I used to tell myself I wasn’t somebody who travelled.

In November 2021 I began to write this newsletter as I sat on a plane to Lisbon.

It was hard to wipe the smile off my face, as to me, I was doing something quite rogue.

I’d never had the influence around me from family or friends to explore and see the world.

After spending 2 years in lockdown, I was feeling fed up. I’d sat on the same chair, in the same room, doing the same work. I was finally building the business I had wanted, but every single day felt the same for months.

Soon, I burnt out. I burnt out bad.

What happened is I took on too much and even now, about 6 months later, I’m still feeling the effects.

The topic of burnout is one I will address in detail going forward. How it made me feel was eye-opening and I feel compelled to try and help one less person face what it can do to our mental health.

I’m back creating, which is a good sign that I am slowly feeling more myself. Just putting my thoughts down or putting something into the world would always feel my cup. Whilst burnout can be defined as doing too much, I believe it’s a double-edged sword that hits twice as hard, because you also stop doing things you previously enjoyed.

False Narratives

Today, I am travelling to Barcelona.

I loved the freedom of being in Portugal last year and felt more in touch with myself. I just needed that change in environment and I’m so glad I made the decision. I was being more of myself and the sun always helps.

It’s funny that clients still ask me if I’m in Portugal or not. To them it made no difference where I was, which was a huge reason why I didn’t work remotely before because I was worried what they might think.

Testing that false narrative has been a big win, which makes me think about Tim Ferris’ famous TED Talk and his fear-setting exercise.

So why Barcelona?

Again I felt like I’ve not really been living how I want to. I’ve heard nothing but good things, and I want to enjoy the remote working aspect to my “job” more.

I believe there’s a win-win out there for all of us.

I know this because we’ve all felt it.

A world where you work hard and play hard. You have something to look forward to in the evening, maybe seeing friends, watching a film or some other activity that fills your cup up. For that reason, you cut through the fat and prioritise what you “have to do” in record, productive time.

A large part of my burnout was not just overworking, it was having nothing to look forward to. This harsh realisation made me try to change it with small steps. Going for a walk on lunch breaks again, asking friends when they were around to have even a coffee meet-up in the plans that I could think about.

I feel like I’ve lost myself for months. It’s sad for me to write this, but it’s true.

I’ll be in Barcelona for the whole of May, and whilst I probably shouldn’t make it a habit to go on a trip every time I feel bad, I feel excited and it’s a good feeling to have back.

The current plan is to take a 1-week holiday enjoying the city where I’ll then work the other 3 weeks at a vibey co-working spot which looks amazing. I’ll be meeting Ivan Falco who I met on LinkedIn around 2 years ago, where we both spoke about wanting to leave our jobs and to start businesses.

I should find that recording soon, because it’s incredible to think that we’ve both started our own things now after being dealt rough hands from the pandemic. Manifestation at its finest.

Be careful with what you tell yourself.

How many false narratives have gone unaddressed that you take as true?

In any moment we can mix things up.

Nothing was holding me back from changing my situation, and with a burst of activation energy the flights and accommodation for Spain were booked.

Here’s to having a full cup!

Talk soon, amigos.

Joe