1. Life’s too short for boring socks

Starting on a journey is all about having the right motivation (and socks)

It’s a phrase I started using about 10 years ago in professional situations when people would glimpse my brightly coloured socks. It always added a bit of levity and stimulated a conversation. Usually people would understand that we don’t alway need to conform in the sock department to be effective at our jobs.

It seems a lot has changed since then, I’ve grown wiser, I’ve helped many people to achieve great things. I worked for a top London web agency for eight years — almost unheard of in our industry, where people change jobs more than they change their TV, car or hair colour. I loved the company and in return they gave me the freedom to experiment and learn how to be a good manager, consultant and overall human being.

Towards the end of those 8 years an itch developed. I was more creative and motivated than ever, but couldn’t express myself in a company that I’d got as far as I could go in. I was starting to feel like I had my own direction that I needed to follow.

I quit my job. So did my girlfriend. We had an idea that life could be better without needing to earn a banker’s salary in London. We made the decision to move abroad and experience a different way of life, more European and relaxed. We chose Amsterdam as our new base for many reasons, one being less of a language barrier, but also because we fell in love with the style of life that is possible here.

I’ve made my own life changing decisions, but one thing that has stayed constant is my love of wearing brightly coloured socks.

Originally published at ofkris.com.