September Was Wild

And I have so much to share with you

From throwing a huge party, to starting a new job...

September 2022 was one of the best months of my entire life

My family all got to visit for the first time in 5 years, which was incredible

You all got the low down on that two weeks ago, so I'll leave it out this time around

But at the start of the month, I began a new position with a cannabis company

On top of that, it was my birthday month, which meant party time

But it wasn't the events themselves that made it great

It was something much more important ya'll

Because the events are all made up

Something we all created

But the other is not...

Never Give Up

I moved to Portugal in 2016

And I love living here in Lisbon now

But the first few years weren't so easy for me...

I was coming off my first real heart break of my adult life

I was pivoting careers and looking for new opportunities to grow

I was living in a new country for the first time in my life and I only knew 1 person

But none of that stopped me from continuing to push forward every day

Don't get me wrong, there were days that I wanted to go home

There were days when I wondered why I was even here

And there were days I cried alone in my room

But I always kept telling myself this...

"You're trying to be your best"

"And that's not easy"

"Most settle..."

Right Place, Right Time

My first year here was the hardest though

I only made a of couple good friends at university

And my good friend here was newly married and pregnant...

But in the fall of 2017 I moved into a big building with over 30 residents

Everyone had their own room and bathroom, but we shared a kitchen with 3 others

The first or second night I went down to the garden to chill and have a drink

Soon after, a French dude came down to the garden to grill some steak

We got to talking and related right away, like we were old friends

Fast-forward a month or so, and we do our first BBQ party

Couple months later, we have our first garden party

Now, nearly 5 years later, he has his own spot

And last Saturday we had over 150 pax

Many of them being good friends

But it wasn't the event ya'll

It was something else...

Back To Work

Leaving freelancing was tough

I haven't worked in an office since late 2018

And now I'm going to the office a few days a week

Am I a fan of it? No. I feel like I lose time in traffic every day

But I do understand the importance of a good team and teamwork

Depending on what's going on, we can much more efficient when together

For example, a brainstorm session done face to face seems to be more productive

The ability to read one another's body language can help you communicate

These are things that you can miss on the phone or even in video

That said, it feels like I lost a bit of my personal freedom

But if you want to build something that's special

You have to make some sacrifices too

Fortunately, there is one thing

That will never change

Which is ME...

The Lesson

It wasn't the events

The visit, the job, the party

That made September such a great month...

It was all the people who helped create those special events

My entire family, who flew across the Atlantic Ocean to be here with me

All the friends who came to the party and also the dinner I hosted the night before

The people at my company who have accepted me for who I am inside

My girlfriend who shows me so much love each and every day

And all of you who keep showing up to hear my story

I love all of you and I want you to be the best

But you need to have great connections

Because its the people that matter

And when you find your tribe

You always get to be you

That's the best part...

With Love,

Steven Arthur George aka CannaBeMe