About me

Who am I? Three words, yet such a big question. Initially, when I started this blog I only thought about posting every now and then. I have never thought about having to write an about me page. Most blogs have about pages, but they are usually just about the authors’ experience. I am taking this as an exercise. A way for me to explore who I really am and my motivations. This is something I’ve never taken the time to do before. Hopefully I won’t bore you to death in my psycho-analysis…

In order to go deep I’ll borrow something I’ve read in Simon Sinek’s excellent book: Start with Why. It’s an excellent read and you should pick it up. His book focuses mainly on corporations, but I’ll adapt it to human beings. Most companies, if not all, have a what. Some have a how and only a few have a why. Those that have a why thrive, because they are on a mission that goes beyond a simple product. I’m going to describe myself in 3 dimensions. Who I am (characteristics and experience). How I work and live (my work and life ethics). Why I’m doing what I do (my life’s mission). Oh gosh, why did I sign up for this?

Who?

This is the easy part. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

My name is Thomas Kanze. I hope this was pretty obvious, as my url and blog are literally my name. I’m 32 years old. A father of a 3 year old boy and a 0.1 year old girl. A husband. A vegan?

I’m the co-owner of Puerto&Co, a coworking space and vegan cafe in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

My current home is in the middle of the jungle, yet close enough to an amazing beach.

In the last 10 years, I’ve lived in Costa Rica, Australia (Melbourne), Ireland (Dublin). I’ve traveled the world with my wife for 18 months and visited over 18 countries in 5 continents during that time. I’ve visited many more over my short (?) lifespan.

In terms of work experience I’ve worked at large tech firms in Ireland (Microsoft and LinkedIn) and at a small startup in Australia.

I speak French, English, Spanish, German and some Italian.

I could go on and on, but I feel like I’m talking too much about me. And writing only the positive like that doesn’t feel right. So let’s add a few negatives in the mix.

I’m a serial procrastinator. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get started or get things done. I struggle daily. I write a bunch of stuff on my todo list, but some of them keep getting postponed. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of things on it.

I’m shy, an introvert. I don’t necessarily aim at becoming an extrovert but I sometimes struggle with social interactions. I don’t always feel comfortable around people I don’t know well. I lack self-confidence. And I’m really bad at expressing feeling. Oh and I also avoid confrontation as much as I can.

See, I’m just a human being. With strengths and weaknesses as we all do. I’m trying my best to improve and become a better human being. By doing so, I hope to impact the people around me.

There’s a lot more to me, but I feel this is plenty for an about me page. If you want to know more about me, feel free to contact me.

How?

I live a simple life. I try to own less by adopting a minimalist lifestyle. I’m a firm believer that less is more in every aspect of life. Having less and going back to our roots is one of the reasons why we’ve moved to Costa Rica. We don’t have Amazon, Starbucks and all the temptations you can have in a big city. Heck, I don’t even have internet nor phone signal at my house.

I question the status-quo. All the time. Should we have babies in hospitals? Why do we have to give up 5 days per week for 2? And much more. It seems that over time we’ve accepted a lot and we consider many things normal. But are they really? Should we work over 60 hours per week? I believe the current system serves a handful of people, the top 0.01%, but isn’t really adapted at a larger scale, nor it is fair. And I see you coming. I’m not a communist either. I’m just thinking that there’s a better way yet to be discovered.

Work-wise I try to be content with good enough. I don’t want to become a perfectionist. I want to share my message even if it’s not perfect. Hence, why I started this blog.

Why?

Now let’s dig deep into the why I do the things I am doing. Why is not an easy question. And I’m not even sure I know for sure what my why is.

One thing I want is to create something meaningful in the sense that it will be useful to others. I want to help as many people as I can to improve their lives. I want people to recognize that in life they always have a choice. And usually there are many more options than the ones you are considering.

Some of the projects I work on is because I want to provide for my family. I want them to have all the basics they need. A roof, organic food and clothes (although my son likes to be naked most of the time). I don’t see the current system as a long lasting one, but for now, unfortunately, we still have to work with it. We need money. Not much, but some.

I guess I want to improve the lives of others while becoming a better person, parent and partner.

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What I’m currently working on

Book I’m reading

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

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And if you like what I’m doing and would like to support me, feel free to contribute by buying me a cup of coffee! Thanks for reading my about page.

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If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.

Amit Ray