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ExpatMark
About ExpatMark
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I am 58 years young and retired from the corporate rat race 14 years ago. Everyone said I was crazy to retire so early. I said you are crazy for working at a job you hate till you are 70.
I was born in Frayser, Tennessee and am now an American ex-pat living in Kyiv, Ukraine.
I left 500k in salary on the table over the past decade and have no regrets. Money replenishes, itself, Time does not.
I am a Certified Personal Trainer/ Fitness Nutritionist/ Specialist in Exercise Therapy and also Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL-Scotland) abroad. I travel the planet looking for discovery, adventure, and knowledge. I bought a condo last summer in Kyiv, Ukraine to be with the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life. I spend my time equally there and on the road.
I am an avid golfer, competition chef, love reading, music-loving, open water certified rescue scuba diver, and will do anything for an adrenaline rush.
I live by a strict Hierarchy of Values. I do not waiver from their adherence.
1) Health- I love helping people reach their health goals. Your body is a
temple.
2) Wealth- Everyone has some type of wealth.
3) Faith- No explanation needed. Play hard, pray hard, all day, every day.
4) Purpose- I get joy/happiness from helping others. My happiness is not
determined by how happy I am, but how happy those are around me.
The cornerstone of achieving success is helping others(who appreciate it).
5) Absolute Freedom- This could be number 1 easily. The state in which
absolutely nothing can restrain me from doing ANYTHING, ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE my heart desires, neither myself nor any external forces,
6) Belonging- A sense of Community/ Social Relationships (WA filled a void)
7) Knowledge- The daily pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, adventure, and
discovery, by traveling, reading, soaking in all of life's experiences and the
wonderful things God has put on this planet.
8) Footloose- Life as most people live it leaves me empty and unsatisfied. I
need a richer, more intense and challenging lifestyle.
9) Respect- All any man needs is respect. All any woman wants is to be
loved.
10) Happiness- "Happiness is only real when shared"..Christopher
McCandless
I challenge everyone to WRITE DOWN your Hierarchy of Values.
For most of you, FAMILY would top this list. I have none. My mom was born in 1921, Dad in 1905. I have no siblings and only a few first cousins living. Not enough to keep me in the USA. I found the love of my life in Ukraine and the country is amazing. The cost of living there is 75% cheaper than in the USA.
They say you can never go home. They also say home is where the heart is. My heart is in Ukraine, so I AM GOING HOME.
Unlimited possibilities exist for me. I worked my ass off to get where I am
today and now I have Absolute Freedom. It will never be taken away from
me.
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY AT WA, AND FULLY INTEND TO TEACH WA TO UKRAINIANS. The average salary there is $145/mth. I can really make a difference in the lives of so many there.
MAKE A LIVING, MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Mark
I was born in Frayser, Tennessee and am now an American ex-pat living in Kyiv, Ukraine.
I left 500k in salary on the table over the past decade and have no regrets. Money replenishes, itself, Time does not.
I am a Certified Personal Trainer/ Fitness Nutritionist/ Specialist in Exercise Therapy and also Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL-Scotland) abroad. I travel the planet looking for discovery, adventure, and knowledge. I bought a condo last summer in Kyiv, Ukraine to be with the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life. I spend my time equally there and on the road.
I am an avid golfer, competition chef, love reading, music-loving, open water certified rescue scuba diver, and will do anything for an adrenaline rush.
I live by a strict Hierarchy of Values. I do not waiver from their adherence.
1) Health- I love helping people reach their health goals. Your body is a
temple.
2) Wealth- Everyone has some type of wealth.
3) Faith- No explanation needed. Play hard, pray hard, all day, every day.
4) Purpose- I get joy/happiness from helping others. My happiness is not
determined by how happy I am, but how happy those are around me.
The cornerstone of achieving success is helping others(who appreciate it).
5) Absolute Freedom- This could be number 1 easily. The state in which
absolutely nothing can restrain me from doing ANYTHING, ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE my heart desires, neither myself nor any external forces,
6) Belonging- A sense of Community/ Social Relationships (WA filled a void)
7) Knowledge- The daily pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, adventure, and
discovery, by traveling, reading, soaking in all of life's experiences and the
wonderful things God has put on this planet.
8) Footloose- Life as most people live it leaves me empty and unsatisfied. I
need a richer, more intense and challenging lifestyle.
9) Respect- All any man needs is respect. All any woman wants is to be
loved.
10) Happiness- "Happiness is only real when shared"..Christopher
McCandless
I challenge everyone to WRITE DOWN your Hierarchy of Values.
For most of you, FAMILY would top this list. I have none. My mom was born in 1921, Dad in 1905. I have no siblings and only a few first cousins living. Not enough to keep me in the USA. I found the love of my life in Ukraine and the country is amazing. The cost of living there is 75% cheaper than in the USA.
They say you can never go home. They also say home is where the heart is. My heart is in Ukraine, so I AM GOING HOME.
Unlimited possibilities exist for me. I worked my ass off to get where I am
today and now I have Absolute Freedom. It will never be taken away from
me.
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY AT WA, AND FULLY INTEND TO TEACH WA TO UKRAINIANS. The average salary there is $145/mth. I can really make a difference in the lives of so many there.
MAKE A LIVING, MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Mark
ExpatMark's Goals 3
Money Goals
1
Money I would be happy earning
$5000
2
Money I would be ecstatic earning
$10000
3
Time I'm willing to invest to achieve my goals
As much time as it takes. Got 24 hours every day.
Goal created on
May 29, 2018
0
Reply
ExpatMark's Accomplishments
2018
5
1Year
Leave ExpatMark a Message
altheone
Premium
Hi my friend. you sure are right about all you hve written on your profile. Really inspiring and I feel the same on many of your points. I am happy to have found you and this WA family to bring to the next level. I had to stop worrying to much and ACT. I had to change my SHOULD into MUST. I had to move. If you have some time, you can visit my website and tell me how good or bad it is haha. Thanks for the add up man. Have a good one. Al
ps: what's your first name?
ps: what's your first name?
Matheo
Premium
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the following,
I really like your values, that speak a lot to me.
You seems to live your life by taking fully responsibility of your choices and no by being a victim of circumstances that life bring you.
You know what, I like the challenge that you propose and I will participate
Here's the Hierarchy of my values :
Being an example :
1- Health... I do love being in a healthy body, knowing some basic information on the bio mechanic help me to understand myself better and it easier to guide other's
2- Love... It is important for me to give love to myself in the hard time of life. Sometime I doubt of my capabilities and giving love to someone who really need it, fill my heart and give me the strength to continue
3- Family... I live at 5 000 km away from my family. Sometime it's hard to not being with them physically and it is a major reason why they are as important for me. I realize that when we have something in abundance, I have a reflex to forget how lucky I am to have them in my life.
4- Sharing... If I have just 1$ in my pocket, I want to give it to someone who need it. But the most important, it's the time I share with people.
5- Being grateful... I think that value say everything by itself
6- Growing as a human... Life bring experience, we all have the choice to take those experience in the way we decide to see them
All the Best,
Mathieu
Thanks for the following,
I really like your values, that speak a lot to me.
You seems to live your life by taking fully responsibility of your choices and no by being a victim of circumstances that life bring you.
You know what, I like the challenge that you propose and I will participate
Here's the Hierarchy of my values :
Being an example :
1- Health... I do love being in a healthy body, knowing some basic information on the bio mechanic help me to understand myself better and it easier to guide other's
2- Love... It is important for me to give love to myself in the hard time of life. Sometime I doubt of my capabilities and giving love to someone who really need it, fill my heart and give me the strength to continue
3- Family... I live at 5 000 km away from my family. Sometime it's hard to not being with them physically and it is a major reason why they are as important for me. I realize that when we have something in abundance, I have a reflex to forget how lucky I am to have them in my life.
4- Sharing... If I have just 1$ in my pocket, I want to give it to someone who need it. But the most important, it's the time I share with people.
5- Being grateful... I think that value say everything by itself
6- Growing as a human... Life bring experience, we all have the choice to take those experience in the way we decide to see them
All the Best,
Mathieu
ExpatMark
Premium
I challenge everyone to write them down. They give you a perspective of where you are and where you are going. My parents were born in 1905 and 1921, so only family I have are a few first cousins scattered here and there. Had to go 5000 miles to meet someone with whom I mean to start a family, so that is why family is not quite on my list. Love your list my friend, very admirable.
dpanic63
Premium
Mark
You are speaking to a kindred spirit.
But have to say you are much more further on down the path, and will look forward to staying connected.
love the saying
"Money replenishes itself TIme does not" and "absolute Freedom" powerful stuff for certain.
will have to get to the ukraine for a stay have been spending my time in Asia mostly but i have a european citizenship so it will not be hard to get there.
Thanks for adding me to you network and giving me your inspirations
Keep rockin it brother
Cheers from Canada
Dino
You are speaking to a kindred spirit.
But have to say you are much more further on down the path, and will look forward to staying connected.
love the saying
"Money replenishes itself TIme does not" and "absolute Freedom" powerful stuff for certain.
will have to get to the ukraine for a stay have been spending my time in Asia mostly but i have a european citizenship so it will not be hard to get there.
Thanks for adding me to you network and giving me your inspirations
Keep rockin it brother
Cheers from Canada
Dino
griego62
Premium
Thank you for following. You've come right on time. I am leaving my job in a couple of weeks which is not that a corporate miracle but I currently live in Greece which is supposedly just recovering from crisis and this job is pretty high paying. I can always go back but it would kill me. I cannot say I have something going in the blogging world but I need time to work on my new creations. I am fairly new to WA which has given me that push that was missing. I was born in Greece and went to the US when I was 8, came back when I was 15, went to the US again when I was 19 and came back again when I was 21. After opening various businesses which went pretty good, I started to travel to India, Nepal, Thailand, etc. and at some point found myself in Mexico where I formed a family and spent 16 years of my life. I came back to Greece three and a half years ago because of the violence issue Mexico has been facing in the last decade. My daughter was going to enter her teenage years and I did not want her to live in that kind of situation. I am now 56 also and am thinking of going to Madrid to live for a few years. I will have to go back to Mexico within a year and a half and probably have to stay there for a few months in order to not lose my citizenship. I speak fluent English, Spanish and of course, Greek.
And that pretty much sums me up. I am glad to have met you. In a way, you give me inspiration. I hope everything keeps working right for you in your amazing life. You are an example to be followed. Stay well!
And that pretty much sums me up. I am glad to have met you. In a way, you give me inspiration. I hope everything keeps working right for you in your amazing life. You are an example to be followed. Stay well!
esteadman
Premium
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the follow, following you back. Amazing life story and even more amazing Hierarchy of Values. Congratulations on finding your place and purpose in life. Sometimes it takes traveling around the world to find it, I found mine in the Philippines with the woman that I married and have remained happily with for over 44 years. Best wishes for your continued success.
P.S. I'll write my Hierarchy of Values now.
Ed
Thanks for the follow, following you back. Amazing life story and even more amazing Hierarchy of Values. Congratulations on finding your place and purpose in life. Sometimes it takes traveling around the world to find it, I found mine in the Philippines with the woman that I married and have remained happily with for over 44 years. Best wishes for your continued success.
P.S. I'll write my Hierarchy of Values now.
Ed
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