“Every Day Is Like A Dream” – How a Renowned Creative Designed a Happy Life in Paris
“The key moment was deciding that I deserved to live my ‘ideal life.’ Then it was just a matter of determining what that was…and how to get there.” – Sam Henderson
From the time he took his first French class in 8th grade, designer, food and travel photographer and Savour Partnership’s Creative Director, Sam Henderson, has been an avid admirer of the French culture and lifestyle. His passion for all things French only grew stronger after he lived in Europe as a teen.
But for most of his adult life, he built a career and family as a married father of two sons in Dallas, far away from the Seine and Notre Dame.
Nearly 10 years ago, he experienced a crisis point in his life when his marriage ended. As devastating as such a setback can be, Sam determined to use the ending as a hinge point opportunity to reimagine his happiest life. “I began to re-evaluate my path,” Sam said. “I decided it was time to determine what would be my ‘ideal life’…and to go get it.”
Through relentless perseverance, painstaking preparation, determined discipline and a willingness to make sacrifices along the way, Sam is now immersed in his dream life: living and working in Paris.
Here’s a look at the steps Sam took on the journey to his best life:
- Affirming His Worthiness
Before he took any practical steps to envision a new and ideal life, the first and most important step for Sam was affirming that he was worth the immense effort it would take. “The key moment for me was deciding that I deserve to live my ‘ideal life,” Sam says. “While my marriage was ending, my career as a food photographer and content creator was just starting to blossom.”
- Defining and Sketching Out His Best Life
To help him envision his “ideal life” and to make the decision about where it would take place, Sam first sat down with pencil and paper. “At the top of the page, I wrote ‘My Ideal Life,’ and then I started listing what would make my life as perfect as possible. Nothing was off limits.
It was a time to decide what was really important to me. For me, that included things like living in a walkable city, having a regular routine to meet my fitness goals and having a work/live open-concept space. Initially, many more things were on the list, but I narrowed it down to around 10 things that I knew were essential to my overall happiness.
After evaluating my short happiness list, I realized that my choices were narrowed to New York City or Paris. Having already spent lots of time in New York, I decided it was time for a bigger adventure. If I was going to push the boundaries, I was going to really push the boundaries…whatever my ‘ideal life’ was, it had to happen in Paris.”
Once Sam decided on Paris, then he started creating notes in the Evernote app to flesh out practical ideas and the vision for his happiest life. He had several sets of notes, including one set about what was necessary to make his move from Dallas to Paris, another set for his ‘ideal life’ vision board, another about selling his home and so on. He kept the notes in a collection and looked over them every morning.
To this day, Sam still looks at his collection of “ideal life” notes every morning.
- Preparing for His Best Life
At the time of Sam’s decision to eventually move to Paris, Sam’s sons were still living with him, and, “I knew I wouldn’t make my move until they were ready to live alone,” Sam says. But during this transition period of several years, Sam intentionally prepared to realize his best life:
- He budgeted and saved money, since it is recommended to have at least $50K in savings before applying for a Visa, and proof of this level of savings must be shown. Sam saved extra money beyond that because “there are many unexpected expenses that come up.”
- He navigated the visa process, which was a challenge with the language barrier. “The visa process and documentation is very different depending on whether you are a student, self-employed or retired, so getting this right upfront will save you time, money and weeks or months of red tape.”
- He researched costs and the process for shipping his belongings overseas. “In the end, I decided it was not cost-effective to ship most of my belongings. Although that meant leaving some things behind that I love, it also meant that I could find new treasures in France and leave some of my favorite things with my sons.”
- “To prepare myself further, I took a deep dive into the French language. I studied nearly every day. I found language exchange partners on the Internet and started having 3-4 conversations per week with native French speakers…no matter how much you study language books, you will never succeed at speaking another language naturally without talking to native speakers and making lots of mistakes,” Sam says.
- Sam sold his home and moved into an AirBNB for 3 months in Dallas while he sorted out the last details of his move. “This gave me time to decide exactly what I would take with me and see as many friends as possible, and spend time with my kids.”
- Packing for the move was an “adventure,” Sam says. “I had to buy a special flight case for my computer and opted for six large canvas duffel bags in addition to my luggage. I stuffed as much as I could, including photography equipment, into each bag.”
- Assimilating to Paris
To obtain his visa, it was necessary for Sam to have a living space secured before his move. He reserved an AirBNB for 3 months, and showed the receipt as the proof.
The temporary arrangement helped Sam to know where he wanted to land more permanently. “I spent the first 3 months taking in every bit of my neighborhood and the rest of Paris.
I ran each morning along the banks of the Seine and spent many evenings close to my apartment, where there were jazz clubs. It was incredible. I was often nervous, but each new challenge helped me grow and learn more about the language and culture.”
- Living His Dream Life
“Living in Paris is magical. I’ve been here for nearly two years, and every day is still like a dream. So often, when I am walking to the market or home from a friend’s place, I look around and just start smiling. There is beauty everywhere. For a creative person like me, Paris is a never-ending source of inspiration.”
~~~
I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview with Sam. Did a difficult life event you went through push you into making a major life transition? Are you now living the happiest version of your life because of it?
If it did, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
I invite you to subscribe to Design Happy Living by taking the fun Style Color Quiz to find out the perfect paint palette for your home.
Follow Design Happy Living on Instagram here, and please use the hasthag #designhappyliving to connect with the Design Happy Living community around the world.
As always, thank you for reading – I appreciate each and everyone of you.
Leslie
What a spectacular post this is – SO inspiring to hear what Sam did to make this huge change in his life. I wish him continued happinesses and success! His photos are amazing. What a gift!
I will tell Sam you thought so, Anne. Thanks for such a nice comment..and yes, his photos ARE amazing. He’s such a great photographer!
Thank you so much, Anne. I am really glad you took a few minutes to read it. And I agree, it is INSPIRING to read about how Sam made this long held dream a reality for himself.
And I will tell him that you think his photos are amazing. He’s a professional photographer, so that helps! LOL!
Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
I am in awe of what Sam did. It is so inspiring to read his process and how he not only dreamed of his life in Paris but took the action it required to get there. My husband and I are at the point in our lives where we are trying to decide on what our dream life will look like going forward. I’m not certain what it is yet but it will definitely involve overseas adventure.
Good morning,Linda~
You and me both re: being in awe of what Sam did. What was most impressive to me? He STUCK TO IT like glue until he made it a reality.
I am so thrilled for him as he is genuinely happy there, and despite the lockdowns, etc, he just LOVES it.
And re: you and your hubby being at that point where you are trying to decide what your dream life will look like going forward, I hear you re: it including overseas adventure.
If you ever get to Paris again, please let me know you’re going as I know Sam would love to know and to give you the tips on the best small restaurants!
Have a great day ahead, my friend!
Leslie
Inspiring. God Bless you, Sam.
Good morning, Bruce. Thank you for that nice comment. I know Sam will see these comments at some point and he will appreciate knowing you think his story is inspiring.
Have a beautiful weekend ahead! I hope you and Susan are doing well!
Very inspiring story. I left a previous career and retired early to pursue spending more time doing Interior Design and am so glad I did. I am inspired to sit down tomorrow and review my dream life and see what else I need to do to make it happen! Thank you.
Hi Mary Ann ~ Thank you for leaving a comment. It’s not easy to leave friends & family and start over in another country, but it was Sam’s heart’s desire.
I’m glad his story has inspired you to sit down and review your own situation to see how you can continue to make your dream life of being an interior designer continue to blossom.
What an inspiring story, Leslie, and congratulations to Sam for the tenacity to discover and create his best life! I loved reading about his process and seeing all the pictures of the beautiful city he now calls home!
What an inspirational story! Sam is an incredibly talented photographer and I’m so happy to hear he was able to create the life of his dreams! This was so interesting to read.
Very inspiring but also good to learn of the practical needs of such a big change in life. The conception, planning and implementing – and then maintaining it all – as I said, very inspiring!
Thank you, Linda! Yes, there are a lot of practical needs to be taken into consideration for a move like this. Not everyone realizes how extensive they are! But, Sam perservered and is now living his dream life!
I loved reading about Sam’s story and how he made his dream a reality!! I was lucky enough to live and work in Paris in my 20’s and it was a highlight of my life. Now I am in my 40’s and dream of moving back there when I retire!! This is so inspiring to read that Sam made it happen!
Hi there, Christie!
Thanks so much for taking some time to comment and to let me know that you had the wonderful experience of living and working in Paris in your 20’s. I sure hope you get to go back again now, when you retire, to live out your best life..and I’m glad that Sam’s story could remind you that it IS possible to make it happen!
I’m so inspired, I really love this post! I find myself aspiring to reach my own personal “best life” goals these days, and this was such a lovely story of success!
Thank you so much, Carla, for taking some time to read this post and I wish you every success in reaching your own *best life* goals!
What an incredible post! I am so filled with admiration that he took this leap and is still living his dream life! Just the photos filled me with inspiration. If I could say anything to Sam I would say “You have the guts to do what we all wish we could do, and so much more! Bravo, well done!” Thanks so much for sharing his story Leslie!
I know Sam will appreciate reading this comment, Amy. Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to share your admiration for what he was able to accomplish and it was my joy to share his story here! If it helps even one person *take the leap * into designing their best life, it will have been worth it!
Loved reading Sam’s personal story about achieving his dream of living in Paris. And because of you sharing this I learned about Language Exchange Partners so I can help find one for David as he has been learning Italian for the past 3 years. His dream is to retire in Italy! Exciting adventures ahead. Thanks for sharing this inspiring post Leslie! So happy for Sam.
I’m so glad that you were able to learn something useful from reading Sam’s story, Deb. I wish you and David every success in retiring in Italy..and if Sam can ever be of help in giving you all pointers about living in Italy, I’m sure he’d be happy to do that!
What joy I felt reading this article! The writing is beautiful and made me feel like I too was living through and feeling the moment during Sam’s transition from the US to beautiful Paris. Bravo Sam! And bravo Leslie for you your beautiful writing and beautiful blog!
Hi Kat!
It makes me so happy to read your comment. Thank you for the kind words. Sam has truly created a happy life for himself in Paris, and I’m glad this post was inspirational and encouraging to you. It’s never too late to dream of – and create – the life we truly want for ourselves, no matter our age and circumstances. Set your intention, execute consistently, and watch it manifest.