from it, right?

Now some people may say, “Come on, it had to take more than that. You can’t just make a life altering decision with one phone call.” And honestly, that’s all it took. Obviously, I had to get a few things in order before I took off. Like get my finances straight, pack up, end my lease at a house in NW Portland, etc. But literally once that phone call ended, I was brainstorming on how I could make it work.

What I am really trying to point out is please, please, please don’t let yourself be stuck in a rut. And if you are, DO something about it. Be proactive, research, use your networks, get out there.

Life is way to damn short to be living life unfulfilled and unhappy.

And one other thing I forgot to mention. Don’t worry about the details. Everything always works out in the end. As long as you keep your head level and your spirits lifted, it will work out, I promise.

For me, everything came together in a nick of time. Three days before I was going to put in my two weeks notice at my job, I was laid off. It was a God send, really. My head was already on the chopping block and I’m sure I wouldn’t have been granted the two weeks I would have given my employer anyways. As I sat in my bosses office being told he was going to have to let me go, I tried not to crack a smile. He had just given me the greatest gift he could offer. Unemployment, an extra two weeks to get my life together before leaving the mainland, and the guilt was on him for letting me go. It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and to this day, I still don’t think my boss knows the favor he did for me. Cause now I’m sitting in paradise listening to Margaritaville, drinking a coffee, and listening to the waves crash on the shore  next to me.

Just remember, if you want it, go out and get it. The world is yours to discover.

If you enjoyed this post, also check out Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of Ryan’s series.

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