Five years ago I came out of a job in a great company under difficult circumstances.  Whilst there I had collaborated with some really nice people and worked on awesome projects. I had also settled Into the Swiss lifestyle whilst also living by the lake in Lugano. It was somewhere that I didn’t want to leave. With some time on my hands and a desire to build my own business, I decided to focus my hard work and efforts into something that I could call my own.

Nepal reset my mind

When I need to re-energize, I like to get out and be by myself. Living in Switzerland this meant hiking in the mountains. Seeing as I had the time and a little bit of cash I decided to go to Nepal and I set my sights on Langtang valley. I was told it was not only beautiful but had less people than the regular trails around Everest. Perfect!

The journey up to Kianjin Gumba started with an 8hr four wheel drive ride from Kathmandu followed by three days of walking. This time allowed me to see some of the most breathtaking sceneries I have experienced. From having 5 year old kids hanging from the back of our car to crossing yaks, mules and also sherpas with 5m long beams of wood on their backs, cruising up and down the mountain as if it were a casual stroll. The journey was varied and physically challenging. The sheer size and energy of the surrounding mountains made me break down into tears more than once. Reminding me how small and fragile we are as individuals. It truly is a magical and spiritual part of the world.

Staying in tea houses along the way meant that I had the possibility to interact and share some special moments. I was asked if I could be someone’s white husband, I had tea with what looked like the oldest living woman on planet earth, gambled at 5:30 am whilst having breakfast and finally stayed with Jangbu and Norbu at the Sunrise Lodge.

They do and we don’t

It was the generosity (not referring to being someone’s husband) of all the people along the way that truly astonished me. How can people that have so little give so much without expecting anything in return? How can those who have less always give more? How can those who have the bare minimum for themselves want to share?

These are the questions that were going through my head and making me question how our society operates. It was these moments of connection that made me want to work differently. It was these people that made me want to change the way we operate.

It is this philosophy and ideology that I wanted to emulate. How can I help others whilst ensuring that I can sustain myself.? Giving is good but if it means that you don’t have enough for yourself then it might not be a great way to proceed.

In my next blog I will tell you what happened on that sunny Friday morning that started all this work.