Downshifting, like sexual fantasies, depends on the level of your imagination, but in your head it often looks much cooler than in real life. Imagining it often brings brighter emotions than the feeling of its realization.
People dive into downsizing for different reasons. Some decide that they have already achieved everything and want to devote the rest of their lives to themselves, without wasting time on social norms and protocols. Others are tired and want to take a break from the daily race imposed by society. Still others have discovered a new dimension, realizing the impermanence of things, and have embarked on a unique journey in search of themselves.
The fourth group finally realized that life does not require much, and decided to save the planet by rejecting the excesses of civilization that are killing it. The fifth group simply found the place of their dreams where they want to live, and the only way to make this happen is through downsizing.
There are also sixth, seventh, and even eighth ones, but there are significantly fewer of them, and this story is definitely not about them.
This story is about me. More precisely, about my experience. I turned out to be an unorthodox, unclassified downshifter-dreamer. The reasons why I fled civilization lay somewhere between the generally accepted options. Later, analyzing my experience, I saw a certain logic in my behavior.
Whether it was the influence of spiritual practices or good karma, I suddenly realized the futility of the daily race to achieve goals imposed by society that could not make me happy. I felt a strong desire to give up the unnecessary and environmentally harmful attributes of a successful life and began searching for my true self.
In real life, this manifested itself in simple and sometimes seemingly unreasonable decisions:
- I left a high-paying position as CEO of a large company, where I spent my days doing things that didn’t bring me joy.
- I gave up my expensive car, whose engine was killing any hope of a healthy environment for my children.
- I stopped buying trendy gadgets and designer clothes.
- I began to devote more time to spiritual practices and took up business consulting, which brought me genuine satisfaction when I saw how my help changed the lives of businesses and people.
I was born in Kharkiv, a city that arose at the confluence of two rivers. But by the time I was born, they had already dried up due to the impact of local industry and turned into swampy streams. Perhaps it was my childhood observations of these “stinking rivers” that caused my great desire to live by the sea. I even almost bought a plot of land on the Crimean coast, but fate saved me from doing so.
When my family and I arrived on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, I felt that this was the place of my dreams. Summer all year round, beautiful nature, and a practically perfect climate.
Suddenly, I realized that we work year after year our whole lives to afford a few weeks in paradise, and then we work another year to do it all over again. And I decided to break this illogical cycle: to move to an island and enjoy paradise all year round. We moved.
Being a creative person, I let my imagination run wild, creating a vivid gallery of ideal images of our carefree Canarian life: morning runs along the ocean, daily swims, surfing, hiking, fishing, meditation, yoga on the beach.
I understood that without being busy with something specific, I would quickly go crazy, and consulting “remotely” might not be as successful. So I bought a stake in a group of companies specializing in real estate transactions and prepared myself for new experiences.
Morning meditations were replaced by walks with my family and dogs along the beaches of the Atlantic coast. Our life included swimming in the ocean, complemented by tennis training. All year round, even in winter, my family and I had breakfast in the garden, enjoying smoothies made from local mangoes or avocados and yogurt with passion fruit grown in our own garden. We often had tea on the terrace and enjoyed the aromas of imported oolong teas and the blooming tropical frangipani that we planted ourselves. The day ended with a glass of red wine for dinner, accompanied by the scent of flowers blooming after sunset, with a spicy honey aroma.
Life on the island turned out to be wonderful. Our garden was ablaze with color all year round: endless blooms of roses mingled with African daisies, limes, oranges, and many other plants. Every trip to the local market was a treat for a committed vegetarian with ten years of experience. Environmentally friendly, fresh, just-picked vegetables, fruits, and herbs filled my senses all year round.
The almost always smiling and friendly people, the relaxed atmosphere, as well as the slowness and informality (the traditional “tranquilo&ma ana”) were irritating at first. But over time, I got used to this rhythm, realizing how hectic my life had been before.
My office was located on the oceanfront, fifty meters from a huge beach. The commute from home to the office took about five minutes on a regular scooter. I swapped my expensive business suits for shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. And I was happy. The reactions of my friends on Facebook and Instagram to my posts only reinforced my confidence that I was doing the right thing.
I liked what I was doing. But deep down, a feeling of unfulfilled mission and unfulfilled destiny gradually began to grow. Daily spiritual practices seemed to only fuel this feeling.
Every day, I became more and more aware that all my previous life and business experience was not meant for selling villas or apartments in the Canary Islands. It was too early to lay down my sword and hang it on a nail. Inside, I felt a strong desire to be useful in business and do what I do best: help people and companies become stronger.
It was scary to admit to myself and others that my downsizing had failed. After all, everything had turned out so beautifully and perfectly. But my fighter’s heart demanded new battles. And I decided to return.
Life on the island has changed a lot in my mind and attitude towards life. I had enough time to harmonize with myself and no longer lose myself in the daily hustle and bustle. I finally stopped caring what others think of me. I came back a completely different person. As before, I refuse to buy expensive cars with large engines and try to use environmentally friendly means of transportation (with the exception of airplanes). I don’t buy new clothes until I get rid of the old ones, and I devote a lot of time to spiritual practices. I have cleansed my life of people with value systems that are unacceptable to me.
Most importantly, thanks to my downsizing and rethinking of my life experience, I came up with the concept of Mind Fu—the art of conscious management. This concept allows you to completely change your approach to business management. Now I help companies become more efficient and the people who work for them become happier.
After all, we live to be happy.
United States Chicago
