Hello, and welcome to my first newsletter!
I thought I’d do something a little different here.
Rather than offer advice about how to live your life, I thought I’d tell you a little about how I’m living mine. The adventures, the mistakes, the frustrations, and the occasional moments when I wonder whether I’ve completely lost the plot! 😂
Because at 63, I’ve come to realise that life isn’t about having everything figured out.
It’s about remaining curious, being willing to change, and remembering to enjoy the journey.
And the last couple of months have certainly given me plenty to think about.
One Last Voyage
In September, I sailed my lovely boat Tara across the Channel for what was probably our final voyage together.
Thirteen hours, on my own, with a challenging breeze and plenty of time to think.
I’ve spent much of my life around boats. I was a Merchant Navy navigator in my younger days and later built catamarans for a living.
The sea has always been part of who I am.
There’s something rather wonderful about being alone on a boat. No phone calls, no meetings, nobody needing anything from you. Just the wind, the water, and the decisions you make.
And occasionally the rather uncomfortable reminder that nature is considerably more powerful than you are!
Tara and I have shared some wonderful adventures.
But she’s now in Plymouth, waiting for a new owner.
Am I sad about that?
Yes, a little.
Do I regret the decision?
No.
Because I’ve realised something important about possessions and experiences.
We can be enormously grateful for something without needing to hold on to it forever.
The memories don’t disappear when the boat changes hands.
And perhaps letting go of one adventure is what makes room for the next.
So, We’re Moving to Greece!
This is probably the biggest news.
After years of living in the beautiful Loire Valley in France, Lieselle and I have decided that it’s time for another chapter.
We’re moving to the Mani peninsula in southern Greece.
If you don’t know the Mani, imagine rugged mountains tumbling into an impossibly blue sea, ancient stone villages, olive groves, little harbours and a pace of life that seems to belong to another era.
We spent time exploring the area, looking at villages, properties and plots of land.
There were plenty of discussions, a few changes of direction, and some rather complicated conversations about tax and residency!
At one stage we were going to buy land and build our dream house.
Then we were forced to reconsider, when the plot we fell in love with was sold to someone else - rude!😂
Of course that was disappointing- but the upside (there is always an upside ) we don’t need to rush into building something before we’ve actually lived there.
So we’ve found a lovely house to rent near Agios Nikolaos, and the plan is to move in January.
We’ll spend time discovering the area, meeting people, finding our favourite cafés and beaches, and seeing what everyday life actually feels like.
I’m looking forward to swimming in the sea, exploring the coast, doing some sailing and, most importantly, having time to enjoy it all.
Will it be perfect?
Almost certainly not.
There will be bureaucracy, frustrations, things that don’t work, and moments when we’ll wonder why on earth we left France.
But that’s life, isn’t it?
An adventure doesn’t have to be easy to be worthwhile.
And at 63, I have absolutely no intention of spending the rest of my life simply preserving what I’ve already got.
The Great Clear-Out
Of course, deciding to move countries is the exciting bit.
Actually doing it is another matter entirely!
Over the years I’ve accumulated rather a lot of things.
Cars, boats, property, furniture, equipment. All things that, at some point, seemed like excellent ideas.
And many of them were.
But they also come with responsibilities.
Maintenance, insurance, storage, repairs, bills, paperwork.
I’ve started to wonder how much of my time and energy is spent looking after things rather than enjoying life.
So we’ve begun a rather substantial clear-out.
The Jaguar XJS has gone. The Porsche 911 Targa is under offer. Tara and our other boat still need new homes.
And then there’s our lovely lodge in Norfolk.
We love it. It’s a wonderful place to spend time and see family.
Unfortunately, the property market seems considerably less enthusiastic about it than we are! 😂
It’s been stubbornly refusing to sell.
And that’s another lesson, I suppose.
You can decide to simplify your life, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world will cooperate with your timetable.
I’m not suggesting that possessions are bad. Far from it.
I’ve enjoyed beautiful cars, boats and homes enormously.
But I’ve begun asking myself a different question.
Does owning this make my life better, or does it simply give me something else to look after?
It’s proving to be quite a useful question.
Money, Markets and Peace of Mind
Another part of this process has been reviewing my investments.
I’ve been fortunate enough to build and rebuild businesses over the years, and I’ve experienced both financial success and the rather less enjoyable alternative.
At 47, I lost almost everything.
That experience changes your relationship with money.
You discover that financial security matters, but you also discover that money isn’t the same thing as happiness.
Recently, I’ve become increasingly concerned about the risks in financial markets.
I don’t know whether there’s going to be a crash. Nobody does.
But I do think there’s enough uncertainty to justify being a little more cautious.
So I’ve been simplifying my investments, reducing borrowing and making sure we’re better positioned to weather difficult times.
Perhaps the markets will continue rising and I’ll miss some opportunities.
That’s fine.
I’ve reached a stage of life where sleeping well at night matters more to me than squeezing the last possible percentage out of my investments.
And there’s a connection here with everything else we’re doing.
Less debt. Fewer possessions. Fewer obligations.
More freedom.
Not because I want to stop doing things, but because I want to have more choice about what I do next.
The Unexpected Joy of A Restless Heart
And then there’s this rather wonderful new adventure.
A Restless Heart.
When I started sharing my thoughts and experiences online, I really didn’t know what to expect.
I’ve had a fairly eventful life.
I’ve built businesses, lost businesses, travelled, sailed, made mistakes, recovered from setbacks, and occasionally managed to get a few things right.
I thought perhaps some of those experiences might be useful to others.
What I hadn’t anticipated was how much I’d enjoy the conversations.
Every day, people write to me.
Some are approaching retirement and wondering what comes next.
Some have lost jobs, relationships or businesses.
Some feel that life has somehow passed them by.
Others are simply looking for a little encouragement to do something they’ve been putting off for years.
And I’m continually struck by how much we have in common.
Different countries, different ages, different circumstances.
But so many of us are asking the same questions.
Am I living the life I really want?
Is it too late to change?
What would I do if I wasn’t so afraid?
The Instagram community has grown to nearly 6,700 people, and we’re beginning to see visitors finding their way to the website and downloading the free resources.
It’s still early days.
But I’m discovering that I genuinely love doing this.
Not because I want to become some sort of guru.
Heaven forbid! 😂
But because I love the idea of building a community of people who are curious about life, willing to question the conventional wisdom, and interested in making the most of whatever years lie ahead.
People who recognise that success isn’t necessarily about money, status or possessions.
Sometimes it’s simply about waking up in the morning and looking forward to the day.
What These Last Few Months Have Taught Me
Looking back, there’s a common thread running through all of this.
Saying goodbye to Tara.
Selling cars and boats.
Leaving our home in France.
Changing the way I manage money.
Starting something entirely new with A Restless Heart.
On the surface, these are all quite different things.
But underneath, I think they’re about the same thing.
Making space for the life I want to live now, rather than continuing to live the life I built years ago.
And that’s not always easy.
We become attached to our routines, our possessions, our identities and our ideas about who we’re supposed to be.
Change can feel uncomfortable, even when it’s something we’ve chosen.
But I’ve come to believe that one of the great privileges of getting older is the freedom to question all those assumptions.
We don’t have to keep doing something simply because we’ve always done it.
We don’t have to prove ourselves to the world.
And we certainly don’t have to have everything figured out.
I still make mistakes. I still worry about things. I still get frustrated.
And I still occasionally buy something that seemed like a wonderful idea at the time! 😂
But I’m learning.
And perhaps that’s enough.
A Question for You
I’d love this newsletter to become a conversation rather than a one-way broadcast.
So here’s something I’ve been thinking about.
If you could let go of one thing in your life - a possession, an obligation, a fear, or perhaps an old idea about yourself - what would it be?
And what might that make room for?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts. Email me here.
Until next month, thank you for being part of this adventure.
Be curious. Be kind to yourself. And don’t forget to enjoy the journey.
Mark 😊✨
A Restless Heart. A Peaceful Mind.
P.S. If you’re new here, I’ve put a couple of free guides on the website, including Designing a Life After Work. They’re simply things I’ve learned along the way, and I hope you find something useful in them.
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