Hey,

This Friday, and with a weekend ahead, I would like to deliver a different message. It's a story about what never could happen (at least not in my head)...but it did!

After a successful career in the corporate world, with opportunities to live in many different countries, my wife and I decided to move to our dream home in Acapulco a few years ago.

We came closer to our kids and grandchildren. We enjoyed our department in front of the Pacific Ocean at its fullest. As an entrepreneur and active person, age has never been an excuse not to work, but now it is something I love to do. 

The flexibility to connect to my business wherever I wanted allowed us to start traveling and visit places we still had to tick off on our to-do list. 

OMG! 😱

Suddenly, when visiting Barcelona in Spain in October last year, we got a call that hurricane Otis 🌀 had destroyed the whole of Acapulco. What could we do, sitting at a cozy place in Barcelona, sipping on our glasses of champagne? 🥂

Well, not much, and with a mix of shock, emptiness, and frustration, we imagined the worst scenario, how our dream home just disappeared. What did we do that moment on the other side of the globe?

You won't believe it, but we laughed 🤣 and continued to enjoy our champagne. 🥂

Many things have happened in my life, but always based on a sort of calculated risk. 

This was new! 

Like a blizzard⚡ on a shiny sky, our home no longer existed! Back home again and getting a more detailed picture of the situation, it is clear that it will take one or two years for our lovely department in front of the ocean to be liveable again.

Now, when traveling around in Mexico 🇲🇽 and visiting other amazing places in this lovely country, and we got a certain distance to Otis and all the consequences, we have learned some new things.

Hopefully, what we have learned can help you, if a similar situation happens to you, we all hope never will happen.

• Material damages can always be recovered
• Whatever you do in life, try always to create a plan B
• Create bulletproof protection to your business
• Past is history; strive for the future by acting in the present
• Take care of your loved ones

In our cases, fortunately, we have insurance covering the main part of the material damages. The good thing is that you can always recover furniture and other tangible materials. It may not be the same as before, but it can also allow you to improve.

No matter your valuable life insurance, no insurance can recover lost lives. Something to think about. We are so grateful we didn't live in our department when Otis changed everything.

A pilot 🧑‍✈️ on commercial flights 🛬 always has one or two alternative airports to touch down at if, for any reason, the aircraft can't land on the one originally scheduled. Along the flight route, technical issues could force the pilot to use an alternative airport.

Life for us "ordinary" people also requires a plan B if the unexpected should happen. We could move in with our daughter in Mexico City while reconstructing our home in Acapulco.

Do you remember the horrible September 11 terrorist attack? Various companies literally disappeared in the attack, including company staff, computers, back-ups, documents...well, you name it...completely deleted from the world map.

Since I started my online business, all I have needed for the business is one easy-to-carry bag. Wherever I go, I bring it with me. I was relieved when I got the notice about Otis in Barcelona. You can see how my mobile office works in one of my videos after Otis.

Although all the damages caused by Otis were a terrible experience, life continues and always goes forward. After recapitalizing the whole thing, all you do, has to be for the future, and you do it NOW...in the presence.

Last but not least, we all react in different ways. Some can deal with tragedies better than others. Take care of your loved ones, and show empathy, help, and support with whatever you are good at. As a team, you will take all the necessary steps forward together.

"I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life."

George Burns