The Truth About Digital Nomadism

-- 13th Aug, 2020 --

Becoming a digital nomad is quite a rising trend nowadays. Specially in such a fast growing industry within the internet of things.

Many are desperately looking to break from their 9 to 5, and forget about the usual stressful things from their everyday life, to set on a journey around the globe with a couple of clothes and a laptop.

Let's be honest, traveling the world while working from anywhere DOES sounds super cool.

But don't be fooled by believing it's all sunshine and roses.

In fact, one of the things that frustrates me the most is seeing how all these 'expert gurus' living the "laptop lifestyle" portray their perfect life just to make you believe THAT is the solution to all of our existential problems.

If you're wondering who I'm talking about...their scheme normally says something like,

"buy this and make money

easily by doing nothing"

- as if you were able to make money by relaxing!

If you're a digital nomad yourself, you've might have realized already:

Starting on this journey is NOT EASY. And it actually requires a lot of time and effort.

In the same way, working remotely and being able to travel doesn't necessarily solve your

cultural, emotional or financial necessities.

Why do you think people go to Thailand or places like Bali, not an expensive island in Greece?

Right, you could say it's exotic (at least considering Edward Said's point of view). But it probably is mostly because it's cheaper. This type of leverage is one of the paradoxes of living a cool affordable life day by day without a real sustainable plan for the future.

You may believe you're outsmarting the circumstances through geo-arbitrage, but if you are not careful, the situation may end up outsmarting you.

In the same way, why is it that even when traveling, experiencing amazing adventures and living in a way that thousands wished, we still feel empty, worried or sad sometimes?

Don't get me wrong, I believe it's great to break with conventional beliefs and fight for what you desire. You don't have to follow what society tells you if you don't want to.

Meanwhile, getting work done from a laptop is perfectly fine, and traveling is also a great way to learn and grow as a person.

But I think we've misunderstood all of this somewhere along the way.

Becoming a digital nomad should not be the goal. Being able to work remotely is merely the first step to something greater we are really craving for:

True freedom.

Physical,

mental,

social,

and of course,

financial freedom.

To be honest, I was completely stuck in my life not so long ago.

I had already lived in 6 countries and been to over 40 of them, all without even being a digital nomad working remotely.

And although I always managed to move around and have reasons to hold onto in each place (such as studies, etc), I still found it hard to understand how that would become the essence of my life mission.

At the moment I started reflecting on it, the only thing I was sure of was, I wanted a high-quality life without closing my doors in denial of what I had already seen out there.

In other words, I wanted...

the best of both worlds.

but how could I find a bigger purpose that connected me to other cultures, societies, and realities while being "stable" and having my feet on the ground?

I remember spending weeks asking myself this question.

We're so used to think we either have to work and make money by staying in one place,

or we must give up the fancy perks of having a stable income, a house or a car,

...just for the sake of traveling.

Society has taught us it must be either way, influencing us to swing from one extreme to the other, hardly being able to find a middle point.

- (At least I fell for it!) -

My biggest fear was to have made a decision and look back one day thinking,

'Alright, I've lived an amazing life around the world,

I've seen sunsets and horizons,

cultures, food, countries and people,

and I'm so rich in the inside.

I got no home but my heart,

and I'm free as the wind,

But maybe...

Maybe I've taken the wrong path,

and it's too late...

Too late to start a family,

too late to start a business,

too late to create real wealth,

too late to do what I wanted to do.

I want that stability now,

It's time to stop moving,

but I've lost my train.'

And so I kept wondering, how could I manage to make a passionate YET smart decision? That kind of decision that could give me the capacity to turn and/or pivot ahead in any case.

Just as if I didn't deny any of the two choices, yet didn't pick either one.

Eventually, I got to the point where I didn't want to keep traveling or moving to other countries unless I found the true way to give it all a real meaningful purpose;

Something more than just a visit, taking pictures, meeting people, learning the language and being around for relatively short terms.

I rather wanted to integrate the existence of these other realities into my life, in such a way, that it would enlighten my path as I knew it is all part of a masterplan.

Honestly, at that point it didn't really mattered to me whether I achieved freedom of mobility through digital nomadism or by finding a motive that adapted to any other place I went.

After all, it was not so much about the HOW, but the WHY.

When I managed to connect the dots between them, everything started making sense.

I literally stopped looking at the surface of things, thinking that finding a way of going around the globe was the point, and instead...

I realized how to turn these global objective (countries, visits, experiences and life lessons) into stepping stones towards something much more globally powerful.

That's when I understood...

Digital nomadism is not a lifestyle,

... (it's simply a tool. A vehicle capable of fostering something even greater).

A tool that CAN potentially empower the way you live, the way you do business, the way you think and speak; cutting distances and opening doors for your message to reach every corner of the world.

But let alone, it's simply a way to make money without having to be physically present at a certain specific place. That doesn't mean making good money or growing a real sustainable business.

It does not always bring together our capacity to be more tolerant or open minded. Neither it influences our potential directly to truly adapt, integrate, connect, and share our story globally in a way that it touches hearts.

[I must clarify here. If you have tried nomadism for a while, you know what I am talking about. But I want to let you know; believing everything would be amazing (your life would be solved), IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! It's simply what the system has exposed to be a "cool lifestyle".]

In fact, sometimes it's the complete opposite. When traveling is thought of as a form of status, we may unconsciously close ourselves to the surrounding matters, ignoring other ways of life and perspectives we could adopt to improve our own circumstances.

We are taking pictures, staying in fancy hotels and eating 'normal' food. Because it's cool (when in reality, we don't give a damn about what the people, culture, language, etc)

For such reason,

I always say there is a distinction between digital nomads and global citizens.

There's people who've been to so many places, yet never really discovered the essence of the country, neither learned the language nor integrated to its society.

Meanwhile, there's people who've never left home, and yet possess strong interpersonal, versatile, and receptive skills.

Then, there's those who understand the world thoroughly and master intercultural and communication skills to expand their reality as they make of every new place, an extension of their home.

Yes,

Global citizens.

The good news is, as a digital nomad, you are already one step ahead towards true emancipation. You've already got a tool that gives you freedom of mobility.

And that means, you can accelerate your global growth and success by implementing further skills needed to become a leading citizen of the world.

Thankfully, in this time and era, there ARE ways to accomplish what you dream of without having to 'sacrifice' the opposite choice. You don't have to be scared or waste as much time as I did.

As long as you create purpose and significance within your vision, I am sure you can find that balance you've always been looking for.

That's the magic of being a Global Citizen. 

It all simply begins by:

1) Re-setting our mindset to new possibilities,

2) Developing the right skills to prepare ourselves, and

3) Crafting a global life plan that will guide you towards the best version of you.

But the question here is,

do you see all this simply as a temporal cool way of living?

or do you identify yourself as a true global citizen?

Maybe you're just fine by traveling and doing a job that pays for the bills for the rest of your life...

Maybe, deep inside, you know all this has an expiration date...

Or maybe you are just as scared and uncertain as I was back then, thinking you also want to live a long-lasting, fulfilling, high quality life, all while embracing the wonders of discovering cultures and connecting deeply with people.

Regardless, some of you may say you're totally certain about what you want to do the rest of your lives. And if so, I honestly admire you, because I've been laughed at by my own stubbornness as I learned that, how you feel today may not be how you feel tomorrow.

The simple truth is,

I don't want others to go through the pain of giving up on their dreams or themselves.

So my point here today is...

Do not accept other people's stories as your own. Do not fall for what people believe. What's important is what YOU believe.

I know it's possible to...

Start an online business from anywhere in the world, doing what you love, with a minimum investment and ZERO risk.

Now, DO YOU believe it's possible? That changes everything.

If you plan on living as a digital nomad that can move around without really integrating anywhere - you probably need a plan for your coming back. Specially if you believe becoming a digital nomad is a great escape from reality side.

And if, on the contrary, you say it's something you want to experience as part of your lifestyle for years and years to come.. You definitely need to develop a clear GLOBAL LIFE PLAN that gives you that certainty and security that you need.

It'll be that masterplan, that will allow you to find significance, certainty and of course, the balance so you never stand on a limbo between 2 worlds again...

That way if you too, want to create something rather meaningful, impactful and profitable for your future while being able to embrace the diversity and wonder of the world out there...

I'd say there must be much more going on right after you've successfully managed to be location-independent.

Hopefully, with the mobility you're allowed to have, you won't sit comfortably at a beach while making enough to live a comfortable life...

(Please...just don't).

But rather will be ecstatic and thriving as the vision for your global life plan becomes a reality.

That's why, I want to invite you to dream bigger, reach broader, impact further.

After all, the message I seek to express in this place call Earth is being able to contribute and empower you to be the best version of yourself. I WANT TO SEE THE REAL GLOBAL YOU.

--

And with all this in mind, I just want to ask you one question.

--

If this makes sense to you and you're looking to take your life to the next level, why don't you simply raise your hand to let me know we're in this together? I'm here to help and I want to turn things around for you.

[All you need to do is head to www.workwitheduardo.com and request a FREE Strategy Call with me so we can get to know each other and figure out the best way to serve you].

It will be awesome to help you create your FIRST EVER Global Life Plan and guide you towards your entrepreneurial journey around the world.

I'm excited to meet you.

To Your Global Success,

Eduardo.

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