Thankful

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Thankful

20 July 2010 11 Comments

I am probably 37,000 feet up by the time you read this, so I will approve any comments and respond as soon as I land!

Over the past 9 or so months I’ve been incredibly selfish.

Now, I’m not saying I’ve done anything wrong, or that looking back I should have done anything differently, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve been focused only for what is best for me, with little regard for those around me.

That said, just about everyone around me has been incredibly supportive of everything I’ve been doing. Even my family and close friends who have been affected the most by me quitting my job and moving to a foreign country for half a year have had very few bad things to say and have made it clear that they just want me to be happy.

That’s pretty cool.

Throughout this journey I’ve met a ton of people whose loved ones weren’t so ok with their live choices. Parents disowning children, relationships ending in ruins and best friends that are no longer – I’ve really been surprised at the lack of support some people have exhibited for those going against the grain (or even those just wanting to do a little traveling).

I’m currently sitting at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (and now Incheon International in Seoul as I edit this) reflecting on everything that has occurred this year. I couldn’t be more excited about going home to Portland, but at the same time it will be impossible to not miss the city and country that has treated me so well.

I’m actually incredibly thankful for Bangkok.

Last year I was clueless as to what I wanted out of life. I didn’t know where my priorities were, I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted, and I didn’t know where I wanted to be. I’ve now figured out the answers to all of those concerns (or at least gotten much, much closer), and I know that it wouldn’t have happened without Bangkok.

Coming to this city gave me the opportunity to break away from the incredibly comfortable life that I’ve been living for the last 25 years. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and experience new adventures on a daily basis. Coming here gave me the time to explore my hobbies and passions, and have helped me to realize which ones I miss the most (I’m really looking forward to playing a round of golf next week), and which ones may not have been that important.

I’m thankful for Dan and the Tropical MBA. Were it not for him taking a chance on me, none of this would have happened. I would have had a completely different year, and frankly I guarantee it wouldn’t have been as much fun and as productive as it ended up being. I’ve found people to build a business with that share the same goals as me, are willing to work extraordinarily hard to achieve them, but also know how to have fun in the process. I can’t wait to see where things go from here now that a solid foundation has been laid.

However most of all, I’m thankful for my closest friends and family.

I thought about going through and calling each of you out by name, but rather than do that I’m just going to say that in addition to the other things mentioned, its your support that has allowed me to do all of this. As much as I believe that everyone has to live their own lives, and make tough choices to ultimately do the stuff they want in life, the support by those around me has made it much, MUCH easier for me to make those choices.

"I hate leaving, but I love comin' home again"

So now my choice is to come home (for awhile at least). Traveling is still going to play a big part of my life, and I already have a lot of ideas about what the next adventure could be. But at this point I can’t wait to have an ice cold Mirror Pond, a backyard bbq with my best friends, and get to work on building my empire from a place with fast enough internet to enable me to do so.

Oh yeah, I’m also really thankful for fast internet.

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11 Comments »

Joel said:

Great post Sean. It really is awesome to think how good we have it.

Also, kudos to your parents for letting you follow your passions.

Welcome Home!

# 21 July 2010 at 2:08 pm

Nate said:

Welcome back to the States! I’m extremely excited to see what you do from here. Take some time to relax and enjoy your family and friends, that is so important and many people don’t even have the opportunity to do it.

# 21 July 2010 at 5:55 pm

Derek said:

“I’ve been focused only for what is best for me, with little regard for those around me.”

I disagree.

What’s best for you is best for EVERYONE. By being ‘selfish’ this year, you probably inspired hundreds of people. Made them more driven. More productive. And more excited to be selfish themselves. Because of your selfishness, we are collectively better off.

The biggest fallacy of our time is the idea that you must live for others. That’s probably why you wanted to escape in the first place. You were becoming too dependent on the whims of others. Dependency is unattractive. Independence is a magnet.

# 21 July 2010 at 8:31 pm

Dan said:

I really like Derek’s point above. It is generally those who know exactly what they want for themselves that can give back the most to others. Sean- THANK YOU SIR. You are freaking awesome, you are capable of pretty much anything.

# 21 July 2010 at 9:13 pm

Tyler Tervooren said:

Welcome home, buddy. See ya soon!

# 22 July 2010 at 8:34 am

Jill MacGregor said:

Welcome back to the Pacific NW, Sean! You forgot to mention, in you list of things to get used to in the States, THE WEATHER…maybe 72 in Seattle today.
This will be a chapter in your life that you will never forget.
Travel safely,
Jill

# 22 July 2010 at 9:07 am

Rasheed Hooda said:

Welcome home, dude!

Derek is absolutely right in his comments. You can’t give something you don’t have, and in order to make others happy, you must first experience happiness yourself, and that, my friend, sometimes requires being selfish.

Now that you know what is possible, you have more to give. It is one of those paradoxes of life. You have to be selfish in order to be altruist.

Relax and have fun for a bit, because I know you’ll be out and about again soon. I am so proud to call you a friend.

Rasheed

# 22 July 2010 at 9:27 am

Lou Mindar said:

My grandfather, a first generation immigrant to the U.S., spent his life working like a dog and sacrificing to provide a better life for his children.

His son (my father) put his own happiness aside at a relatively young age and sacrificed his own dreams because he believed it was the best way to provide for his family.

Over the years, I learned a great deal from my father and grandfather about how to sacrifice, but I didn’t learn much about being happy. Instead of following their lead, I have decided to do what makes me happy. In one sense it is selfish of me, but I’m also teaching my kids a valuable lesson about their own lives.

To say this same thing a little differently, I want my kids to grow up, pursue their dreams, and be happy. The best way I can think of to teach them to do this is to be a good role model for them.

Sacrificing your dreams and happiness for the good of your family may seem noble, but in a lot of cases, I think it does more harm than good.

# 22 July 2010 at 12:33 pm

David Damron said:

Awesome man! Can’t wait to finally meet up. I am excited for you to geet back some of your “normal” lifestyle. I remember when I was in Aussie that all I wanted for a day was a “normal” day to live.

Have fun playing golf and enjoying the weather up in PDX.

Later man…

David Damron

# 23 July 2010 at 6:09 am

Back in PDX said:

[...] posts for awhile. I know the last few have pretty much only been about my preparing to move back, moving back, and now being back. That’s cool and all, but I know you are probably ready for something a bit [...]

# 26 July 2010 at 3:27 pm

Elisa said:

Sean – I know I’m a bit late, but again I’m so happy for you and the decision you’ve made. Though you may be putting some jet-setting on hold right now, it takes a very bold move to face these challenges in a place where “everybody knows your name.” For me, I’ve always been more bold and daring when I’m an anonymous face in a crowd, when there’s no lasting consequences for your actions.

When everyone knows your story and is vested in it’s future, it’s a lot harder than people think…of course, there are things that are much more comfortable and “easy” too. Welcome back…looking forward to some fantasy football action this fall.