Pasquale Mellone

 Some impressions stay with us all our life. Mostly it's the negative ones that stick around, but also positive impressions have a way of staying with us. By 'stick around' I mean that they come back every time there is something that reminds us of them. We are  in the present, and yet they drag us back to the past. Sometimes they drag us back to  our childhood. So we are in our forties and yet some impressions make us feel like when we were five or ten. That time when we were  bullied at school. That time at the tennis court. That time when we broke up with somebody. By letting [the impressions] go we show that we are more interested in the present than the past.

 Yesterday I was updating my LinkedIn profile when I noticed there was a 'career break' option. If selected, you could choose among many reasons why you took a career break. I chose 'Pursuing a personal goal', which is certainly true. I can say that I took a career break between November 2022 and June 2023 to focus and work on myself. This is certainly something I would recommend to anybody who is in a position to take such a break.

 Jesus calms the disturbed, and he also disturbs a false calm.

 There has been progress but there still needs to be work. I am thinking mostly about the relationship between me and my parents. I have improved a great deal but I am still not where I would like to be. There are still triggers that I am aware of but I cannot disarm in the moment. I am still way better than I used to be though. 'The Untethered Soul', the book I have just started reading by Michael Singer, should help me with this as it has helped be growing in many areas of my life, including my most important relationships. In other news, I have just finished reading 'The Song of Significance", another great book by Seth Godin. Today I also discovered a great podcase, "Beyond the Façade" that will help me learning more about the world of real estate.

 The road that led me here is a 45-year one. Some key moments along the road: Moving to Tuscany from Calabria in 1996 Erasmus in Cork 2000-2001 Moving to Ireland in 2008 The death  of my grandfather in 2012 The heart attack of my father in 2013 Starting my business in 2016 Getting married in 2019 Selling my business in 2022 Buying a house in 2022 Losing 7 kgs in 2023 Renovating and selling apartments in 2023 In the last year I have been focusing on myself. I have managed to grow in the knowledge of myself, in my relationship with my wife and step-daughter. I have managed to make progress at the gym. I have also improved a great deal in my cooking, baking in particular. I am now focused on improving the relationship with my parents. I am also hopeful that me and my wife can still be able to have a baby. I think it's also fair to say I managed to challenge my beliefs. It's still a long way to go, or so I hope, but I am certainly happy about the road that led me here and where I ...