On at least two occasions of my knowledge you have shown that you are not afraid of change. The first involved leaving a ‘standard’ lifestyle for a long sailing trip. The second with the purchase of a 1600s mill in Sicily, transformed into your current business.
How do you recognise when the time has come to realise an idea? To put ideas into action, bringing about a radical, out-of-the-box change?
For us, change is synonymous with opportunity. Sure, it requires energy, but it pays off in terms of enthusiasm and evolution.
In any activity there is an initial stimulating development phase that after a while gives way to routine. At this point energy and motivation are lost and you risk an inevitable process of involution. It is time to change.
In our case, to sum it all up, at 50 years of age it was natural to take stock of our lives. We realised that we had worked a lot but lived little. We have also wondered what will remain of our existence. Houses, cars, watches, mobile phones. We will leave everything here. The only thing we will keep will be our history, our experiences, our encounters, our emotions.
So we let ourselves be seduced by a simpler, less affluent, but more fulfilling lifestyle and we let go, we let go of the pseudo-certainty that society shows you as goals to pursue, to face the unknown.
Once we made the decision to leave, we found that problems were solved quickly and easily. We deduced that the Universe was paving the way for us. So far, there has not been a single day when we have regretted our choices.
What are the elements behind your decisions?
Underlying our decisions is the search for new values. It is the desire to get rid of the neuroses typical of a hyper-technological and hyper-pampered society, based on everything superfluous and banal. There is a desire to return to the essentials, to peace, to solitude, to simplicity, to contact with nature, but also a desire to rediscover time for oneself. Yes, time, because besides health and affections, time is one of the three most precious things we have.
The sand runs fast in the hourglass of life.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to people who are planning a new life experience?
To set a date and stick to it at all costs. There will always be a thousand excuses to postpone, you will never be one hundred per cent ready. No matter, problems can be solved along the way. The important thing is to get started.
Were you confronted with the thoughts and statements of third parties that were in opposition to your projects? If so, what was your approach?
Everyone bases their opinions on their own experience. It is normal that not everyone shares the same ideas. If in good faith you are convinced of your own, it is only right that these, as far as we are concerned, take precedence over the opinions of others. The important thing is not to be afraid of the judgement of others, we are all here to gain experience.
How does your attitude towards the critical thinking of others change over time?
We have the privilege of being able to abstract others’ thinking. We are masters of our time and the only ones responsible for our existence.
How have your decisions, and the implementation of your projects, affected those close to you?
Having overcome the initial surprise with the passage of time, everything settles down and adapts to the new conditions of change. The people close to us have remained close and directly or indirectly have taken and continue to take part in our projects.
What are your future plans?
The fascination of travel, discovery and change continues to influence our life choices. We are in the planning stage …
We have made the motto “happiness is not an arrival station, but a way of travelling”.
Il Mulino di Chiaramonte
Swiss Private Homestay
+39 333 425 90 26
ilmulinodichiaramonte@gmail.com
Contrada Poggio Gallo 9
97012 Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG) – Italia
