Do you also sometimes wish or dream about how to transcend your own shadow, how to overcome yourself, your fears?
And you know what? They say that when you really want something, the entire universe conspires to make your wish come true.
  Of course, we have to manage the partial steps ourselves, or if you are lucky and meet someone at the right time who will help you a lot (save time, save money, find your way around...). But the best part is that you will not lose anything, on the contrary you will gain: you will feel more free, more confident and happier, because you will often find yourself.
Like in our case.

I think we all sometimes feel like escaping from all the stress and chaos somewhere by the sea or in the mountains for a longer period of time. Not for a vacation or a few days off, but simply "get out and breathe, just RESTART". Many people did this during the covid period. They moved to their favorite or completely new locations for a few months. Everything worked remotely anyway. And some have already stayed there.

And that's what this article is about. How to escape chaos and stress and find peace and contentment. Everyone can find their own path. We chose to move to another country (I describe it in more detail HERE), which has been close to us since our first visit in 2009, far from all the mainland chaos, impatience and enormous pressure and stress due to the events of recent years.

Madeira is not some godforsaken corner hidden from the world, but many of my Czech acquaintances and friends had hardly heard of it until recently and often classified it as Spain. And they couldn't even classify it as a developed country. Many people don't know that it belongs to the EU and Portugal.

We noticed how things on the island were changing before our eyes since our first visit - there were many more foreigners, restaurants, flashing bars and hotels. A few years later, mass tourism was lurking from all corners, on the most famous levadas you can hardly walk along the narrow paths. There were more tourist traps (more expensive taxis, rentals, overpriced exposed places). And in recent years, the number of permanent residents from all over the world has also increased (we expanded the Czech and Slovak community :)).

Once, when I was chatting with a German tourist at the airport on my way to Madeira, he asked me about Madeira. He said he had heard nothing but praise for it. It is clear that more and more people are falling in love with this island. We hoped that Madeira would not turn into a mass market, but you can't stop progress.

Madeira still remains a place where nothing is rushed, because why not? Blue, green, sun almost all year round, smiling and helpful people around you. Your duty is to get up in the morning so as not to miss the impressive sunrise, do what you need to do at your own pace and then swim in the waters of the Atlantic (June to December is warm) and replenish your energy with fresh fruit from the local market, drink a cup of good coffee in one of the many cozy cafes during the day and cool off in the shade with an ice-cold beer.

We love this island very much because it is quiet in most places and we can enjoy breakfast with a view of the ocean waves and mountains. And we enjoy the enchanting sunsets. We have “turned our lives around” – we work and live on the island all year round and only occasionally fly “on holiday” to the Czech Republic. Want to know how? Download the e-book for FREE.

I think about how difficult it must have been for families with children in the 1950s or in 1968? And how must families with children from other years, whether the crisis 1930s, the war years or the communist era, have thought? Were they afraid? Of what? They didn't know what was coming, what the following period would bring them. We always see that in retrospect.

  And what is the difference compared to today's challenging times? Do we know what the next months and years will bring? I don't see a difference in the experience of uncertainty and fear, but I do see a difference in the "spoiledness" of other generations. Yes, mine too. Few people "dare" to step out of their comfort zone. WHY? Maybe because we have become accustomed to some of our comfort and are afraid of losing our "certainties". And are they certainties? What kind of certainty does each of us actually have?

  For some, security may be their own housing, future retirement or the provision of health care or education for their children. For others, the proximity of their extended family and friends, and for others, a country they have a warm relationship with and would forgive its "leadership" for all its "missteps". And where do we actually get the certainty that it will always work or that this doesn't work or works "worse" elsewhere? So where are these certainties?

  Because in our eyes and hearts, the system in the Czech Republic completely failed children during Covid (the Czech Republic had closed schools and activities for children for the longest time among developed countries - which demonstrably had a positive effect on their mental and physical health), we understood that if we do not take our lives and those of our daughters into our own hands, we will become puppets of a dysfunctional and chaotic system. We completely stepped out of our comfort zone and went to fulfill our dream. And if we managed it, you can as well. EACH OF US CAN.

Many people have many excuses why they can't fulfill their dreams. Often, they are too young and inexperienced, but more often, they are "old" for any major change in their lives. We are in our fifties with a teenage daughter and we gave her big bonuses in life with our decision and step.

Discover for yourself how completely stepping out of your comfort zone can be the key to personal satisfaction and freedom.

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