Finally, the day has arrived! I've decided to launch Chasing Guilders, my very own travel blog. It’s true, what Mike Tyson said: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face". This statement could not be more true of my journey so far. What I've learned is, if you stand back up and are willing to face the challenge again, you'll not only learn the valuable lesson, but you'll also find a purpose. I’m part of the Millennial generation, an overused term, used to identify people born in the 80s and early 90s, who today are increasingly losing their footing. 2000, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2015, and now 2020 the number of life-altering global events that have destabilized our foundation of growth, ever-increasing our conflict within has been staggering. Those who haven’t adapted have wandered aimlessly dealing with one crisis after another while others have transitioned to building assets like Startups, Blogs, and Products. As a true patron of Tech and the Internet, building digital assets has always been something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. And that's where I'm at right now. I've decided to launch CG which is the convergence of two of my most cherished passions, the World and Learning from it. It’s also the convergence of my two professions Business & Content. Soon I will hunker down on a focus for CG on the business front, but at a time when the world is changing so fast around us, I need to consider where we all might end up post-COVID - 19. But as they say, the best time to start is "now". I’m making the most of this lockdown because any plans I had for 2020 have taken a big hit. For most of us, this isn’t the first time.

The first thing that happens the moment your plans don't work out is the conflict within. Conflict brews when you question your planning. As long as you make your peace with two sentiments 1) That failure is a good thing 2) You got to pick up and get going again; you'll end up with constructive introspection, ensuring undeterred morale and consistency. If you can't make your peace with these ideas you end up with self-doubt and loathing. I made my peace with this a while ago as a result of having no other choice. I believe in destiny and that things happen for a reason. It has ever since been my compass moving through life. I’m trying to adapt to the times we’re in. I want to build something of my own. But when it came to starting up, I've been conflicted on how to go about it, the quality I should put out, the reasons that will motivate me. While everything was pointing towards a project in Travel, I had my concerns. Travel Blogging, is one of the most expensive forms of blogging, do I really need to travel that much? Is the time & effort worth it and if it is how do I stand out? Is Instagram really the way to go about it when Tik-Tok is the new place to be. Changing technology plays a huge role in how we plan out our content. I’ve had to deal with all this. How can I bring together all my ideas to be productive in a way that Chasing Guilders can become something meaningful. The last thing I want to do is put effort into a project which doesn’t help me grow.

How did I find the answers? @simonsinek has a method of beginning any venture by starting with culture; from the “Why” moving on to the “How” and finally to the “What”. My Why, How and What is the journey of CG. If you stick with me you’ll know my motivations which I hope you can relate to. My experiences have also helped me narrow in on Travel Blogging by focusing on the simple joys of my childhood. I looked back at the years gone by and realized what was important to me. Chasing Guilders is inspired by a time in my childhood, a moment that triggered a knowledge boom and a hunger to be curious about History, Geography, World Affairs, Politics, and many other sciences. The flipside of being endlessly curious is that you lose focus, forgetting over time what this drive and pursuit of knowledge is all for. I need a platform from which I can build a direction and so CG for me is also an effort to be focused on what I love doing i.e. Learning. Since I don’t want to go in on this alone, sharing what I’ve learned with you is where I get to engage in another passion of mine which is Storytelling. Turning it into a successful business is the end goal, which happens as a natural progression of following what I love doing. The fact that we can all share and receive knowledge so easily is the greatest testament of our time. I just want to be a stakeholder in this. I learned a lot from people who helped and inspired me to reconnect with my roots of storytelling, Video and Photography like @evancarmichael @johnny.harris @petermckinnon @thechrishau and in turn, hope to inspire you who are following me in my quest for Chasing Guilders.