Kris’ note: Today we’re turning things over to colleague Teeka Tiwari for one of our most popular guest essays of the year.
Teeka’s best known as the man who’s responsible for more crypto millionaires than anyone I know.
But Teeka isn’t just a former hedge fund manager. He grew up in Britain’s foster care system and epitomized the American Dream by moving to America with next to nothing, before making – and losing – several fortunes.
Earlier this year, Teeka sailed across the Atlantic on a catamaran… enduring some hardships along the way.
Come along and take this journey with Teeka… and learn the things you need for true freedom.
I can’t pinpoint the moment I knew I wanted to sail around the world.
But all my life I’ve yearned to be free.
And sailing around the world always struck me as the essence of freedom.
I grew up in the 1970s under the thumb of an oppressive British educational system. I was forced into my first group home when I was eight years old. Five years later, I went into foster care.
It wasn’t easy… But it drove home a need for self-determination and self-sufficiency.
In short, freedom…
But freedom isn’t free. You must earn it.
And even when you think you’ve won your freedom, you can wake up in a different type of bondage.
That’s what happened to me after 15 years on Wall Street.
It gave me money, skills, and connections. But it also gave me a desire for buying things I didn’t need. And I got lost in the quest for more and more material possessions.
Wall Street turned me into a rat in a maze. I kept eating the cheese at the end of the puzzle, even when I wasn’t hungry. If the cheese was there for the taking, I thought it was my duty to get it.
And found myself trapped in type of prison more difficult to escape than the British foster care system.
That’s why getting clear on what – and why – I want something is now a constant iterative process for me.
I ask, “Do I really want this? Why? What do I hope it will bring?”
And when I ask those questions now, my answers are different from those I had in the past.
That’s why I recently began chasing freedom…
Chasing Freedom
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered that real freedom is a combination of three things…
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The ability to feel gratitude, no matter your circumstances
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The ability to consciously form your own opinions, regardless of their popularity
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The ability to pick the path you want to follow, no matter what the world thinks of you
Inner freedom doesn’t require a penny in spending. But sailing the world has been a dream for so many years. So, I’m making that dream a reality… before it’s too late.
Teeka at the helm
I may not find all I’m seeking on this voyage. But I won’t let that stop me from trying.
The Finnish Word I Live By
As I write, I’m in my berth, lying on my bed. We’re moored in Lanzarote.
It’s one the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Northwest Africa. Due West is Morocco and the Sahara Desert.
In a few days, my captain and I will take Sisu, my red-hulled 50-foot Privilège Signature 510 catamaran, across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean.
Sisu, Teeka’s catamaran
Sisu is a Finnish word that loosely translates to “grit.” But even that doesn’t do the word justice. To have “sisu” is to have an inner fire that pushes you forward despite overwhelming obstacles.
Our first stop will be Barbados. It’s a 3,000-plus nautical mile sail that will take the better part of 20 days.
So, I’ve made a deal with myself…
If you still want to chase this dream of sailing around the world after 20-plus days at sea… go for it.
And if you find yourself kissing the ground of Barbados when you arrive, just enjoy cruising the Caribbean… sell the boat at the end of the season… and chalk up the episode up to a scratch well and truly itched.
Allowing yourself to try something that may not work and talking about it publicly is another type of freedom.
So, to hell with the naysayers! This is your life. Go live the life you want to live.
Let The Game Come To You,
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Teeka Tiwari
Editor, Palm Beach Daily