I Built the Life. Now I’m Going to Live It

I Started Working Before I Knew What Rest WaS

I’ve been working since I was 12 or 13 years old. Before resumes, before titles, before careers. I sold things on the street. I spent summers helping my sister run her hat and sports store. I got my first “real” job in middle school.

Work wasn’t optional it was normal. It was survival, responsibility, and pride all wrapped into one. I learned early that effort equals progress, and I carried that belief with me for decades.

Fast Forward: 37 Years Old, Over 20 Years of Work

Today, I’m recently 37. I’ve been working for over 20 years straight. I’m a father of three. I’ve spent my adult life in one of the most demanding industries there is: nursing.

My career took me across multiple disciplines clinical care, leadership, operations, compliance and most recently into administration as an assisted living administrator. I’ve cared for people at their most vulnerable stages of life. I’ve led teams, solved crises, absorbed stress, and carried responsibility that doesn’t clock out at the end of the day.

It’s meaningful work. It’s honorable work.

And it has taken a real beating out of me.

The Cost of Always Operating at Peak

For years, I’ve operated at peak levels mentally, emotionally, professionally. Always on. Always thinking. Always solving. Always anticipating the next problem before it arrives.

But there’s a cost to never letting your brain settle. To never truly resting. To living in a constant state of responsibility. Over time, even purpose-driven work can drain you when there’s no space left for yourself.

I reached a point where I realized I wasn’t burnt out because I hated what I did. I was burnt out because I had given everything to it.

Choosing to Step Away

So I made a decision that didn’t come lightly:

I’m walking away from the industry for now.

I’m taking a break.

I’m leaving the country.

Not to run away but to finally slow down. To live. To spend real time with my family. To admire life instead of racing through it. To appreciate everything that has come from years of discipline, sacrifice, and hard work.

Refocusing Energy Instead of Burning It

I’ve been fortunate deeply fortunate. My career has been rewarding. My investments have been rewarding. Especially in crypto, where patience, conviction, and education opened doors I never imagined years ago.

Now, instead of pouring my energy into constant output, I’m refocusing it. Learning without pressure. Exploring opportunities without urgency. Letting curiosity replace stress. Letting vision breathe.

Crypto remains a space of opportunity, innovation, and freedom but this time, I approach it from a place of clarity, not exhaustion.

From Caring for Others to Caring for Myself

Caring for people has always been in my nature. It’s who I am. It’s what pulled me into healthcare in the first place.

But somewhere along the way, I forgot that caretakers need care too. That leaders need rest. That providers are still human.

This chapter is about caring for myself mentally, physically, emotionally so that whatever comes next is built from wholeness, not depletion.

Gratitude for the People Along the Way

I wouldn’t be here without my friends, my family, my children, and everyone who believed in me, challenged me, and stood by me through long hours and heavy seasons. Your support never went unnoticed even when I was too busy to say it out loud.

This isn’t an ending.

It’s a pause.

A recalibration.

A choice to finally enjoy the life I’ve spent decades building.

And for the first time in a long time, I’m allowing myself to simply live