Most people think you need to be rich to travel abroad, or even travel at all. There are some people who think they can’t even leave home. When I was 15 years old I started studying French because my biggest dream was to go to Paris. Because of financial reasons I knew my parents would never be able to afford such things, they actually have never even been to the coast of Brazil; they’ve never seen the beach or the ocean. I knew if I really wanted that to happen I would have to do something about it.

 At 17 years old, I started working at a gift shop. The following year I got a better job at a supermarket. For two years I saved up money to make that trip to Europe. Luckily, I was living with my parents so I didn’t need to buy anything; I didn’t spend a cent during that time. When I was 19 years old I went to Paris and found out that my French wasn’t as good as I had thought, and the city wasn’t what I had dreamed of. I was a bit disappointed. Fortunately, in Europe the flights to other countries are so cheap that I got to see Rome and London; two cities I fell in love with. I previously made friends in my hometown through school or online that were living in Paris, Rome, and London. I didn’t have to spend a lot of money other than food and transportation. The cost of a trip like this was around 800 dollars. It’s crazy to think that I had to work for two full years in Brazil to save that amount of money. Now that I am in America, I see how people can take it for granted. What could take less than a month here, can take years in others countries.

Throughout my entire life I’ve had people ask me for advice on things I was doing at the time. I have always been into being active and doing new things often, so it was easy to be the role model to people around me. I wasn’t like the common person, who sticks with the one thing they love their entire life. I did many martial arts, studied seven languages, tried learning instruments, and many sports. Today isn’t different, people still ask me how I got to where I am.

There’s a question I’ve always asked myself, what do I want to do with my life? I see so many people growing and dying, fighting for their dream, that one thing they were born to do. It might be a doctor, or a teacher, or even others who dream of being musicians. Most of the time they do accomplish that. Since I was little, my mind changed so many times about what I wanted in life, that I was afraid of the uncertainty. 

I wondered if there was something wrong with me, how could I not think of something I was passionate enough to stick with it for the rest of my life? Why would I get so bored with things I started and thought I was going to love? Many times, I questioned my place in life. How come most people already knew what they wanted to do since an early age, and I didn’t.

I have no regrets of the things I’ve done even though it wasn’t forever. I felt misplaced many times in life, but now I believe it was for the best. I realized I am not the only one who is still looking for their calling in life. Now, I believe some of us are just like this and the world needs us. Entrepreneurs that are willing to go the extra mile, that will sacrifice anything to accomplish even bigger things. That will leave home at an early age to search the world for something more. People who will bring knowledge and culture wherever they go. 

I had a rough time after I moved to The United States. I was in love with someone who I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with. A year later I found myself alone, hurt, and hopeless. I found strength in that little kid who dreamed of being in Paris and made it happen by himself. I didn’t have my parents this time. I was left on my own, and that was the biggest challenge I’ve had to face in my life. I was ashamed to tell anyone back home in Brazil what had happened to me. I made new friends in America, found a new job, and fought for my place in a country where I felt I didn’t belong. I was glad I could find support from good people, who helped me get through that, who helped me become whole again.

People back home are always asking me how to start their journey. They want to know where to go, what to bring, and how to get there. I answer their questions the best I can, but I am not a travel expert. They also ask me about being able to speak so many languages; I know I am good at learning them and even though I would love to spend my time teaching people about it, I just don’t think I would be as good of a teacher. They ask me about many things, and the two of them I am most passionate about are photograph and fitness. 

In 2016 when I visited Los Angeles, I did the touristic stuff, such as, going to the Hollywood sign, saw the walk of the fame with all the stars, but the one thing I loved the most was driving the Sunset Strip. All the billboards with beautiful models, all the lights, the palm trees. I fell in love with it. It felt like a dream. I was so happy and grateful to be there in that moment. I thought it was such a big dream living in this city, that I didn’t even allow myself to dream it. I really had no idea I would be living here one day.

After living in Atlanta for two years, I woke up on a Sunday morning unhappy. I had been away from my family for three years, didn’t have the greatest job, wasn’t having the time of my life. I was basically waking up every day, going to work and paying my bills on repeat. It seemed like I was in one of those movies where the person repeats the same day every day. I wasn’t happy. That day I came to the realization I had nothing holding me down. I had good friends there and a good place to live, but I wanted more. I needed to do something to find happiness. I thought about many places I could move to, Miami, New York City, or Los Angeles. I wanted to go to a bigger city. 

I invited a friend to go visit Los Angeles with me the first weekend of April 2019. After spending the weekend in LA, we went back to Atlanta and by the end of that week I was moving there. Many people looked me in the eye and said that I could never make it in LA, because it was an expensive city and for really good looking people. They told me they have tried moving there themselves and that they were better looking than me or had more money, and they still couldn’t do it. I didn’t listen to that because I had nothing to lose. So, I packed a few things and left all the rest behind. 

I wasn’t sure of anything, but I did it anyways. I didn’t have a job and I didn’t know anyone. I just believed in myself because I knew I needed to start somewhere. In my mind, if anything went wrong I could always go back, or go somewhere new. While in LA, I met some incredible people; people who like me, were coming from somewhere else and understood the struggle. I had savings for three months, I still got a retail job in my second month, found an amazing roommate, and was living in a good location. Life was looking brighter than I thought. That’s when I finally had time to realize, I was really in LA. 

I was making a lot of friends that were well connected in TV, such as actors, producers, directors, and writers. I started to realize how much of LA living was connected to entertainment. Most of people I’ve met thought I was an actor because of that. That gave me the confidence to pursue an avenue of photography, modeling.

One of my new friends was a talent manager. He had worked with some people from a modeling agency in the past, and introduced me to them. I got in a contract with that agency. Even though in my heart I’ve always felt like I was a model, I was finally certain that was true. I was signed with a modeling agency in Los Angeles, California. It couldn’t get any better. I started turning my Instagram into a portfolio. I archived most of my personal photos, and believe me, it took me a long time. I had thousands of pictures from traveling half a world, and posting my day-to-day life when I thought I was an influencer.

Since I’ve been in LA, I’ve done work with brands, collaborations on Instagram, been in music videos, and lots of modeling work. Not as much as I expected; but when you work in the modeling world you realize how competitive it is. I can’t tell you how many auditions I went to and didn’t get booked. It’s such a diverse world, and you need to keep your head high if it’s something you enjoy doing, because it’s worth it. LA is mostly commercial, and this is exactly where I want to be. Being in commercials, showing products of many brands, magazines, ads all over, and maybe one day, in one of those billboards on Sunset Blvd.

I am no celebrity, but there were a few times people stopped me in places like Hollywood Blvd saying they knew me, that they followed me on social media, and seemed very excited to meet me in person. Who knows, maybe one day I will be someone well known and I can tell you guys all about it then. But for now, it’s just the beginning of a great life ahead of me. You always have to start somewhere; I took the first step with moving to LA and taking the chance at an unknown life. The only thing I knew was that I wanted more than what I had. I was searching for happiness. I urge people all the time to do the same. Go in search of something new and try doing whatever you want to do. Life is too short. 

Some people may think others are jealous when they follow the same path. If others want to use me as a role model I am happy to help them. I was there before; I did things that other people did before me, and look where it took me. It makes me happy to see that people are at least trying to change; that is how you grow. In helping them I am helping myself. If life has any meaning, I believe it is connecting to each other and being helpful achieving big things in life as a whole.

We’ve been put in this world to help each other, to teach each other. I think our lives are so short and we need to enjoy every second. When I came to this realization, I finally understood; I am not displaced in this world. I am doing exactly what I am meant to. 

There is so much I know, and so much more I don’t. There were many people I met that didn’t seem to be aware of how much is out there. I think the reason is because they are so focused on the dream they had since they were little. It’s like if they’ve had their eyes closed the whole time. By helping people to see what I am doing, I feel like I am helping them open their eyes to all the opportunities and life around them.

I know for a fact I have changed many lives for the better. Many people got up and started living their lives and doing things because they’ve met me. They saw the drive in me that they have never seen before in anyone else, and believed it was possible for them to do anything they wanted. That takes me to my second passion, becoming a personal trainer.

When I was 15 years old, I thought I was too skinny and I couldn’t understand the reason why; I was playing many sports. I wanted to look fit even though most people thought I looked fine. That’s when I first got into fitness. I started working out and it was the first time in my life I didn’t stop what I had started. After a few years, people started noticing the changes in my appearance and many would reach out and ask what exercises they needed to do to be fit as well. In my head, I was just a skinny kid so there wasn’t really any secret, other than lifting some weights.

Later on, I figured out that it was mostly dedication. I didn’t really tell people anything about working out, because I didn’t know how to explain those things to them. I was doing what my trainer showed me and I knew it was different for each person. After I turned 25 I decided to learn more about it. After searching and asking some people in the field, I came to the conclusion the best option would be to get a certification through NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). It took me a couple months of deep studying. I didn’t leave the house for anything, even when my friends wanted me to go out the most. I really focused and put my time into that. I got my certification, and now I can finally help people with actual fitness knowledge.

I am in a constant learning mode, keeping an open mind. I put myself in people’s shoes before making a judgment, even if it’s just a thought. I tell myself about doing things the right way, about being a good person. To be a better person, there’s no one better than yourself to do it. There is always room for improvement. Therefore, I am now more inclined to always see the good side in people and things. If I see someone doing something wrong or if they look different, I imagine what I would want people to think of that situation if it was my mother or siblings.

The idea that each and every person out there right now has a dream is insane. We are so busy focused on ourselves that it feels like everyone out there, besides the ones we know, are just numbers. It shouldn’t be that way just because millions of people are born and die every year. We all have dreams and many people never get the chance to accomplish what they have dreamed of, and that breaks my heart. Deep down I hope one day I will have influence enough to help the world to get better, so that more people will be able to live a happy life.

I see that side of the world and I am helping as much as I can with each life I cross paths with. Everyone should be aware that life is happening out there and we need to respect others, even though I think it’s ok to be busy and focus on your own life. All we know now is that we were given one life, so I understand people might get distracted with their personal stuff, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that. What you cannot do, is to stop others from living when or how they choose to. This should be a free world, so your life isn’t the only one that matters. The world needs people who are empaths and are inspiring others to grow. Of course, in the big picture we would prefer everyone united and helping each other, but I guess we just aren’t there yet.

I’ve met so many souls around the world who are selfless. They’ve giving me their own bed to sleep in, welcomed me into their homes, and have taught me how to do the same for others. This is the main reason I am who I am today, treating people in a kind way. I know these little actions will keep going on and on; from them, to me, to you, to others. Good actions generate good actions. You should try opening the door for someone, or smiling and saying good morning to a stranger. I can promise you, that will change their day, and how they see life. They will do the same one day for a stranger.

Sometimes people walk into our lives for a reason, and if it’s for good reasons or bad we have to accept it. They will change us, they will push us, and most importantly they will guide us. To wherever we’re meant to be. So, take a chance and move on.

After two years of being in Los Angeles I can say I made it out here and I am still doing it. I have so much more to accomplish. I have big goals and I am working towards it. I can say from the bottom of my heart that you should step outside your home, and decide if the life you are living now is worth the short time you were given. Like me, you don’t have to be sure of anything, and you don’t have to listen to others saying it won’t work out. All you need to do, is to take the first step towards that, and the worst that could happen, is that you’ll have to go back to where you were before or have to try something new. The one thing you can’t do, is sit and wait. If you don’t do something to change, you will most likely end up like so many other people who are wasting their lives away.

My goal is to help many people believe in themselves like I did. I have lived a great life so far and I have no regrets. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the world don’t have the chance to do what they dream of. I am grateful I could at least try, even if I never become a celebrity, own a house in the hills, or visit every country on this planet. I feel sad when I think of all the people in the world who will never allow themselves to dream because their dream seems to be too big. I was once there, born into a poor family in Brazil and here I am, living in the City of Angels with all these opportunities around me. Life for sure take its turns, and I wish everyone could feel how I feel; closer to their dreams than before. I hope this is a guide to make you feel hopeful, and believe you can also try and see life for yourself. Be an empath, understand that everyone around you is also trying. Be good to others and don’t be afraid of change. This may be your spark of inspiration.

Original Source: Google Books