Episode # 69 – The Human Connection

Moving to another country is like falling in love. In the beginning, everything is new, and you’re excited about all the beautiful things waiting to be discovered.

For those who are fortunate enough to fill their days with endless visits to Portuguese highlights and other European destinations, it may feel like a never-ending honeymoon. Watching the sunset every day, going to your favorite restaurants with other honeymooners, sipping on exotic cocktails, seeing the sights, and traveling to foreign destinations sounds great, but eventually it will raise an important question: what’s next?

A few years ago, I found myself in a similar situation, and after a year of living a hedonistic lifestyle, I was brutally woken up by the same question. A part of me wants to go back to that carefree and fun-filled period, but I also feel there’s something that’s calling me to choose a different path. I am not a religious person, but as a spiritual being, it’s hard to ignore the whisper of the calling of the soul. I tried to ignore the whisper several times, but each time I experienced a form of punishment. I know, it sounds weird, but I did some research on the matter and discovered an amazing explanation, which I will share with you in another story.

One of the key ingredients in my ‘call to adventure’ is human connection. Real, deep, vulnerable human connection. I’ve talked about the importance of human connection in some of my previous stories, and last week I had the privilege to speak at a 7-day retreat in Ericeira. The main theme was an important question: How can I make a contribution to make the world a better place?

Often, these types of events attract a more spiritually oriented crowd, but this time, that was not the case. The guests were handpicked by the organization and offered an all-expense-paid retreat to Ericeira. The guests were, among others, CEOs, lawyers, business owners, artists, and an Olympic coach, the variety couldn’t be more diverse.

I believe that the meaning of life can be found in taking the responsibility to discover what it is that you can contribute to making the world a better place. It’s the discovery of your story, and it gives an answer to the question “Who am I and what the @#$% am I doing here?”.

I also believe that the answer is buried deep inside all of us, like an unwritten story waiting to be told. All you need is the willingness to take the journey inside yourself and the courage to confront the dragon that will eventually present itself, because that’s where your treasure is buried.

The most accurate measurement of courage is vulnerability, and that’s not only where you can find your treasure, but it’s also the birthplace of human connection. When it happens, it’s the best feeling in the world because nothing else matters and the room fills up with gratitude, love, joy, and connection, not only with others but also with yourself. And if you listen closely enough, you can catch the whisper of your soul, and in that moment, you will discover your story.

We often let fear stop us from revealing our vulnerability, afraid of what others think of us or getting hurt, but the ultimate destination of that fear is regret. In the end, we’ll regret that we didn’t have the courage to express our feelings more and live a life true to ourselves instead of living up to the expectations of other people.