Realization: This morning, I woke up, stretched my legs, and looked out the sliding glass doors from my bed.
In front of me was a small private pool, a wall of bright green tropical plants, and the soft morning light filtering through the trees. The air conditioner hummed quietly behind me while the outside world slowly came to life.
It was one of those moments where you think:
“Wow… this is pretty damn good.”
For a brief second I thought to myself, “Maybe Thailand is my paradise.”
But then a funny realization hit me.
It wasn’t Thailand I was in love with.
It was my table in the restaurant.
Let me explain.
When you walk into a restaurant, you might be drawn to a certain table — the one near the window, the one with the perfect view, the one where the lighting feels just right.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the restaurant itself is the best place you’ve ever been.
It just means you picked a really good table.
And that’s exactly what happened to me here in Phuket.
I found an amazing little villa. When I wake up in the morning, I can see the pool and greenery right from my bed. I could literally roll out of bed and jump into the water if I wanted to.
It’s quiet. It’s private. It’s comfortable. And it’s affordable.
The rest of Phuket? Well… it’s good. It’s convenient. The Thai people are kind and welcoming. I can find sour cream at the grocery store, rent a scooter easily, get a massage for the price of lunch, and pick up sour cream if I feel like making something that reminds me of home.
In other words, life here is very easy.
But if I’m being honest with myself, I haven’t fallen deeply in love with Thailand the way some people do.
What I’ve fallen in love with is my micro-environment.
That little slice of daily life that works perfectly for me.
And this realization taught me something important that I want to share with you.
When people start dreaming about living abroad, they usually ask the wrong question.
They ask:
“Which country should I live in?”
But that’s not the real question.
The real question is:
“What type of daily environment makes me feel good?”
Because paradise is rarely about the country itself.
It’s about the rhythm of your life inside that country.
For me, the formula seems to look something like this:
A small, comfortable villa.
Privacy.
Nature and greenery.
A pool or water nearby.
Warm weather.
A safe place where people are friendly.
And a cost of living that allows me to enjoy life without feeling financially squeezed.
When those pieces come together, something interesting happens. My nervous system relaxes. My creativity returns. My energy for building businesses and new ideas comes back online.
In other words, life flows better.
And that’s the real lesson.
You don’t need to find the perfect country.
You need to find the environment that allows your life to work well.
For some people, that might be a walkable European town with cafés and cobblestone streets.
For others, it might be a beach town in Mexico.
For someone else, it might be a mountain village or a bustling Asian city.
The point is, paradise isn’t universal.
It’s personal.
What I’m learning on this journey with Denis — and what we’ll continue exploring with the OGT community — is that global living isn’t about chasing Instagram destinations.
It’s about designing your life intentionally.
Sometimes that means experimenting with different countries, different neighborhoods, and different homes until you find the setup that fits.
And sometimes you discover that you didn’t fall in love with the entire restaurant after all.
You just found a really good table.
For now, I’m enjoying my little table here in Phuket.
But the beauty of a globally mobile life is that if I want to, I can always stand up, walk across the room, and try another one.
And who knows?
The next table might be even better.
— Sheri