Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
• 📝 Sign up for my newsletter: petercook.myflodesk.com/newsletter
• ☕️ Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/petercook
There used to be a time when the dream was simple: get an education, find a good job, get married and have a family, buy a house, maybe get a dog.
The “normal” life.
But after debilitating headaches, I realized that if pushing yourself to the brink for a job was considered “normal,” then maybe normal wasn't for me anymore.
So since then, I’ve chosen to design my own life. One that's taken me from the Netherlands to Thailand, Bulgaria, Spain, and now soon back to Thailand again.
And today, I want to talk about why and how I did it.
BUSINESS CONTACT:
💌: peter@petercook.io
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:41 What is the “normal” life?
01:21 Why the “normal” path is failing people
03:47 My wake-up call
06:46 My journey
11:32 Treat life as play
15:20 The hidden costs of "normal”
15:36 What if later never comes?
16:51 Job security is a myth
18:31 The “normal” path can keep your world small
– LINKS –
📚 Interesting books to read:
• Stoicism For Beginners: https://a.co/d/hPU8GTX
• Minimalism 101: https://a.co/d/bJkA6Lt
• Declutter Your Life: https://a.co/d/carqttB
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
• 📝 Sign up for my newsletter: petercook.myflodesk.com/newsletter
• ☕️ Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/petercook
There used to be a time when the dream was simple: get an education, find a good job, get married and have a family, buy a house, maybe get a dog.
The “normal” life.
But after debilitating headaches, I realized that if pushing yourself to the brink for a job was considered “normal,” then maybe normal wasn't for me anymore.
So since then, I’ve chosen to design my own life. One that's taken me from the Netherlands to Thailand, Bulgaria, Spain, and now soon back to Thailand again.
And today, I want to talk about why and how I did it.
BUSINESS CONTACT:
💌: peter@petercook.io
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:41 What is the “normal” life?
01:21 Why the “normal” path is failing people
03:47 My wake-up call
06:46 My journey
11:32 Treat life as play
15:20 The hidden costs of "normal”
15:36 What if later never comes?
16:51 Job security is a myth
18:31 The “normal” path can keep your world small
– LINKS –
📚 Interesting books to read:
• Stoicism For Beginners: https://a.co/d/hPU8GTX
• Minimalism 101: https://a.co/d/bJkA6Lt
• Declutter Your Life: https://a.co/d/carqttB
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
