7 People who have inspired me and changed my life forever

Most of us have some people who’ve inspired them in one way or another, some more than others. For me, there’s specifically 7 persons who have inspired me and changed my life forever. If it weren’t for them, I would probably never been able to live the life that I’m living today.

This is somewhat of a tribute post and my way of saying thank you. 

Nomadic Matt – Matthew Kepnes

Nomadic Matt is without a doubt, the single biggest reason why I became a travel blogger.
I have always dreamed of traveling the world, but I used to think it was expensive and impossible. While I was researching about how you could make money online back in 2013, somehow I stumbled upon his travel blog.

It only took a few minutes before I said to myself – “This guy is literally leaving my dream life.” First, it seemed too good to be true. Because, hey, if you’ve never heard of anyone that makes a living and at the same time traveling around the world; It does sound a little too good to be true. But, I kept reading, and quite quickly I understood that it was for real.

Since then he’s been my biggest inspiration, and without reading his blog; I don’t think that I had been sitting here now and writing this article – on my own personal travel blog. Nomadic Matt made me believe that it was possible, and when you do believe in something it’s a lot easier to make it come true.

I haven’t had the chance to meet him yet, and maybe I never will. Of course, it would be fun. But, what really matters is that he and his blog nomadicmatt.com changed my life forever, and for that, I want to say a big THANK YOU!

Cory Schop

I met Cory when I went to Gran Canaria to attend a bartender course, and after a few weeks, we became good friends. While most of the people I hung out with had a regular job within the tourism industry; such as a bartender, waiter or hotel staff, Cory had an entirely different job.

This was back in 2010/11 and what he did for a living amazed me. He earned his money online through affiliate marketing and online marketing. When I met Cory for the first time, I didn’t even know that you could make money online. It had never crossed my mind, and there it was – My first interest to make money online.

Of, course at this time I had a completely different mindset than what I have today. The only thing that really mattered to me back then was partying and having a good time. This was still true until a few years ago. Fortunately, I got my life back and started to invest in myself and learn more about making a living online.

At the time when I started to learn about this, I didn’t really reflect about where the idea and inspiration came from. But lately, I’ve been thinking. Cory is in fact, a big reason to why I started to read more about making money online.

We’re still friends, and he’s even a bigger inspiration today because he took the leap of faith and started his own business – Roodiewear.com

Expert Vagabond – Matthew Karsten

Another travel blogger that I follow, and have been following for a while. I like how he writes his articles; they are always so interesting to read. The adventures of Matthew Karsten is inspirational by themselves but combined with the blog they become so much more than a regular travel blog.

He’s a true inspiration, and he also made me believe that the life as a full-time travel blogger was possible. If you don’t read his blog already I suggest that you start doing it – www.expertvagabond.com

Chris Burkard

Chris is an amazing photographer who’s also the biggest reason why I became interested in photography. I think his work is truly incredible, and every time he posted a new photo, I kept saying to myself – “How does he do that?”. This was before I learned more about photography. To be honest, I used to suck at taking pictures but look at me now.

Thanks to Chris Burkard’s photos I started to learn more about photography. I became inspired to learn more because I wanted to take pictures as good as his. First, I learned the basics, and then I saw the improvements in my photos. After that, I had got myself a new passion.

I have also seen a lot of interviews with Chris, and he seems like a humble guy that really loves what he is doing. And that is exactly how it should be. By listening to his interviews and tips, I also realized that it’s not about the camera gear, it’s about the person behind the camera.

If I hadn’t seen his photos, I would probably still suck at photography, so I want to say a big THANK YOU to Chris as well.

Have a look at his gallery – www.chrisburkard.com

Elia Locardi

Another photographer who’ve inspired me to become the photographer that I am today.
I used to look at his photos and say to myself: “Wow, I wish that I could take pictures like that.” And the way he showcases the world is purely magical.

His pictures are so sharp, and I can say nothing but wow when I look at them. I still feel the same way, and he continues to inspire me with every single new photo that he post.

Have a look at his gallery – www.elialocardi.com

Martin Aspdahl

My Uncle Martin. I wish that I could meet him today and tell him how grateful I am.
Unfortunately, he died of a muscular disease when I was 12. Yet, he managed to have a huge impact on me as a person. I’m not sure that I noticed it when I was younger, but he taught me how to be optimistic about life, even if you have a hard time.

Despite the fact that he had a muscular disease, he was always happy. Martin spread so much joy to everyone, and even if he had all reasons to be sad and negative about life, he wasn’t. Because he realized that life was worth more than that.

He had a rough time in school with kids making fun of him since he couldn’t walk or run like a regular kid. The doctors told him that he wouldn’t live a long life. His condition became worse over the years and he had to have a wheelchair. This was back in the 90s when society wasn’t adjusted for disabled persons.

As you can imagine, he could’ve easily just become grumpy and sad. He knew that he would die eventually and that the doctors couldn’t cure him. Yet, he showed optimism about everything. He was grateful, humble and always joking and spreading joy to others.

The doctors told him that he would die long before he actually died in his sleep. I believe that his optimism also extended his life. If everyone in this world shared the optimism and happiness of my uncle Martin, there would be no wars or hate.

I’m lucky that he was my uncle and that I got the chance to spend time with him. My uncle Martin is a big reason for why I’m not giving up and why I keep my hope up whenever things feel hopeless.

In short, he taught me to see the bright side of life.

Buddha – Siddharta Gautama

Buddha’s teachings about life is remarkable, and it really changed my life.
I have learned so much from his teachings. Before, I used to think that you needed a big house, a cool car and lots of money to be happy. But I couldn’t be more wrong. I also used to think that other people were the problem in my life. I didn’t realize that change comes from within and that you can’t change others into what you want.

You need to accept others the way they are and never judge them. There are so many things that I’ve learned from Buddha’s teachings that I can’t write it down in this article because it would be too long.

But thanks to his teachings I have finally found myself, and I’m now happier than ever.