My plan now is not to plan...

I know I made my new year goals, and I am pretty much trying to improve in those areas of my life. But I have no structural, directional goals apart from.... opening CE, or at least going in that general direction. Last year I made a lot of plans, but so many things did not go as I expected, I felt disappointed in myself so many times for not reaching a goal or doing something I talked about with so much enthusiasm. 
For now, whenever anyone asks me where I am going next or what my plans are for the future.. I will just shrug my shoulders and say that I simply have no idea. I know today what I am doing.. sometimes not even that far, I know at this second that I am writing a blog post.. I know what I want to tell you... and that is all I know.
How can we tell what is going to happen in our lives? Happiness for me is having success as a moment by moment goal, making sure I do my best in the thing I am doing at that moment. Whether its a talk with a friend, building the new cafe, working on paperwork or making a meal. All the life we have that we know for sure is the moment that we are living in. i understand that some people feel this is not so smart, not having real plans or structure for your life could send you off in any direction, but would that really be so bad?

I expected a lot from some people and situations this year and last... I ended up being pretty disappointed and heartbroken. The guy I was so sure of, was in the end not sure of me. The trip I wanted to go on, in the end was unreachable. The friend I thought I could depend on, totally walked away. The job I though I would have by now, is still a building site... Perhaps if I hadn't held these high expectations and requirements and had just lived to enjoy the moments I had then, I wouldn't have this feeling like it didn't work out... It just didn't go according to my ideas of what I wanted... but it worked out.. in some way its working out even as I write. 
A few of my friends are kind of future worriers, just like me. I worried so much last year about my future. I think girls do.. when they get in their mid twenties, and they don't have a special person in their lives. They wonder if they never will... well I figured there is good news and bad news.. .and you can even tell the bad news in a good way.
 So the bad news is that there is a chance that you will never find someone to share your life with. The good news is that you might. The bad news in a good way is that even though you may never find someone, worrying about it and making a hell out of your present life will not be helping in the least. The same goes for career worries.. oh i have heard it a million times, and I myself have said it... the worries about if we are where we should be by this age, financially stable and blah blah blah.
 Well guys... who knows what will be... who knows if we will succeed... get married... fall in love... be happy orrrr whatever.... No one can answer those question for you. You can ask your friends... they can try to reassure.... they cannot be sure. The only life you have is the one you are living at this moment, these seconds that you are spending worrying, crying, fearing, you could be doing something productive to make your life better, happier and to push you closer to your dreams. In my view success is living the life you want to lead day by day, being thankful for what you have, but at the same time not settling.. pushing yourself forward to things that you want. 
I don't want to waste another second crying about what I don't have... because it simply does not help, pulls me and other down and is a really stupid and mindless thing to do. If we just used our brains a little more, we would see how ridiculous self-pity is. I mean, who are you to say that you deserve to fall in love like all your other friends... that guy in another country just lost his legs in a bombing... wow... do you think you deserve everything others have... because then we might as well take your legs too. Comparing your life and what you want with others or with your unrealistic expectations is a very small minded and stupid habit. I have realized this... because I myself am frequently small minded and stupid and do these things. 
Now when I start to panic... to think about something I don't have... to worry that I wont ever fall in love... make any money... have a family or all those other human worries... I just stop, look at myself that moment and appreciate where I am... and remember that I have no idea what is around the next corner. This fills me with anticipation and joy, you never know who you are going to meet, what is going to happen or how its going to happen.... So I am trashing the plans, trashing the worries... trashing the expectations and I am just living for each moment to be good from inside out.

The moments we live for!

Its been hard to write posts from Graz, because its been really busy every single day and night here… and I don’t mean out partying and having wild times.

So I just got my paper stating that I am allowed to be a bar owner in Graz. This special licence is only one out of the four papers we need to begin working here in Austria. Now that I put it like that, it kind of puts into perspective that although this is one victory, its just one part and we are no way there yet.

Has paperwork in Austria been difficult? I like to say its been a learning experience, and it is continuing every day. Everyone that talked to me about bureaucracy here in Austria was just rolling their eyes and saying that its one big horrible mess and the people in the offices were really harsh and unhelpful. I think perhaps Serbia broke me in with rude people in offices, because I found the ones here to be polite, kind and understanding. Of course they have been standoff-ish at times, but compared to what I went through before, this was pretty ok.

The fact that I am even holding this one licence paper that I got is really a crazy story. When I came to Graz last year in February, I made an appointment with the WKO, which is basically the office that helps with every single business opening. I remember it was on the 10^th of February 2014, They kindly sent me a huge manual that I should read before the meeting about business start up. I sat down with plenty of enthusiasm and armed with a highlighter tried to get a grasp of what I was up against. All I can say is that I was deeply confused, there were so many different kinds of business structures… what the hell was OG, KG, GMBH… and more importantly which one was good for us and would suit Culture Exchange. I read the whole manual at least 2 times, and didn't have a clue what it really meant, so I was off to a good start. 

Arriving at the WKO I was greeting by a gentleman with very exciting eyebrows, he peered at me through the gap between them and his glasses and invited me to ask him any questions I had. After I explained a bit about what we were planning, he shook his head at me and said time and again ‘It’s not like ziss in Austria’. He told me it was very very difficult for a foreign business, his lack of faith in me was pretty obvious. After all what did I look like to him.. I had just arrived from Serbia, a bit dirty and tired (like always) wearing my old green coat, jeans, woolly hat and big patterned mittens… I certainly did not look like a potential success story, I must have looked like a kid with the bold idea of building a castle, he did not believe me, but I believed me… (kind of anyways).

 To open a restaurant or bar in Graz you need to have a special licence, it’s a personal permit making you able to be an owner of such a business idea. In order to get this you either need to take a special course at the WKO, which is expensive and all in German (I thought about trying for this one, but realised it was pretty ambitious when I only knew how to say ‘soo shuuun’ in German) or you need to have owned a bar in another country for three years. I thought that I could go with this option, even though CE had only been open for around 2 years, but the excited eyebrow fellow shook his head and explained that Serbia was not EU. We had hit a brick wall with the first paper.

6 months later after trying to get someone else from Graz to do this licence paper for me, I went back to the Magistrat (the main licencing body) and they told me that we could perhaps use my Serbian one. It was a bit frustrating to realize I had lost 6 months trying for another option, when the real answer was already in my hands. I painstakingly had to translate every Serbian document into German. Thankfully a friend of mine was an official court translator and helped me a great deal. Even after every document was in, there was no way of knowing if they would actually give me the paper I needed. In my next two visits to Graz I translated and brought to the lady every document I could to support my business ability in Serbia. The lady at the Magistrat did not speak English but understood, she would send me emails in German explaining what she needed next and I would google translate and write her in English, I imagine she was doing the same thing on the other end. Finally she wrote me to come to the office to get my licence, I could not believe it. It had taken me one year and lots of back and forth. When I got to the office and I payed the last tax, she printed the paper and handed it to me. This is kind of a miracle, as so many people apply for this and it’s a very difficult procedure to get it.

So this is the first of the posts about the business proceedures here in Graz, I know it’s a bit confusing (trust me, I am confused too).

the first paper

As I look about me at the sawdust filled café we are working on building and I see the huge mess and crazy antics that we get up to each day, I can’t help but wonder what the future will hold. What a lot of crazy things I do every day and what a dirty little barbarian I am, covered in dirt and dust every day. It’s a crazy old life… I have to admit, I just have no idea what will happen next. So the adventure continues….

Here is an excerpt I wrote last year 2014 around February about my trip to Graz

Adventures of Culture Exchange
So I just came back from Graz, and i think its a perfect time to spread the feeling of excitement and let you all know I was in search for the next location for CE. 
One year ago, we also were in search of how to open our second location, and that was before everything got crazy here in Serbia, we had that small matter of a little article, smashed windows and finally deportation. All that to say despite the setbacks, we are up and ready to move forward once again. Who is to say if it will happen or not, but we must try. 
We had a few very exciting talks with all the CE crew who are now spread out all over the world, as you know, 7 of us opened Culture Exchange and are now in many different countries, still trying desperately to figure out a way to bring it all together again as we believe so strongly in our concept, innovative ideas and have a great friendships that we want to continue with into the future. 
So what did i find there... yes i found a location that i think is perfect, I will be posting pictures soon, and writing about the whole visit.

   The Random Collection of Graz thoughts.... 

The very trendy and fashionable look these days for us is covered in sawdust and paint… Yep… building phase in Graz is in full swing. I have to admit I fully enjoy being very dirty with an excuse.. such as… I've been painting all day or sanding down endless planks of wood. The building part of Graz has been tiring but a wonderful team experience and full of new things to learn.

Even though many people tell me that it must be easier to open this one after having already done the one in Serbia, I have to tell you that the feeling and experience is completely different. I do feel less stressed, I have different challenges, but they are still there. Some things do seem to be easier.. but most of the time I have to describe it as different. I remember one scene from ‘Narnia’, Lucy is asking Aslan why he didn't come to save them this time.. and he says ‘Nothing ever happens the same way twice’. It is exactly like that.

I can’t fully describe to you the terrible pain I felt when we were in the month of opening our first place in Novi Sad, anyone who knew me at that time can tell you.. I was a complete disaster. I still am a disaster.. I am just not crying as much (maybe I got used to that feeling). I remember the very intense pain of feeling like I was the useless piece on the team… like I just couldn't do anything right. So many things went wrong, I was also very unsure of the success of CE. I think my biggest fear was that no one would come, that we would just close without even having a single customer… fear is a fictional story we tell ourselves.

This time round I feel much more positive about my input into the CE here, I have not actually screwed up too badly yet (there is plenty of time for that still). I do feel  more unity with the team and a genuine sense of partnership, which I hadn't felt as strongly on number 1.  The new challenges include being completely disorientated with the Austrian system of doing things and running a business. I keep referring to my Serbian experience and then realizing… it really doesn't seem to be applicable here at all.

What a crazy old life it is… who would have thought one year ago that all this would be happening. Even one month ago, things were very different. Yesterday was different. Doesn't that fill us with hope for the future, anything can happen… anything can change… you can change...I can change. The dreams we spoke of one year ago, the things we discussed in fervor are right in front of our eyes.

I don’t know what will happen with CE here, I don’t know if we will succeed or not.. who knows? there are so many factors that we can’t even see yet. Nothing is for sure, and no chickens are out of the eggs.. but what is success anyways but a momentary fulfillment of high expectations.. and failure.. that dreaded word.. is a moment in time where you feel you did not reach what you really wanted and are not where you wanted. That’s right, all of life is a string of moments, every single step along the way is a little stepping stone, even the ones that seem to be taking you down.

Just picture us… three and a half years ago, simply milling over the idea of Culture Exchange… saving every penny and picturing it as best as we could. It was nothing like we imagined, but it was really something. Today… how we feel, how we feel about ourselves, our failures, our love lives, our careers, our hopes our dreams… it’s a momentary thing. It feels so hard, I know, it feels like it will never happen for you, well… how do you know what will happen. Just keep on trying, that’s the motto I am living by today. I don’t know what will happen with us, with me… with anything. When I get up every day, I just look at the one small job I have in front of me.. and I think ‘Yes, I am going to do it’ whether its painting a wall or having a meeting, I want to give it my all.

I can’t say I will be greatly successful in the future in any way.. but right now at this moment, I am living this moment.. writing this blog, writing to you, writing to me, writing to my future… to remember, that I am a person of great strength, love and faith.. and no matter where life leads me.. whatever I might call myself at any moment, I am this girl that tries with all her strength.

I open myself time and again to experience, to vulnerability, to love, to heart-break, to failure.. I stare them in the face.. and I say that I am not afraid. After all the greatest act of resistance and true freedom in this world is to live in love and to be true to yourself... Ok I got emotional.. good night everyone... x

The Graz bits so far

I think its probably a good idea to tell a bit of the Graz story now, before it all gets too far away.. too crazy and none of us can remember what really happened.

Actually already the beginning part is a bit of a blur, when people ask why we chose Graz for our second location of CE, I have to scratch my head and think back quite a bit to the part where we were really making that decision.

It’s a huge story already, and its only just begun. You know you have been through some crazy times when someone asks you how it started and you just cant imagine having time to tell the story all the way through. No matter what happens with CE Graz, whether it becomes a huge success or… whatever else… for me its going to be a truly precious memory of fighting for what we believed in, struggling through many odds, faith , courage and teamwork. For each member of the CE team, its been a pretty crazy few years, and from every angle they could tell you a story that would be equally thrilling.. I can only say from my perspective of the things I went through up until this point, that its been unbelievable.

The outside

the inside being made

To answer a few questions one by one…

1.       Why did we choose Graz for our second location?  Well the truth is that when we were having to split up and leave Novi Sad (or most of the team anyways) most of us decided to continue with the CE project… even though most of the team members would not be allowed back in to Serbia, we wanted to build another CE. The question was where to do this, it was kind of like putting a pin in a map while wearing a blindfold. We all had different ideas of where we wanted to build the next CE… some said England, some said Italy, some said America… and some said Graz… The fact was that we had some links with Graz already, some good friends and some possibilities. So with the only main leads being here, we decided to push in that direction. Also Graz had some similarities to Novi Sad, being a small city, with a friendly environment.. and of course, we could pretty much all live there without the Visa hassle we got in Serbia. We also had good feelings from Graz (ha… sounds weird… oh well.. at least I did… )

2.       What were the CE crew up to during these  14 months that they have been out of Serbia… The original team that decided to keep on with CE are Daniel and Leilani, Simon, Mary and myself.. the others who were on the original team decided to do something different. We have also acquired new members, and the team has grown. In the time when Simon and Mary left Serbia they went to the States, and worked to earn the capital for CE Graz, Danny and Lani also did the same thing. Simon came back with his family around April 2014, moved to Graz and began work on CE2. Danny and Lani stayed in the states to earn the capital to start the project. I was between Graz and Novi Sad pretty much the whole of last year, working on both projects. 

Oh my goodness… I am so tired, its hard to finish this post.  To summarise, we are now in Graz… we are now working on CE Graz, we are covered in dust of every kind… the amount of dust resembles the Arizona desert…. We are working as a team on the building, paperwork and all that it entails to open the next CE… I will write more about it as soon as I get my energy back
Oh and one more thing, check out the link to the video we first made almost 2 years ago when we were thinking of making our 2nd CE, its really funny
http://vimeo.com/62684678

Thoughts for the Road

So guys I am preparing to go now to Graz, leaving at 10am tomorrow morning, my bags are packed, things in Novi Sad are ready to run, and now it’s just me that is not sure I am ready for this big change….. It is exciting.

The start of CE in Graz has been in the cooking pot for 2 long years, the team of CE has faced many a challenges, we have thought, prayed, tried, worked and prepared every day to get towards this goal. Some people tell me that because of starting the one in Novi Sad, I must not be afraid of this new challenge. Let me tell you that is not the case. Do we ever lose our fear? I think in some ways we learn how to handle it, but it’s still there, that knawing feeling that perhaps you will fail.. and then what will everyone say… then what will everyone think… and more importantly… how will I feel, what will I say, what will I think.

I read a quote that said… ‘Once you trust yourself you will have learnt how to live’. I never quite got a hold of that one yet, I still doubt myself every day in so many ways. I think of it like working out… you can run up a huge hill… it will be easier the 2^nd time round, but it doesn't mean that it won’t hurt or that you won’t be tired, it doesn't mean that it wont require every ounce of strength from inside your body and soul.. it doesn't mean that you will believe that you can do it. Every time I work out I am in pain, I think it’s the same thing with conquering your fears, it does get easier in some ways, but if you are pushing yourself to your limits, it will still stretch you and still cause you some real pain.

What are my fears regarding Graz?

I am afraid that it just won’t work, I am afraid of myself not having the necessary skills, I am afraid of not having the will-power or mental strength to get over every challenge, I am afraid that I will fuck something up and ruin something for the rest of the team, I am afraid that we won’t be accepted in the city, that no one will come to CE, that we will have legal problems.. and blah blah blah…

Why am I telling you my fears?.. Why am I writing them down or even voicing them?. Because I want to make a point. These fears sound strangely familiar, like old friends they greet me at every turn in the road. It almost feels like as soon as I am about to head off on a journey, I turn to go and they are all waiting for me at the door.. with all their bags packed and a big smile on their faces saying ‘are you ready to go, because we are’. I remember when we were starting CE in Novi Sad, how terrified I felt of failure. I would go to the Danube and sit on the ledge, put on music and close my eyes and pray as hard as I could… I remember telling my boyfriend ‘What if no one comes?’. After time passed, my fears were obviously unreal, some of them unbelievable and funny. I have a tattoo on my foot that reads ‘Fear is Fiction’. It is a fictional story we tell ourselves, we make up the reasons why things won’t work, we run over them again and again, and like a child might believe in Santa, we believe our silly stories and scare ourselves.

True courage is to face your fears. I am not a strong enough woman to live without them, I know that I will doubt myself, I know I will sometimes lack faith in my goals and in who I am, but I also know I will carry on. I need to throw my heart into everything I do, regardless of what happens; I just have to know that I did my best, that I gave 100 percent in every single task, and to be proud of my own commitment, effort and determination. Try or Die guys… every single day… try or die. 

Interview with Thomas M. Schnolzer, owner of cafe ERDE

The man himself

 This is a much awaited interview with my friend Thomas, who is the owner, chef, worker, and pretty much everything in his Vegan Café/Restaurant Erde, situated in Graz.

 I met Tom through a friend who was working there, and because of us opening a place in Graz, I had plenty to ask him about the way things work in Austria. He helped me a lot with understanding the system over there. I also got the opportunity to work some shifts in Erde and see how things are run and get to know him a little better.

 Erde is definitely a hippy place, with plenty of cool people working there and hanging out there, there is such a great vibe of sharing, happiness and care throughout it and this is of course a direct reflection of the owner. Not only is Erde completely Vegan food but it checks every single thing to make sure that nothing with any animal products is served at the restaurant… for instance even the beer has to have labels that were made without animal substances in the glue (I don’t even know how he manages to do this much research and careful selection).

 His food is delicious and healthy, his place is beautiful and cool, his staff are happy and loads of fun to work with, and he is a generous and caring manager. Everything starts from the top, and I am pretty sure that the success of ERDE is a direct reflection of the hard work and care of this guy.  Tom pretty much works tirelessly to make sure that everything is working right at ERDE, sometimes he seems super stressed out and is literally running all over the place to tie up every loose end. I could really relate to him on that feeling, and it was cool to meet someone who had a similar amount of pressure in his work (though his is far greater then mine).

 From meeting him I really saw how much work it is to run a restaurant (a good one at least), and how much of yourself you have to give if you want to succeed. If anyone is going to Graz I highly recommend you to check out ERDE and have a meal there, it’s a great place. I am so thrilled that we will be in the same city. Let me tell you guys, this is a short interview, but you can learn a lot from a person like this.. so give it a read.

the outside of Erde packed with people

Q. Why entrepreneur?

A. Being your own boss is giving you the opportunity to be the change in the system like you wanna have it.

Q. What made you want to start your own company, Why not just work for another Vegan restaurant?

A. Especially as a vegan living person it is very difficult to find a working place in a restaurant where you don`t have to be in contact with animal products. And because there was no existing vegan restaurant in Graz at the time I had to open it myself

Q. Would you ever work for someone else’s company?

A. Of course. But it is very important for me to work in a friendly and respectful environment.

Q. If you didn’t set up your own business what would you have done?

A. Maybe I would have finished my studies and would have become an ethic teacher at school.

Q. What are the greatest challenges for you personally?

A. Trying to separate private from working relationships.  An employer can be a friend but it`s getting more difficult if you can`t keep a certain distance.

Q. What changes did having your own business bring to your life?

A. Lots of broken relationships because of never ending working hours… no free time at all.

Q. How did your friendships, family and other relationships react?

A. Some were of my family members and friends were sceptical (doubtful) if my idea would work out and wanted to make me stop my business before I even started it.

Q. What about your business is unique and gets the attention of the market?

A. We are the first and only vegan café/restaurant in Graz and what it makes unique in my opinion is that it combines the atmosphere of a restaurant and alternative culture meeting point in the middle of the city.

Q. how much money did it take and did you have support from other sources of financing?

A. I needed about € 30.000 to start my business. It was mostly about kitchen-machines and interior.

Q. Where do you see it going?

A. It seems to get more and more popular. And if I manage to handle the financial situation it will be a great success. Because in our third year we still see no limit to the top. Every day are more people coming and spreading our name and idea.

 

 World Adventure

 Interview with Harriet Roberts (Harry)

This last year a few of my friends have stepped out to do some pretty adventurous and impressive things. I can’t help but be amazed and in awe of some of the outstanding steps of courage I have seen. I have watched their journeys with great interest, and have asked my friend Harriet to tell us a little about some crazy life-changes that she went through last year.

First let me briefly introduce her… I met Harriet 2 years ago when she came with my sister Sarah to Serbia for EXIT festival (she is my sister’s best friend). Since then I saw her a few times when I came to England and she was back in Serbia last year also. She was working as a manager at a restaurant in Leicester called Las Iguanas, sometimes I am amazed that coming from there she took off like a rocket.. as Leicester is one of the least adventurous places in the world, and I don’t meet many Harriets in that neck of the woods. After leaving all her family, friends and possessions in the UK, she took off to Asia for a 2 month trip, and then landed in Australia to start a new life.

She is a very strong character, a very good manager, hilarious with a great sense of humour, determined, stubborn and very compassionate and lovable.  I hope you enjoy the interview.

A-Can you just briefly explain what changes have happened in your life in the last few months?

H- I left my job and my flat and moved my things home, travelled around South East Asia and then moved to Australia.

What made you decide to make such a drastic life change?

H- I have wanted to travel ever since I can remember so I made it my ultimate goal to go after I finished university. It’s always been in the pipe line and I’ve always had it to work towards but I always let things get in the way (mostly boys). I guess I wasn’t truly ready though otherwise I still would have gone. After finishing university, I moved away to Leicester to be with someone and that didn’t work out and I always said I’d make sure I went by the time I was 25. Well, I ended up being 26 but I was finally ready in myself.

A-What did you do to prepare and how much time did it take?

H- All throughout college and university I had 2 jobs. (I stayed at home and commuted to uni). This allowed me to save all my tips over the course of around 8 years and this gave me the money to travel! Over the years I have written down which countries I wanted to explore but when planning this trip, I’d decided on 2 and a half months as I’d planned to go to Australia straight after. (my original plan was to go travelling for a year plus). With this 2 and a half months I initially wanted to mainly hit Vietnam but when looking at flights to Vietnam, they were double the cost of flying to Thailand. With this I thought I’d fly to Thailand (where I’d been 5 years before and loved) and see some more of it. Then I did more research and found out about the ‘classic’ backpackers route of going into Laos and then into Vietnam. (People also always hit Cambodia but I decided not to this time as I want to leave some places to come back to!).

Once I’d made a basic itinerary of the countries I wanted to hit, I could book some flights to get from A to B. That’s all though, just the flights, nothing else. I didn’t want to plan ANYTHING; I only booked flights for practical reasons and to make sure my trip kept moving forward.

Once that was decided, I had to think about vaccinations, malaria tablets, backpack, and all the little travel things that come in handy. (See my packing list @ www.harryexplores.com )


A-What were the reactions of your friends and people around you when you told them your plans?

H-The one thing everyone knew about me was how much I wanted to travel and so everyone was so happy that I was finally fulfilling my dream.

A-How would you describe your life now?

H-It is actually amazing how much I’ve changed…for the better. I know I’ve always had the potential to be this person but with my previous job, it really bogged me down and I lost all the fire in my belly. It’s not until I’d left to travel and been away that I realised how unsatisfied I was! I then had time to focus on me and wow was that refreshing! I found out so much about myself that I didn’t know and I also surprised myself, did things I thought I’d never do! I had certain personality traits that I was known for and honestly, they aren’t my personality, they were just induced by me being in a stressful job I wasn’t happy in. Despite me realising all this, that period of my life is where I did a lot of my ‘growing up’ and I don’t regret anything because it got me to my next step.
Now I realise that anything is possible if you want it to happen…I don’t plan on ‘settling’ and getting a ‘real job’ for a long time because I now have such a HUGE to do list! And right now, I’m living in Australia and I have no plans other than to travel as much as possible and work inbetween!

A-What was your favourite part of the journey so far?

H-I have to say, riding a motorbike down Vietnam was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.

A-What was the hardest part of it?

H-Haha getting lost on some horrendous dirt roads or getting caught in a huge rainstorm and freezing and then driving in the pitch black and trying to find a place to stay for the night. I guess also, falling off a scooter and having to travel through Thailand injured.

A-What advice would you give to people who want to do something like that, but for some reason don’t push themselves to try?

H-It’s so easy to continue bobbing along in life and just accepting that it’s your life…even if you’re not happy, it becomes the ‘norm’.
I found an amazing quote the other day…’Don’t let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen’. People talk themselves out of anything because they aren’t confident enough in their convictions, there are so many negative ‘what if’s’ that can stop us from changing our lives, also people are scared of change because they don’t like the raw vulnerability that comes with it. The crazy thing is though, we ALWAYS land on our feet, whatever happens, if you want something to work enough, you will find any way you can! (just don’t try heroin cos that’s the only thing I think this doesn’t apply to).

A-What do you plan to do for the future.. if you have plans?

H-Well I’m in Australia until Dec 2015 and I think I will try to get my 2nd year visa just incase I want to come back. I also want to live in Germany or Holland and become fluent in either or both of those languages. I also want to go and visit some girls I met in Vietnam from Tel Aviv and also do a long bicycle trip across the States with my friend from L.A.

A-Any last thoughts on life for the readers?

H-If you have read this whole interview, then ask yourself this question:

Are you truly happy in what you’re doing right now? Is it getting you where you need to be?

I understand not everyone has big goals in life and they are happy to just do what they want to do to survive, but is that because they’ve never even entertained the idea of pushing the boundaries? Some people have fire in their bellies naturally, but others need to be inspired. If you have any kind of inkling of something you want to do, then go out and DO IT. There will always be things that will get in the way, but it’s possible to push past them. If you set a goal and you want to achieve it, you will make it happen.

Write down your goals now and then you will already have taken the first step to making them happen.