Mediterranean Paella Vision

A story about how a scene in Mallorca inspired Raoul Pal's vision for his ideal lifestyle.

"I was in Mallorca, Spain with my ex-girlfriend when I was at university. Her mother lived there. We were on this small beach eating grilled sardines - it was this perfect Mediterranean scene. Someone was making sardines on a big oil drum on the beach, we had cold beer, and on this little mini peninsula with pine trees and palm trees, there was this long table of about 30 people.

There were different age groups - parents, kids, grandparents - all eating paella, the Spanish national dish, on this Sunday. They were drinking wine and laughing. I looked at that and thought 'that is quality of life.'

I kept that vision in my mind and facilitated it to happen. Later, through my father's connection, I found a 6-bedroom house on a hillside in Spain for £150,000. I was 30, working at Goldman, and had just received a bonus. I bought it in cash. It was game-changing because now I'd won the entire game - I had a house overlooking orange groves, 10 minutes to the beach. I could lose my job, work in a bar, and still live there. I was done. My game of life was won, and that became the marker stone that allowed me to take more risks and do the next thing."