You’re 6 Hours Behind (And It Shows)
I’m getting ready for dinner when you’re just sitting down for lunch.
Spain is six hours ahead of New York. That’s the time zone reality, but it’s also the mental setup. I see your morning before you’re awake. I watch the panic tweets roll in while I’m finishing coffee. By the time you’re deep in the grind, I’m already shifting gears.
It’s not better or worse. It’s just different. And different gives you perspective.
The Internet Killed Geography
You don’t have to be IN a country to talk TO that country anymore. That’s the part people still haven’t fully internalized. I’m in Spain. My audience is mostly American. My systems run on US market hours when I need them to. None of that matters because the work happens online.
The expat thing isn’t about escaping. It’s about positioning. Distance lets you see patterns everyone else is too close to notice. When you’re not in the middle of the chaos, you get the read faster. You see the setup before the hand plays out.
My location adds perspective to your world. That’s the trade. I’m not in the room, so I see the room clearly.
Both Have Sand and Water
I miss New York sometimes. Specifically, I miss New York in the summer. Nathan’s Hot Dogs. Long Island beaches. The energy of the city when it’s hot and everyone’s moving fast and the nights stretch long.
But here’s the thing about memory: it’s always better than reality. I don’t miss the grind. I don’t miss the subway in August or the rent or the constant noise that makes you think you’re supposed to be doing more, faster, louder.
Long Island beaches and the Mediterranean both have sand and water, but the vibe is completely different. One is hustle. The other is exhale. I chose exhale.
Experience Is Memory
I used to tell people, “Experience is memory.” If you need experience in something, create the memory. Study it. Retain it. Practice before you execute. Run the scenarios in your head until they’re automatic.
Experience isn’t some mystical thing that only comes from years of suffering. It’s confidence. And the only way to fake confidence is to actually know your stuff.
That’s the 55/35 play. Fifty-five years of creating memories, building patterns, learning reads. Thirty-five-year-old execution speed because AI lets me move faster than I could solo. But the speed only works because I put in the reps. I built the foundation.
You can’t shortcut pattern recognition. You can’t buy it in a course. You earn it by showing up, watching the table, remembering what worked and what didn’t.
The Setup
Six hours ahead means I see what’s coming while you’re still reacting to what just happened. That’s not arrogance. That’s positioning.
The question isn’t whether you should move to Spain or leave your city or quit your job. The question is: are you creating the memories that turn into experience? Are you building the confidence that comes from actually knowing your game?
Or are you just grinding because everyone else is grinding?
What memories are you building right now that will matter in five years?
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VENGA! -Mark a.k.a. VengaDragon