This post is published in cooperation with IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization).
4 steps to work and live your passion worldwide that will change your life
Sebastiano Bergamini currently lives at the wonderful kitespot of Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. In his hands, the 25-year old kitesurfing instructor holds only the bar from his gear. In front of him, the wonderful blue ocean surrounds this Caribbean island. He is living his dream in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Step 1: Want it
Sebastiano is from Italy. He spent all his life by the sea, while working as a sailing and windsurfing instructor, besides other jobs. How did he get into kitesurfing? “People started to tell me about kitesurfing. I became curious.” YouTube videos were his first step into this hobby. He started watching kite videos, as well as reading articles about the sport, before eventually going to the water. First, he took kitesurfing lessons and, from that point, kitesurfing became his passion!
“It didn’t take long until I realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life.”
For three years, Sebastian followed his passion and took every opportunity to travel to the best kite spots. “It didn’t take long until I realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life: travelling and kitesurfing,” says Sebastiano. He was sure that he couldn’t be the only one who would like to travel, see new places, experience other cultures and just enjoy life. Indeed, every year more than 100 000 new people learn kiteboarding worldwide. Some decide to learn during their vacations, while others choose a remote kiteboarding location.
Step 2: Get ready
Now Sebastiano knew what he wanted. “Have the self-respect and confidence to live life on your terms. When something isn’t right in your life, change it. Immediately!” With this motto, he started doing research and ended up attending an IKO Instructor Training Course at a wonderful spot in Tarifa, Spain in September 2015. “During this time, I met many people who shared the same passion and wanted to live the life I was dreaming of, which gave me additional strength to follow through with my decision. The most inspiring person for me, personally, was the Examiner, surfing from one spot to another and pushing people to do the same. He fueled my ambition and gave me the ‘I can do it’ feeling.”
After that, the fear of the new was gone and he had all he needed to follow his goal. He gathered information through the IKO website about kitesurfing schools looking for instructors and found a job in Cabarete, Dominican Republic.
“Deep down I knew it was the right thing to do. Everything will be fine, and I will feel alive again and have strength, confidence and optimism, which was a new and wonderful feeling in my life,”
Sebastiano explained. He knows now that he is responsible for his own happiness and for making the best out of his life.
Step 3: Do it
Now this year in September it’s been almost a year for him in Cabarete, still living his dream every day. The wind softly blowing through the palm trees is the alarm that wakes him up every morning. He enjoys coffee and fruit on the terrace of his apartment, which he shares with a colleague, and goes to the beach fully motivated.
“My motivation reflects the fun and joy I experience every day, in comparison to the fixed working hours I had before,” Sebastiano expressed. He still has fixed working hours, but now his office is the beach.
Step 4: Enjoy
To the question if it’s possible to combine working and kitesurfing, his face lit up and he explained that here he has more time than ever before. Kitesurfing is a lifestyle, and he has no day without it. Through his new experience, Sebastiano learns about himself and grows personally. He meets a lot of different people, and everybody teaches him a little bit more. He feels more in control of his life and lives his dream. “I have improved, and today I’m fluent in three languages, which just happened through my daily work. I no longer waste time thinking if I will fail or not. I believe in myself, and I have found new self-confidence. I finally unite my passion with my job!” claims Sebastiano.
“I no longer waste time thinking if I will fail or not. I believe in myself, and I have found new self confidence. I finally unite my passion with my job!”
Sebastiano enjoys his job. He teaches and focuses on the satisfaction of his students. He likes to see the spark of joy in his students’ eyes when they stand on the board for the first time, have their first ride and then celebrate their success. “Every time I experience this happiness I know I did the right thing!”
If you are like Sebastiano a passionate kiteboarder who looks for helping others to learn kitesurfing or enrich your knowledge, discover what Assistant and Instructor Level 1 Training is about.