the Octopus Movement
I heard that certain age numbers are critical even many famous people ended their life when they hit those years.
I didn't pay any attention to my age until I was 27 years old, looking back to find myself was only 25, then looking forward to realize that it is just 2.5 years to be 30.
I have no worries about my age at all but I felt like I need a stop to reflect. This was so demanding too after a visit I made to the la Cruz Roja office in Bogota, Colombia to get a new copy of my yellow fever certificate that I got 3 years ago. The surprise was that I found the same lady with the same haircut at the same small office...reflecting I have lived in 3 countries during the past three years jumped between 5 different careers and still my Bank account is a shame, I don't have an expensive belonging, I don't have more than 2 years experience in one field, I don't have a boyfriend and I haven't attended most of my friends' weddings, giving birth and now the scariest their kids' birthdays.
Though, I have hundreds of stories to tell, diverse skills that would never gather in a person, small bits and pieces from a lot of places, friends representing the world to me, and weird cooking style evolved from different exotic cuisines.
Maybe I am different now or maybe getting to be an "adult" anyway I love to see age as stages of my life, isn't life a game, We keeping up with?
So I noticed that at my earliest I was exactly aware of things I didn't want to become or have and that was okay to live with at this stage. Then in the middle of my 20s, I got lost, I was distracted by life and didn't find the needed guidance maybe. Until recently, spontaneously while almost hitting the 30, I became aware of what exactly I want from life and even be able to list them.
Very strange and amazing how life is like a flower, that smoothly opens up showing its beauty. All things I was battling to understand become clear and significant now.
In the end, this is not meant to be a reflection of a confused person but a story of a person who was always open to new options and experiences.
Born and raised in Venezuela. Bilingual Spanish-Italian. Early childhood in the USA where English became my first language for a while. I also studied French as a young adult. I have visited forty countries and lived in five so far. I am a multipotentialite with a relentless curious and creative mind, constantly learning as much as I can. I become a commercial pilot after finishing high-school. Before my career as an aviator took-off, I went to a summer camp in Siena and decided to stay in Italy indefinitely. Validating my pilot licence in Europe was harder than I thought, so I kept my wings on the ground, moved to Milan and studied Aviation Law and Business Management. I started my journey in the travel industry working for airlines and tour operators. I later worked on board a cruise ship as an international host and collaborated with shore excursions operations, where I met the sweetest and most wonderful human being from east Ukraine. We got married as soon as we set foot ashore for a break. We sailed one more season and then moved to Florence, capital of art and good food. We were thrilled waking every day the same streets Michelangelo and Da Vinci strolled a few centuries earlier.
Thirsty for more knowledge, I studied Marketing for Tourism. Then, wanting to open my own restaurant, I took my first steps as an entrepreneur. I learned a lot in the process but it was not the right time.
Moved to London to work for a destination management company and later even worked for Google for a few months. After two years in the hectic capital, I became commercial manager for a shuttle bus company at Stansted Airport and moved to the country side. New chapters unfolded on the shores of west Norfolk, where I now handle global sales for a local manufacturer.
I am an expert about every commercial and operational aspect of tourism as well as global trading.
I am an eclectic cosmopolitan on a journey to emphasise the virtues of life, conscious of our brief precious existence, hungry for cognitive and spiritual enrichment, evolving everyday to be the best earthling human I can be.
I am passionate about healthy nutrition, environmentalism, animal welfare, ethics, philosophy and psychology. As an ethical vegan, my principles are aligned with my actions and I feel better than ever!
Imagine being an introverted misfit.
That’s what I was growing up. It was only the last 3–4 years of high school when things changed dramatically for me.
Today, I am back to my introverted ways, so when I tell people I used to rap in front of large audiences, they find it a little hard to believe. Honestly, so do I.
Who was that girl? Where did she find the courage to do that?
I wouldn’t rap today if you paid me. For starters, I suck at singing. Secondly, I lack the confidence to pull that off… again.
Back then, I was horribly timid and quiet. I constantly felt misunderstood. I loved who I was on the inside, but I hated how others perceived me. I didn’t bother explaining myself. I lived in my own hippie multipotentialite bubble, and it was my sanctuary.
One day, something happened that shattered my entire world: a girl my age, Hanna Lalango, was kidnapped and gang raped in my city. She died a few days after she was discovered. It made national – and international –headlines. I was distraught.
I realized I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.
I needed to raise awareness on gender-based violence in Ethiopia.
There was a Poetry Jam happening at my school. Even though I am the least artistic person I know, I signed up – to RAP.
On the day of the event, I was anxious beyond words. I stood outside and watched as the assembly hall filled with more and more people. As the MC welcomed everyone, I knew it was time...
When I was called to perform, suddenly, all the fear subsided. I went onstage and rapped my heart out. I did not hold back – and it felt magical! I was out of my comfort zone! The audience gave me a standing ovation. The introvert in me couldn’t believe it.
Afterwards, I went outside for some fresh air and people who I had never spoken to before approached me and congratulated me on the rap. “You did really good!”, “Great performance!” and “Hey Eden! I didn’t know you could rap like that”. I didn’t know either. I embraced all their feedback with enormous gratitude. I felt so empowered in that moment.
I learned that no matter how small and unheard you feel, you can always make a difference. Put yourself out there. Take risks. Challenge yourself to be greater than you were yesterday.
I have never known what I wanted to be when I grow up.
When I was 3, I saw The King and I, and told my mom I wanted to be an actor/singer/dancer.
When I was 15, I wanted to be a veterinarian.
I went into college convinced that I would work for the CDC with biohazard level 4 diseases (a la the movie Outbreak) and came out with a degree in Theatrical Costume Design. 😂
My professional career has included working as a coat check girl, bartender, CEO of a couture house in New York, wedding and event planner, boutique caterer, private chef for clients with food allergies, cooking instructor, food blogger, travel writer, marketing content creator, project manager, efficiency expert and all-around Girl Friday.
I used to look at this list and see someone who lacked clarity and staying power, even though my work ethic told a different story. The fact is, when we let our work define us--and what we do changes all the time--it’s hard to get a true sense of who we are.
I let that keep me down. I told myself I didn’t know enough and needed more experience before anyone would want what I had to offer. I let personal businesses fail because I thought I needed to do just a few more pro bono jobs to gain the expertise to make me worthy of competing in the marketplace.
I fought my creative urges because they didn’t make me money. And I believed “them” when they told me that picking one thing--and sticking with it--was the path to happiness.
I’m here to tell you, “they” got it wrong.
Happiness is seeing opportunity around every corner. Joy is allowing your curiosity to spark an adventure. And it takes a special kind of person to see beauty everywhere.
So seize the opportunity.
Follow your curiosity.
And paint the beautiful thing so you will always have a reminder of how it made your heart explode.
It took damn near 40 years, but I can now look at my body of work and think I would be useful AF in a zombie apocalypse. I can use my unique expertise to help people make their lives brighter, better and happier.
I mean, sure, I like to chase after sparkly things, but all that means is that my story has some sparkle of its own.
From my teenage years, around 15, I noticed that I wasn't like everyone else around me. They liked 2-3 things and that's it. I liked almost everything. And at that time it was holding me back, and I had no idea what to do and where to start. Ended up studying Energy and Environmental Engineering in college, because I wanted to save the World. There were a lot of subjects to choose from which was great, Ecology, Environment, and also Solar, Wind, Hydroelectric energies, building efficiency. So I thought that I wouldn’t get bored. At the end, the salary wasn’t that great, so I decided to change careers. I always wanted to try volunteering, and for a good while before finishing the course I started working part-time and volunteering. And I got hooked the moment I tried it! Not only the people were simply astonishing, there were super nice, from different backgrounds, different ages, genders and making the world a little bit better for all of us was the ultimate cheery on top of the cake.
While doing all that also noticed something interesting, every time I would watch 2-3 episodes of a series, let’s say Sherlock or Elementary (both about Sherlock Holmes character) then for 2 weeks in a row I would walk around pretending to be him. Realizing that I was a highly influenced person. It made me feel a little sad at first, but not for long. “How can I use this to my advantage?” I thought. Remembering what a lot of motivational speakers say: ”We are who we surround ourselves with.” I have an amazingly sharp brain and I have a potential to live an exceptional life. So what’s stopping me?! Except from me, I mean.
So I got to work. Established a 5-year objective to reach a certain level of knowledge, wisdom, skills and personal development. Which means that I would pass the next 5 years learning and studying like hell. After those 5 years I would lunch a project of some kind. I’m self-though in a lot of things, never had a mentor. To have more time and energy to study, I’ve decided to shrink my expenses to the bare minimum and only work for money to earn that. Prioritizing time over money! Also giving priority to exceptional people, ended up reaching that goal in just 2 years.
While challenging myself, learning new skills, realized that my paychecks kept getting bigger really fast, because of the value that I was bringing to the projects. Lunching 3 Social Projects this year helping others reach their fullest potential and live an authentic life.
Now go and make your own fate, just like I did.
Do you want your story at the
Non-Linear Humans Of The World?
Share your story using this form, tell us your story and we will share it on our social media.
