I worked full-time with Poption until the end of January this year. After that, I decided to take some time off. Disconnect. Recharge my batteries. Do something completely different. And then, maybe after a few months, start something new. A new startup. A new venture. I even started this blog with this intention in the bio, as my no. 1 thing:
Founder chasing my next ventureš, the meaning of lifeš¤, and a B2 level in Frenchš«š·. Oh, and I make pop music as a side hustleš¶. Join the chase!
I semi-ironically included āthe meaning of lifeš¤ā, but itās been an important part of my journey the last 6 months, and this post is definitely in that category.
In February, a friend and I moved to Lyon to learn French for a couple of months. It was an easy lifestyle. Dinner out almost every night. Running whenever I wanted. French classes at a cafĆ© with a private tutor at 10 am (because 9 am felt too early). Wine on the balcony. Visits from friends. Life was like an Instagram reel from a travel blogger, with Sunset Lover as the soundtrack. In theory, but I didnāt feel it that way.
I was torn on the inside. Torn between expectations that I thought people had. I was thinking that I should either
climb some corporate ladder, because thatās what a lot of my friends do, and I donāt want to be lagging behind, or
start a new startup, because thatās what the āother halfā of my friends do, and thatās the right thing to do
The problem was that I didnāt feel like doing any of those things. So while I was trying to disconnect, I was telling myself, with the voice of others, that I should be doing one of those things. This created a lot of distress and discomfort - existential anxiety - as I labeled it.
When I met friends and former study mates back in Norway, almost all would be happy for me and say that they wish they could do the same thing. Take some time off. Travel. Enjoy life. Now, not later.
Late April, I started realizing that the people telling me this, were the same ones that were telling me the complete opposite in my head. I judged myself with their voices, but with opinions they didnāt have. As I it sunk in, I started getting peace of mind.
Life is not a single-lane highway where everyone has to follow the same path. Some people might expect you to follow the highway, as theyāre watching you drive zig zag on the country roads, but most will support you. And in the end, what others think about you isnāt the most important, but rather what and how you think and feel.
I currently donāt have a main hustle, yet I have multiple of side hustles and I stay busy:
Making music and developing my music project, SlƦm DĆønk
Iām a substitute teacher in natural sciences, marketing, entrepreneurship and Spanish at a high school in Oslo
I rent out my 2nd bedroom on Airbnb
Playing around with lamelama.com and some other projects
ā¦ and I love it! And at the same time, I donāt think Iāll ever settle. Iām always open for new projects and ways to realize my potential, thus Happy Chasing. One day Iāll probably have a new main hustle. Maybe Iāll love it so much that Iāll pause or end some of my side hustles. It might appear soon, or maybe not, but itās not something Iām forcing.
Writing this feels clichĆ© and obvious, but yet again itās clear that experiencing something is a way better lesson than hearing it from someone else. I guess thatās why I like doers and dislike talkers. Talkers have heard, doers have done and felt.
When I wrote My personal metaverse in April, I sat at a cafĆ© in Thailand crying. Iām now far from where I were at that point. One thing I find interesting about this is that the peace of mind has come from a change in my way of viewing things, and not a change in my surroundings. I guess thatās why itās called peace of mind, and not peace in the world.
