This was his first step towards letting go and a fresh start. At sixteen, it was discovered that Adri was dyslexic and had dyscalculia. This brought much wisdom after being labeled as dumb in class before. Adri thought in images due to his dyslexia, thus creating his future, which he later referred to as his "creation spiral." Traditional education didn't work for him, so he dropped out at the age of eighteen. His father always wondered what would become of him, but Adri knew. He wanted to work as a croupier in the casino. Despite his young age, he applied for the position, only to be rejected due to his youthfulness and advised to enlist first. So he did, while telling everyone he was already working in the casino and frequented it regularly. He already saw himself behind the tables, and that belief took him where he wanted to be.

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After a year and a half of service in Germany, an unexpected phone call during a vacation in Spain informed him that he needed to quickly come to Holland Casino because someone had dropped out. The job interview was successful, and he soon began training. Out of a thousand invitees, only 100 new croupiers remained. Adri believed that if you believe in something, you create your own life. And he did, with a fresh start as a newcomer at Holland Casino Zandvoort in 1984. From being a croupier in all game types, table chief, and after five years an instructor/trainer for training croupiers in American roulette, blackjack, and Punto Banco.

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Thirteen years later, at the age of thirty-three, he was invited to share his vision and years of experience in training croupiers at the Amsterdam casino. The following year, he became the coordinator of training and a national examiner. He proved that if you have passion, a vision, and a dream, you must live it. The casino offered Adri various training opportunities, but he refused out of fear of failure and still felt unconsciously dumb. A remnant from his old dyslexic trauma. Nevertheless, he began a more spiritual NLP practitioner course that taught him to reconnect with his intuition, inner voice, and gut feeling. Through this training, Adri realized that he wasn't living his dream at all and was deeply unhappy inside. After 20 years of faithful service and almost no sick days, he decided within 5 minutes to start living his childhood dream. 'Freedom' is the ultimate word I've longed for years. I decided to live it. It was a dream that was on my mind every day. These images were like a magnet to take the next step. Buying and running a beach bar in Zandvoort, his home base where Adri settled on the natural beach. With accumulated wealth through buying and selling properties and support from Holland Casino, he could fulfill his long-cherished dream.

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Adri started his beach bar Ganapati (better known as Ganesha) without any experience. It became a spiritual center for meditation, yoga, and more. But commercial success eluded him; it was ahead of its time. The world wasn't ready for it yet, and in 2007, a storm washed away his home base. He sought a business partner, unwilling to approach a bank to rebuild Ganpati. Oral agreements were not honored. Adri stepped out, leaving behind half a million and his childhood dream, but he chose his self-worth and authenticity. The aware beach bar where everyone could be, grow, flourish, transform, and above all, feel safe. This feeling was completely gone, which would make Adri deny himself and be incongruent with what he shared with the world. There was only one thing left to do: let go of everything, experience fears, and start anew.

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During the Ganpati period, he traveled to India every winter for three months to gain inspiration, purchase items for the beach shop, and work on himself in Vipassana meditation centers, absorb wisdom from Osho in Pune, and experience the yoga practice. Traveling and freedom remained in his blood. After a year in southern France and four months on a low budget in India, he wanted to open a beach bar in Brazil. But after three shootings in a month, he returned to the Netherlands and left his fear of death behind. He founded Ganpati Spirit. Based on value determination afterwards, he organized gatherings in parks. After nine times, he stopped due to lack of appreciation and financial income. He then worked for a contractor for half a year. Fate struck. Adri fell from a four-meter scaffold and upon waking up, he heard his deep voice that he always listened to, "I'm not happy here." After this statement, he left a week later for Alicante to do a job for three weeks. During the same period, a valued friend died in Ibiza, and Adri decided to pay him a final tribute and visit his loved one. Upon arrival by boat, he decided within 5 minutes at sunrise to stay on the island. His Eivissa challenge with a backpack and 1800 euros. Adri felt he had come home. A deep inner knowing.

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In Ibiza, he started as a bartender because money needed to be earned, but soon Adri became a handyman. Not much later, he cooked as the Magic Healthy Chef for retreats. He discovered his passion for cooking. This adventure also had a price. He even lived on the roof of a retreat accommodation for eight months because finding housing on Ibiza was a huge challenge. Two years later, after meeting a crying plumber and having a good conversation about life, he encountered the man again. Out of interest, Adri asked, 'where do you actually live?'. The man showed his Finca in the Morna Valley on his phone. Adri realized that he had seen his dream house before in a vision, his "creation spiral." He asked if he could take over the house, and six months later, it was done. The plumber called and said, 'you are still number one.'

Adri returned to the Netherlands for fundraising, but none of his old friends lent him money for his new dream, except for a new good friend and friend living on the island. Thus began Can Pura, a home away from home where guests can come home again. After 5 years of building and working as a handyman in the winter to pay off debts, it is finally time to enjoy a winter break more and Adri started traveling again. His travels are always about transformation and development.

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Adri now lives his Can Pura life, a place full of love and coming home. And he knows that letting go, starting anew, and facing your fears are the keys to success.