When I first went out on my journey abroad, I was hesitant. I had no idea where I’d get my cash flow from, or if I’d ever manage to do so, so far from home. Little did I know, that first step outside my comfort zone was the kick-in-the-pants I needed, to become the independent, confident and outgoing man I am today. Success is all about taking risks, but if you’re smart, you can minimize those risks and be responsible. Here are few life-changing lessons I’ve learned along the way:
01: It’s Okay to Be Scared
My biggest takeaway, so far, is to be able to walk around scared and not let that stop me from following my dreams. The Internet, for most people, is considered the ‘slippery slope’ of the information world. The dark side is that the unknown is scary and there’s no guarantee that anything you do will work out. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made since I quit my job to travel were because I got into my head. I don’t think I would have been as successful if I had done so.
My business is my passion, and it gives me a lot of satisfaction and meaning, but when you’re giving it your all, that’s when you’re most susceptible to mistakes. When you have your dream, you get so caught up in achieving it, you forget to step back and smell the roses.
02: You Have to Pay to Play
You’d be amazed at how many people make their living working on the internet. No, it’s not about our dear social media, it’s about the revolution that is technology and the billions of industries that are relying on it for their survival. People are making a living by helping people find and hire each other.
If you have a good idea that would benefit people’s lives, but you can’t afford to pay for advertising, the answer is obvious. You should find a way to get it to people directly, which is what I did.
I started an online service that connects people with professionals they need to find. Thousands of people use it every day.
Pro Tip: If you’re going to start an online business, this is the one you should invest in. There’s no telling when the next revolutionary tech comes along.
03: Break The Mold – Stop Traveling Like A Tourist
So, let’s say you have a big dream and you want to make it happen. Now, here’s the fun part: You’re definitely not going to be a “normal” tourist.
Sure, you’ll try some “typical” tourist activities. You’ll ride a plane and a train, and you’ll probably spend a lot of time on the bus. However, the minute you step into another country, or even an area in your home country, you will experience a very different lifestyle.
You won’t be the same person.
Some say travelling is about exploring the unknown, being flexible and experiencing new things, but as I’ve learned, there’s another very powerful side to it. It’s about breaking the mold. It’s about disrupting your life, and standing out from the crowd, while you do it.
04: Trust Your Gut
According to Dr. Arthur Aron, the essence of psychology can be summed up in two terms: context and mechanism. Context describes what’s going on, in the moment, while mechanism explains how we perceive the world, our situation, and our actions, moving from moment to moment. A good example of this is the gut feeling you get, based on instinct, but also the decision you make based on all the different thoughts swirling in your mind. Trust your gut. At least I did. When your gut is telling you something, listen to it.
Another key factor in becoming financially free is knowledge and having a solid foundation to your skills and experience.
05: Market Your Gifts
People do not buy your work. They buy your energy. So you need to give that to them, and what better way than through your passion for travel? Think about all the blogs you read, all the travel books you read and the many adventures you see on instagram. There’s someone out there that wants that. You just have to find them. When I first started writing, I was thinking about ways to market my brand, because at that point, I had no income. I wanted to find a way to offer products and services people would actually want to pay for.
I started by trying to design sticker sets and T-shirts, which proved to be a complete failure. I still don’t know why. My intentions were good, but I was just not sure how to market them.
06: Relationships Are Your Greatest Asset
The ability to establish and maintain solid, long-lasting, mutual relationships is what separates the strong from the weak. But this has to start with us, the digital nomads.
We’re mobile; we’re nomads. We can go wherever we want, whenever we want. That’s hard for most people to wrap their heads around, so let’s make it easier for you.
Relationships shouldn’t be limited to the physical environment you’re in. It’s possible to form solid, long-lasting relationships with people from all around the world. People that have access to all sorts of goods and services, people that you can communicate with instantaneously, people that you might only see once every few years, but who are your brothers and sisters.
07: Money is Not the Objective
This is a big one: as soon as you feel like you can’t be independent or make a go at your dream, then you’re losing your focus.
What are you doing all this traveling for? Do you want to be a free-spirited freelancer, travel the world for a living, or do you want to have a full-time job and pay rent somewhere? You’ve got to stop thinking of money as the objective, and start thinking of it as the tool that can help you. How am I going to get my earnings? How will I pay for the things I need to earn that money? Sometimes the most important thing is simply to find the right platform to maximize your earning potential, or to reach the ideal financial and business opportunities.
08: Invest in Yourself
There’s an old saying, ‘if you want something done right, do it yourself.’ This is something I live by, whether I’m fixing my car, writing, shooting, editing, or anything in between. However, my belief system has been flipped upside down after spending time with the Amish.
You don’t need to get that pair of $1K suits and $1000 Jimmy Choo shoes. Hell, you don’t need to get a degree in English or Master’s in Journalism from the USC. But most importantly, if you really want to make a living doing what you love, the most essential step you can take is investing in yourself. Investing in yourself leads to a lot of changes in your life. For example, you need to have a more flexible schedule, which is very difficult for a traditional job.
09: Don’t Worry About What Others Think
Don’t stress too much about what others think. In fact, just be yourself. What is the worst they can say, you can already think of for yourself. Everyone is proud of their own skin and has their own thoughts and opinions. So live and let live. Besides, if you ever find yourself feeling lonely, you can always reach out to me, via my social media channels. Sharing with others is also a form of bonding and community building, so I’m always happy to take on the role of friend, instead of foe.
Travel is about different people, mindsets and experiences; so while you’re out there, try and embrace as many as possible. If there’s one thing I have learnt, it is that I have learned myself. I have learnt that a lot of it is out of your control, and that is OK.
10: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
My first journey took me to Costa Rica, a country known for their strong, vibrant culture, and their coffee – the most popular drink in the world. Back in 2015, I couldn’t fathom how anyone could consider the idea of working online while abroad. Being that it was the first time I ever saw the sun rise while travelling, my eyes were glued to everything around me. I was new to travelling to Asia, and was fascinated with every experience I had. The minute I felt the warmth of the sun on my face, my fear of working remotely abroad was gone.
As mentioned before…
it is expensive to live outside your home country. When I first went out on my trip, I was like a man possessed, and committed to everything that was asked of me.
