This has been my life for the past eight months.
I'm just showing the path that I almost passed up.
Taking this path was far from easy.
It was just about the scariest thing I'd ever done.
It meant walking away from a job I'd worked so hard to achieve.
It meant prematurely closing my apartment lease.
It meant telling my friends and family that I was leaving behind the real world.
It was time for me to create my own path and forego the safety of the life I had built.
This was my chance to redefine success and happiness.
I ventured off into the unknown and it was the best decision of my life.
For four years I studied at the top business school in the country and I was taught, just like the rest of the world, to get a job and join the rat race.
When it finally came my time to embrace the corporate life, it became quickly apparent that it was taking away my life.
After three months of working the grind, I asked myself this question.
Either stick with it for the next 40 years until I retire, or take these next few years to unconditionally follow my passion.
On January 1st 2016, I took the 5000 I had to my name and bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand.
I began my trip with just a few thousand subscribers and a big dream.
I took my hobby and passion for vlogging and set out to perfect the art.
I taught myself everything I know by watching YouTube tutorials and, most of all, making videos every single day.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I was confident that I would make it work in this sink or swim situation.
Every day I woke up motivated and energized like never before.
I was doing what I loved most, making videos and traveling.
My bank account grew smaller every day, but I was determined not to return home to the lifestyle of working in a box from sunrise to sunset.
I kept my costs as low as possible by working with local businesses and I started to earn a very modest income.
My first month on the road was a huge success, bringing my subscribers to around 15000 and building an incredibly supportive YouTube audience, just like I have today.
After an unforgettable time in Thailand, I was off to the Philippines and very soon after, joined by my beautiful girlfriend and the love of my life.
This is my favorite part of the story.
There's nothing as liberating as following your passions.
People often think that my decision to leave behind everything was risky, but they often neglect the biggest risk, which is not reaching our full potential.
Not living a life which we chase the things that ignite us.
You see if, in two years time, I realize that this was not my path to take, I'll be able to return back to the real world knowing that I gave it my very best.
If I continued down the corporate road yeah, I may have been able to buy a house sooner or had a higher position at the firm, but I would have always been left with a void, a deep wondering if I couldn't have accomplished something greater.
When you follow your passion, it's impossible to lose.
At the end of the day, my path was never really a path at all.
It was about going into the unknown and seeing if I came out at the other side.
My story was one of getting lost.
I have no idea where this journey will take me.
The destinations, the opportunities and even the finances are all unknown.
But this will not be the opportunity that I let slide by.
This video is not about quitting a job.
It's about pursuing your passion unconditionally.
Find the thing in your life that gives you hope and energy and chase it down with all that you've got.
Take the leap of faith and get lost.
What is up?
You guys, you have just watched my proudest creation today.
That is the result of eight months of day in and day out, filming and editing.
So much hard work behind this video.
Please leave it a big thumbs up and, if you really liked it, take it a step further.
Share with your mom, share with your dad, maybe even grandma i think she'd really like it And always hit the subscribe button.
Unless you're already subscribed, then don't touch it because you'll unsubscribe.
This is my story of how I followed my passion.
I left behind the corporate world to wholeheartedly pursue my passion for travel and sharing the world with you guys.
Now, I also had another announcement.
I'm giving away a Hero 4 Silver, and no, it's not new, but this is the exact same camera that I used while traveling Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia.
I went to over 10 Asian countries using this very same camera.
Now the GoPro is just a small part of the prize.
I like to think that the biggest prize and the biggest thing I can offer to a content creator is my support.
I want to hand pick a content creator or a soon to be content creator, and I want to give them my support.
I want to share with them everything I've learned over the past 8 months of doing YouTube full time.
From ups and downs.
YouTube is a very difficult path and I want to be able to help someone through that path.
So how do you enter the giveaway?
I want to see you guys get creative.
In a 30 second to one and a half minute video.
I want you guys to tell me why you think that you should be the selected creator.
If you share the video on Twitter or Instagram, use the hashtag, I am Team Get Lost.
If you put the video inside of a YouTube clip or on a Facebook link, make sure you tweet it at me at Los Leblanc with the hashtag I am Team, Get Lost.
This will guarantee that I see your submission and everyone will be considered.
I will not be responding to email.
Please do not message my email.
It is for business only.
I will not be considering a single email.
So please Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, just no email.
You guys have till October 15th and that is the deadline.
As long as you get your video in, by then, you will be considered, and I cannot wait to check out every single one of the submissions.
That's it guys, let's get lost again tomorrow.
