27 Mar The nomadic lifestyle
I may not be a digital nomad but I do call many places my home
Quite a few years ago, when I was on my honeymoon (I’m no longer married but that’s a story for another day), I visited Bali for the first time. I remember stopping at a coffee shop and seeing ‘them’. There they were. ‘The other ones’. Those who I thought lived the ‘perfect life’. Sitting in coffee shops, wearing sandals, headphones, oozing such a strong sense of freedom that I didn’t know much about. My present was very different back then. I worked from 9am to 9pm, juggling between a busy government job and a small entrepreneurship that consumed all my time.
So I decided to start creating a life where sandals, sunsets and beach walks co-existed among a productive and meaningful life.
Although I loved my job, my mental, emotional, and physical health were compromised and my life was filled with stress all the time. There was always something inside of me telling me that there must be other ways available, where I could be connected to a deeper purpose and with conditions aligned to who I truly was.
Years later, a personal crisis ended my marriage and although it was an extremely difficult period, it was also an opportunity to pick up the pieces of my life and remodel it my own way. And of course, there it was, the memory of those who worked and lived ‘in freedom’. So I decided to start creating a life where sandals, sunsets and beach walks co-existed among a productive and meaningful life. Slow and steady. At first just the sandals and sunsets. And eventually the more liberated way of thinking and living followed 🙂.
Lots of things happened between the initial plan and the life that I live today. And the journey was nothing like I imagined. I got to enjoy many beautiful and extraordinary experiences but I also ended up in a lot of disappointing, frightening and even dangerous situations.
I am not a classical remote worker
Today I travel between different places, during different seasons of the year. I don’t fit into the bucket of ‘digital nomad’. A term for a remote worker with the option to live a nomadic lifestyle. I am not a classical remote worker. And I actually stay in places for longer, as well as return to the same places over and over. So they do actually start to feel like my second, third and fourth homes.
I can honestly say I’ve built a life that’s aligned to who I am at this moment. A life that I love and where movement plays a big part because it gives me a sense of expansion. I like to think of life as a series of questions, and living like that feels like an active exploration of those questions. Movement allows me to fill up my life with different experiences, which then help me to get to know myself better. This lifestyle can definitely be uncomfortable, but again we grow when we are outside our comfort zone.
However, although I love movement and flexibility, I also love structure and discipline, and I’ve learned that the structure is given to me by my habits. So wherever I am, I start to feel grounded when I have the following things: A coffee shop where I can work, that has the conditions for it, meaning good Wi-Fi and a space designated for people who work online, or a coworking space. And the second thing is a place to practise physical activity. This can either be yoga or another activity that I enjoy at that given time. It’s also a great way to start meeting people and create a sense of connection.
Besides what I just mentioned, my other habits are crucial to stay structured. I find that the flexibility I love is paradoxically given to me by structure and routine. So, some of my non-negotiable habits are:
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Taking my supplements
- Having a working schedule
These habits give me a sense of safety by knowing I’m taking care of myself, and then allow me to explore other parts of life in a less structured and more spontaneous way.
As I said, there have been so many beautiful and challenging moments that have come with my decision to live more globally. If I had to choose 3 positive aspects, they would be the following:
- Seeing life through the eyes of a ‘tourist’: A friend recently shared this term with me and I loved it because it represents what I love about changing places: being able to see things and life itself with a fresh perspective, and for me this brings a constant feeling of gratitude.
- Knowing different perspectives and expressions of life: One of my favourite things in the world is meeting people that have a different way to see life. It expands my own vision and allows me to question my own beliefs, learn, and grow.
- Connecting to different energies: Every place has a different energy, and if you learn to synchronise yourself with it, you can definitely take advantage of it.
On the other side, 3 of the most difficult aspects I've experienced would be:
- You have to say a lot of goodbyes: Whether it's you who's going away or the people you meet, this is very common and of course can make you feel lonely.
- It can be challenging to maintain your habits: Sometimes it takes time to get back on track, when your routine gets altered by moving from one place to another, and it also takes time for your organism to get used to the new conditions.
- Being away from your original life: On special occasions, or in challenging times, it's always difficult to be away from your loved ones.
How long will I continue with this lifestyle? Honestly, I don’t know. It will probably change, because I´ll change. For now, I know that this way of living nourishes my soul and allows me to contribute to my professional and personal development. But besides that, it has given me the biggest gifts of all: the ability to build a home within myself, to know that no matter where I go, who I meet, I’ve always got myself. It has shown me that every human deserves to be their own home, to be safe and happy within themselves, by building an inner space full of flowers and sunshine.
That’s the biggest freedom of all, and no, it has nothing to do with wearing sandals and headphones. 😉
