It’s been some time since I’ve chosen to be happy. I have decided not only to exist, but to live. I made a commitment to myself that I would not let my life pass by without making the most of it, without sucking all that it has to offer. Since the sorrows are inevitable, I decided to maximize the smiles. Mine and those around me. Since then I always try to have a suitcase and a smile always ready. I learned to say more “yes” than “no” and things have worked. I learned that I can make a lifelong friendship in the supermarket, with the porter of the building or with the girl sitting in the coffee shop. I have found that the city I’m living is beautiful, but it is not enough. That my friends are amazing, but it’s not enough. That I have the best family in the world, but it’s still not enough. I want more. I want the world. Everyone. The whole world. All at once. I want a gondola in Venice, a ballad in Amsterdam and a beach in Australia. I want the lights of Times Square an African savannah and an afternoon in Rio a casino in Vegas, and a goal in the World Cup final. I want that many years from now, when I’m not here, someone will remember me with a smile on their face and think: there’s a guy who knew how to live.

Life will pass. If you are lying on your bed or watching the sunrise on a beach, it will pass. Make your choice. The richest man I ever met in my life did not even had a coin in his pocket. But he had love, friends and a good story in every corner of the world.