Jumping off the boat and swim

“There are decisions that determine directions”. That is how I started my talk at the El Mundo de las Ideas Conference in 2016, where I explained my decisions from high school onwards, and the reasons behind the choices I made in my career. Just like then in 2016, in 2018 I made another one of those Decisions. I’ve capitalized the word because the jump I made was so significant that it realigned my priorities professionally and personally.

Jumping from a boat full of luxury and comfort is never easy, much less after almost 10 years of pleasant sailing. Although I had already swam in waters of all kinds of colours and temperatures, skills that are not practiced and nurtured can be lost after a while. Swimming was never my forte, but I always managed to stay afloat.

In September 2018, the Decision came: I decided to take a mid-career break. I wanted time for myself: the objective was to stop, see, settle down, and then re-evaluate how to continue. On several occasions I had dreamed about the idea of launching myself into an adventure, of travelling the world and discovering distant lands; my own version of Alexander Supertramp from the Into the Wild.

This Decision was huge for me. A leap from the comfort of familiarity into a world of unknown to be explored. My path to date was always directed by a sense of duty and responsibility. Study, work, grow; study, work, grow. I was lucky enough to be raised in a family in Argentina that always allowed me to do and discover what I wanted, but as long as I understood my responsibility towards my family, my parents, and my community. Freedom came from the hand that instilled a great sense of duty.

That call spoke to me, again and again, until one day I was encouraged to listen to it.

This was the first time I had been brave enough to look left and right, away from the course I had set myself. In a glance I saw new paths, new waters, and new horizons I wanted to explore. The ship was still sailing on course, but the coast and its intriguing outline is what had my attention. That call spoke to me, again and again, until one day I was encouraged to listen to it.

I can’t accurately explain the moment when the Decision began. I could describe it as a journey, one that is part of a longer journey that is your life. However for me, it felt more like a stage - a trip, if you will - because if I look back on my life now, other Decisions I’ve made have given me the same feeling. I’m here because of a succession of small trips.

An average westerner lives until 80. My mid-career break saw me spend four months travelling the world. Six months may seem insignificant compared to the average lifespan, but for me it was a lifetime of rich experiences. When I returned I decided to write, to remember this trip, learn from the experience and share it. So as people do with travel blogs and keeping diaries, this is me writing to remember, and share with you my Decision. Above all, it reminds me that it was worth it.

The jump was not in vain.