[ENGLISH] 🇺🇸
How can we live the life of our dreams? I believe it's possible. But it is not something given; it’s earned and built into a lifestyle. That said, how do we materialize our dreams?
I believe in the ability to co-create the reality we live in. We can positively influence our microcosm (our family, home, team, friends, work), and these relationships connect to the macrocosm (city, state, country, continent, world, planet).
The lifestyle we live is associated with a combination of endogenous factors, which we can control, and exogenous factors, which we cannot control.
Some examples of factors we control: discipline in daily training, a routine for meditation, seeking continuous learning and self-improvement, creating a personal strategic plan, areas of focus and work in your life, the people we associate with, among others.
Factors we don’t control: the family we are born into, our birthday, government measures, the weather, the climate, the waves, nature in general.
Given this context of factors we control and do not control, perhaps the right question is: how to build a dream lifestyle?
I wasn’t born with a dream life, and most of the people I know who live lifestyles similar to mine, or considered “dream lives,” share the same pattern: they built their lifestyles.
Yes, today I can materialize many of my dreams, though I still have much work to do and many goals to achieve. But I believe I’ve created a “way of doing” that allows me to enjoy the journey and live in continuous learning cycles, which enables me to be an eternal student and enjoy the process.
It’s important to highlight that each dream is unique, and the definition of success is very personal.
For me, the dream life is connected to 9 factors, which I call multidimensional wealth. They are:
- Peace of mind
- Physical and mental well-being
- Healthy habits
- Harmony within my Family
- Connection with nature
- Financial freedom
- Geographic freedom
- Being the master of your time
- Working with purpose
I learned this concept from a great friend, Ranulfo Paiva, also known as the “Vagabond Master,” with whom I have had the pleasure of living and working since 2018 at Cambiatus.
I also learned that living in abundance is more relevant than accumulating financial capital.
In an abundant life, we build a continuous flow of resources, which allows us to have financial freedom, but also considers other forms of wealth, especially being the master of your time.
If you are healthy and have a constant flow of financial capital and time, you can pursue other forms of wealth.
Believe it or not, the main catalysts that helped me see life from this perspective were crises of depression and burnout. I had two. One at 25, right after working a few years in my family business and suffering significant strain from a management change followed by a financial crisis. And another at 28, when I worked in the financial market and found myself working 14 hours a day to build something that wasn’t aligned with my dreams.
Back in the financial markets days - moderating a panel with a very important businessman at the time
These two traumas were significant fuels for a turnaround in my life. I learned a lot from both experiences, and I am very grateful for having gone through them. I drew incredible lessons from them that helped me build the projects I am involved in today. Currently, the company I worked for in the Financial Market is one of my sponsors as a surfer (Apex Partners), and my family business provides stability and peace of mind for my family, allowing me to be free and chase my dreams.
I had to go through traumas and visit my shadows to find light. It was in crises that I sought therapy and coaching, learned to meditate, and understood that surfing is a form of healing and reconnection with my inner child.
In a coaching and meditation session, I remember talking to 7-year-old Luiz and hearing him say: “never give up on your dreams.”
From a dreamy surf session with my friends in North Sumatra
And to follow your dreams, sometimes you need to abandon projections that have been placed on you.
From my mother who wanted me to work in a multinational company or becoming a lawyer. From my father who would have loved for me to work with him. From girlfriends who wanted to get married and have children at a time when I didn’t feel ready. From colleagues who saw me as a potential successor in the financial market or as a partner in ventures that weren’t aligned with my dreams.
Flavio Cordeiro, a great friend, mentor, and my therapist, taught me that “the quality of the no’s we give in our lives is proportional to the yes’s we receive.”
By politely, gratefully, and harmoniously refusing others’ projections, we pave the way to become who we truly want to be. Projections are usually made by those close to us who love us, especially our parents. It’s normal, after all, they raised us, love us unconditionally, and want the best for us.
However, our generations are different, and consequently, so are our definitions of success and happiness.
Understanding the complexity of family relationships, one of the factors I most value and strive to work on in this life is family harmony. And know that it’s always challenging (in every family).
Being present with family and having quality time at home is one of the greatest achievements I currently have. I was able to live intensely in the last years of my grandmother Cecília’s life, and I’m also closely witnessing the early years of my nieces, Ana Cecília and Maria Clara. No amount of money in the world can buy that.
Ana Cecilia and Maria Clara
Of course, I can’t always be present because my current dream life involves a lot of travel, and I now spend more than 5 months a year traveling. But still, I’m much closer to my family than when I lived in Rio or worked in the Financial Markets, for example.
There’s also the factor of “starting a family.” That’s right. Getting married, having children, a home. My parents’ projection that was once professional has now become familial. My father wants more grandchildren any way he can, and so does my mother.
At this point, I feel that there needs to be a combination of finding the right person at the right time. I’ve been in relationships with incredible people, with whom I deeply fell in love, but our life stages weren’t aligned.
The life of a digital nomad is incredible, I don’t even need to mention the good things. After some years of living it, I feel that the most challenging part is romantic relationships.
Because I’m always on the move, planning the next trip, I haven’t yet found a relationship that has adapted to this lifestyle.
Each choice comes with a sacrifice. I know that the dream life for many people includes a stable relationship and a family. But honestly, I think it would be very difficult to be a digital nomad, have a stable relationship, and a family at the same time. I believe that when I decide to start a family, the travels will decrease considerably to be able to “grow roots somewhere.”
I see my sister and my friends with children and families. I admire them a lot, and I’m sure I will build my own one day. I try to maintain habits that will allow me to live until I’m 80-90 years old with health, which is why I plan to start a family closer to 40 (yes, I understand that’s a big benefit of being a man).
My beloved family
It’s also important to recognize and honor my privileges. I am a white man, highly privileged to have a well-structured family, high-quality education, and an excellent network in a deeply unequal country like Brazil.
Given this, I try my best to use my gifts and talents in service of causes, such as social currencies and regenerative finance, protecting beaches and oceans, social inclusion and reducing inequalities through technology, and using surfing as a way to spark people’s interest in these deeper causes.
Working with purpose is invigorating, brings energy, peace of mind, attracts people aligned with your values, and in the end, leaves a positive impact on the community and the world we live in.
I wouldn’t be living the dream life if I wasn’t working with purpose in projects like Surfguru, Muda, Sherlock Communications, Gnars, Play4Change, Kanna, among others that occasionally arise.
Moderating the Regenerative Finance Panel during the Blockchain Rio Festival in October 2023
Participating of a Beach Cleanup
I know many people who have financial stability but are unable to live their dreams because they are stuck in what I call the “rat race.”
The rat race is a metaphor for a definition of success based solely on the accumulation of financial wealth. We are trained to believe that the more resources we accumulate, the happier we will be because we can “buy” more dreams (because usually our dreams are things we can buy - a new car, house, boat, etc..).
In this quest for accumulation, we forget to enjoy the journey and become trapped in the cage, running day after day after the cheese we were promised.
Changing the definition of success is fundamental to escaping the rat race. And understanding when we’re in that cage is also important.
The dream life can be built, but I’m not sure if it can be bought. Of course, financial freedom is part of the definition of success, but in my view, it needs to be balanced with 8 other factors.
To find this balance, I used tools like personal strategic planning to “escape” this race and build my dream life. I adapted the OKR methodology, widely used in the technology and startup world, to create semi annual objectives and key results that remind me of the priorities I need to work on each semester.
I’ll share an example here, but with values replaced by X to avoid exposing sensitive data:
Personal OKRs 2023 - July to December
O: Be my best version 💎 Key results: - Weigh 80kg by December 2023 - Meditate every day; - Practice sports 6x a week; - Zero injuries; - Have coaching/therapy at least once a month;
O: Surf the wave of abundance 🌊 Key results: -
Raise capital for Surfguru with a minimum valuation of R$XX - Revenue in the semester above R$ XX - Revenue from sponsorships of R$X/month for 2024 - Rent the office in Guarapari for at least X/month - Support governance in the family business
O: Be the change I want to see in the world 🌎 Key results: - Spend quality time with my family (birthdays, trips, breakfast) - Gain traction in GnarsDAO on impact projects: approve 1 proposal for beach cleaning and environmental education - Experiment with the FIAT fund with CSAAs at Muda - Curate ReFi at Blockchain Rio 2023 and ReFi Course with Rede Alegrias - Conduct 3 beach cleanups by the end of 2023
The objectives are inspirational and guide us towards a future vision. The KRs (key results) are measurable outcomes we seek to achieve within a given time frame. In this case, 6 months. The KRs should be ambitious, and it’s okay not to achieve them. What we’re measuring is the learning between cycles.
I’ve been doing this since 2017, and in the early cycles, I was far from achieving the proposed key results. But I learned with each cycle, and today I always get close to what I set out to do. However, whenever I review the cycle, I try to set more ambitious goals to keep striving for my best version.
In addition to personal strategic planning tools, it’s worth remembering a spiritual and philosophical concept, which is the impermanence of life.
This Buddhist concept helps us understand that there will be moments of joy and sadness, light and shadow, yin and yang, and that they will pass.
Just yesterday, arriving in Indonesia, I realized I bought the ticket for the wrong date and had to go through a whole ordeal to buy another, go to a hotel, wait for the next flight, etc. All this during the “trip of a lifetime.”
This is perfectly normal in the dialectic of life, and learning to deal with challenging or difficult moments is essential for “living the dream.” Learning to handle defeats and frustrations is crucial to maintaining mental health in the face of the challenges and joys we encounter on our journey.
Remember: we attract what we transmit. When something goes “wrong,” it might have been a deliverance, a blessing. Good luck, bad luck, who knows?
Surfing the Growe in Desert Point
Always try to be grateful, look at the bright side, and keep moving forward. This way, we come out more resilient and attract more blessings from the universe 💜
Thank you for making it this far. I hope that sharing these experiences and lessons are useful in your journey and you can also build the life of your dreams.
Mahalo & Namaste ☯️🙏🏾💙
This text was written between July 24 and 26, 2024, on various flights from Brazil to Bali 🇮🇩
Quick Update:
I am publishing this text on August 25th, after one month living a trip of a lifetime! It's been an amazing ride. I am recording most of the experiences for the SurfguruTV Vlog and the IndoGNARS 2 movie.
All of the reflections on this text are valid. I hope this words have a positive impact in your life!
[PT-BR] 🇧🇷
Reflexões sobre a vida dos sonhos
Ela existe? Acredito que sim. Mas essa vida não é dada, e sim construída. Dito isso, como fazemos para materializar nossos sonhos?
Acredito na capacidade de cocriar a realidade em que vivemos. Conseguimos atuar positivamente em nosso microcosmos (nossa familia, casa, equipe, amigos, trabalho), e essas relações tem conexão com o macrocosmos (cidade, estado, país, continente, mundo, planeta).
O estilo de vida que vivemos está associada a combinação entre fatores endógenos, com variáveis que conseguimos controlar, e fatores exógenos, que possuem variáveis que não conseguimos controlar.
Alguns exemplos de fatores que controlamos: disciplina para treinar no dia-a-dia, rotina parq meditar, busca por capacitação e aprendizado contínuo, elaboração de planejamento estratégico pessoal, áreas de foco e trabalho na sua vida, pessoas com que nos relacionamos, dentre outros.
Fatores que não controlamos: familia em que nascemos, dia do nosso aniversário, medidas tomadas por um governo, o tempo, o clima, as ondas, a natureza em geral..
Diante desse contexto de fatores que controlamos e não controlamos, talvez a pergunta correta seja: como construir um estilo de vida dos sonhos?
Eu não nasci com a vida dos sonhos, e grande parte das pessoas que eu conheço que vivem estilos de vida parecidos com o meu, ou considerados “dos sonhos” tem o mesmo padrão: eles construíram seus estilos de vida.
Sim, hoje em dia eu consigo materializar muitos dos meus sonhos, apesar de ainda ter muito trabalho a fazer e muitos objetivos a alcançar. Mas acredito que consegui criar uma “forma de fazer” onde aproveito a jornada, e vivo ciclos de aprendizados contínuos, que me permitem ser um eterno aprendiz e desfrutar do processo.
É importante ressaltar que cada sonho é único, e a definição de sucesso é algo muito pessoal.
Pra mim, a vida dos sonhos está ligada a 9 fatores, que chamo de riqueza multidimensional. São eles:
- Paz de espírito
- Bem-estar físico e mental
- Hábitos saudáveis
- Harmonia familiar
- Contato com a natureza
- Liberdade financeira
- Liberdade geográfica
- Ser dono do seu tempo
- Trabalhar com propósito
Aprendi esse conceito com um grande amigo, Ranulfo Paiva, vulgo “Vagabond Master”, com quem tenho o prazer de conviver e trabalhar desde 2018 na Cambiatus.
Também aprendi que viver em abundância é mais relevante do que acumular capital financeiro.
Em uma vida de abundância, construímos um fluxo contínuo de entrada de recursos, que nos possibilitam ter liberdade financeira, mas que também leva em consideração as outras riquezas, em especial ser dono do seu tempo.
Se você é uma pessoa saudável e possui fluxo constante de capital financeiro e tempo, você consegue buscar as outras riquezas.
Acreditem ou não, os principais catalisadores que me ajudaram a enxergar a vida sob essa ótica foram as crises de depressão e burnout. Tive duas. Uma aos 25, logo após trabalhar alguns anos na minha empresa familiar, e ter sofrido um desgaste grande com uma troca de gestão seguida de uma crise financeira. E outra aos 28, quando trabalhei no mercado financeiro e me vi trabalhando 14 horas por dia para construir algo que não estava alinhado com o meu propósito.
Esses dois traumas foram grandes combustíveis para buscar uma virada na minha vida. Aprendi muito com ambas as experiências, e sou muito grato por ter passado por elas. Tirei lições incríveis e que me ajudaram a construir projetos que atuo hoje. Atualmente, a empresa que trabalhei no Mercado Financeiro é uma das minhas patrocinadoras (Apex Partners) e a minha empresa familiar dá solidez e tranquilidade para minha família, o que me deixa livre para buscar meus sonhos.
Precisei passar por traumas e visitar minhas sombras para encontrar luz. Foi nas crises que busquei terapia e coaching, aprendi a meditar, entendi que o surf é uma forma de cura e reconexão com minha criança interior.
Em uma dinâmica de coaching e meditação, me recordo de conversar com o Luiz de 7 anos e ouvir ele dizendo: “nunca desista dos seus sonhos”.
E para seguir seus sonhos, as vezes você precisa abandonar projeções que foram feitas em você. Da minha mãe que queria que eu trabalhasse em multinacional ou fosse advogado. Do meu pai que adoraria que eu trabalhasse com ele. De namoradas que queriam casar e ter filhos, em um momento no qual eu não me sentia pronto. De amigos de trabalho que me enxergavam como potenciais sucessores no mercado financeiro ou sócios em empreitadas que não estavam alinhadas com meu sonho.
Flavio cordeiro, um grande amigo, mentor e meu terapeuta, me ensinou que “a qualidade dos nãos que damos em nossa vida é pr