You Don’t Need To Be Special To Live An Extraordinary Life
How does a small-town guy from the South of France like me end up traveling the world, running his own business, and marrying someone he met halfway across the globe?
In this post, I’ll show you that even without special privileges or advantages, you can build the life you dream of.
In the past few years, I’ve explored more than 10 countries across 5 continents 🌍. I’ve worked for myself and earned enough money to sustain my full-time traveling lifestyle. I’ve seen 2 wonders of the world and experienced moments I’ll never forget.
You might think something like, “Yeah, but you’re different.” Maybe you assume I have financial support from my family, inherited a profitable business, or that I’m some kind of genius with a secret hack enabling me to live this lifestyle.
Sorry to disappoint, but none of these are true.
I’m a very regular guy. I had no special predisposition to live this life. My only unfair advantages are:
I was born in France, so I have a “strong” passport 🇫🇷.
I’m a white straight man, which gives me privileges others don’t have.
Apart from that, I’m pretty normal, and nothing could have predicted I’d become who I am today.
I was born and grew up in the South of France, in a small town of around 1,600 people.
Despite having multicultural origins (a mix of Portuguese, Spanish, and French), I was raised very traditionally. My parents were working-class people who had enough to meet our basic needs. As an only child, I never felt I missed out on anything; I generally got what I wanted.
Growing up, we barely traveled. Apart from quick trips to Spain (1 hour from my hometown) and twice to Portugal (where we have a family home since my grandparents lived there before migrating to France), we mostly stayed home. Going anywhere always felt like a chore.
Most of my family lives within a 40 km radius, and they’ve rarely traveled beyond a handful of countries.
I also grew up being told I should never date a non-white girl, and that I’d better not be gay—or I’d be kicked out of the house (or worse).
This was (and probably still is) common in my village; it wasn’t unique to my home. Even though my village had many immigrants (mainly from Spain, Portugal, and the Maghreb), racism and homophobia were omnipresent. If you were different, people pointed fingers, and you quickly became the talk of the town.
I also didn’t have entrepreneurial role models around me. Most people I knew had regular 9-to-5 jobs, which they kept for most of their lives. I was told to do well at school so I could become an engineer, earn more than minimum wage, and sit at a desk all day instead of having a physical construction job like my dad and grandfathers. That was what success looked like. For a while, I wanted to be an architect, then later an engineer—without really knowing what either involved, to be honest.
Finally, I’m not the smartest cookie in the world. I’m not stupid—I think I’m fairly intelligent and naturally curious, which helps me learn new things—but again, I’m pretty average. I don’t have a special skill, I’m not a marketing genius or sales master, nor do I have a business degree or anything particularly helpful.
However, I am determined, persistent, eager to learn, and I don’t let not knowing something stop me from taking action.
After reading all that, do you still think I’m different? That I had some special innate advantage in childhood that predisposed me to live this life?
I think the real question now is: How on earth did I go from such an old-school, closed-minded environment to marrying an English woman I met in Australia, traveling the world together, and building my own business?
My honest short answer: I don’t really know 🤷♂️. I actually wonder about it frequently.
Deciding to study in Australia was random—mostly because of rugby league 🏉—but that decision completely changed my life. It’s where I met Rosie, who became a pivotal figure in my growth.
Reflecting on all this, here’s what I’ve learned—and what you might take away from my journey:
You don’t need special advantages to create an extraordinary life.
Even if you feel like you don’t have the best hand to play, you can still play—and win.
Your past doesn’t define who you can become.
I didn’t let where I was from define or limit who I could become. Seeing other people living extraordinary lives inspired me instead of making me feel envious.
Take intentional action now—don’t wait until it’s too late.
Change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process with periods of rapid growth and periods of stagnation. By intentionally changing my environment, what I consumed, and who I spent time with, I eventually changed my mindset and actions.
From there, the world became my oyster—an open world of infinite possibilities that was mine to explore.
Is my life perfect? No.
Do I have everything I want? No.
But if my life ends tomorrow, I will be okay with it because since turning 30, I’ve truly felt I’ve been living an intentional life, true to myself and on my own terms.
Can you say the same? If the answer is no, I urge you to start making changes now, before reaching a point in your life when it’s too late and you’ve missed your chance to truly live.
I’m not special, but I somehow made it—and I want you to believe you can too.
Don’t wait for a “perfect moment”—start your journey now. Download this guide or reply and let’s chat about your next step! 😊
Would like to know what you actually did. What kind of work? What kind of people did you look for?
OMG, I loved this article! First of all, you nailed the title ;) and I also appreciated how you acknowledged your (our) privileges — for example, holding a strong passport — while also highlighting the box you had to break out of to truly live life on your own terms.