There I was. Ten pairs of eyes staring at me. The coach asked, “What does that storm symbol on your flipchart mean?” Me: “It stands for my frustration … with my situation. And with how we treat each other in Germany. I want to emigrate!”
The coach looked around the room, soaking in his own wisdom: “Another perfect example. You can tell – he’ll never do it.
Just look at his body language. And h-o-w he said it!”
It had finally happened.
For the 1st time, I had said out loud, in front of a group, that I wanted to leave my rich, democratic country.
And right away, some trainer in that coaching school told me I’d never actually do it.
He added details: Certain words I had used, and what exactly about them revealed that I’d never follow through.
That. Was. It. 
The drop that made the barrel overflow.
If it had been a movie, the camera would have zoomed in on my face.
I was fuming.
I couldn’t hear his words anymore. Either I’d pin him to the wall right now and ask if he’d lost his mind, or I’d finally stand up for what I truly wanted in life.
I chose option two.
And suddenly, I knew: I was going to Portugal.
But how? I had no idea.
“Marius, are you still present?” the trainer asked.
“Guilty as charged,” I said with a grin. The group laughed.
The exercise was over, and I was on my new path—outward.
That very night, I did what I’d always postponed:
• I calculated how much luggage weight I’d need to buy if I didn’t want to leave my studio equipment behind. I didn’t have the money for the flight yet, though.
• I told my three best friends I was moving abroad. One thought I’m joking.
• I made a list of what I needed to settle before leaving.
That was enough for now. That night, I slept better than ever before.
Anger had rewritten my life.
I knew now what I wanted, and why.
A few months later, I had also figured out how. And I had scraped together the money.
On the night of December 31, 2020, while German news read: “Politician sees no room for easing COVID restrictions,” I sat in an almost empty plane, flight TP1693 to Madeira, Portugal.
Do you remember how no one dared to fly back then? Fear of death!
It was probably the healthiest flight of my life, with so much fresh air and space on board.
In that moment of crisis, most people wouldn’t have dared to fly or even start a new life! My perspective was different: I was on autopilot. Just executing a plan that had been ready in my drawer for months.
And you?
What hit you so deeply that you’ve never been the same again? / What could still become a turning point in your life?
