Wherever You Go, There You Are
As a digital nomad, you live in a lot of beautiful places. Some of us live in more than 10 countries per year and take small trips to many, many, more.
Each location is different. Beach towns (like Puerto Escondido) are flooded with surfers, many of whom live in tents. Hong Kong is a faster-paced business center. The United States has a little of everything.
You can experience a lot of change very quickly with a plane ticket. But, no matter how fast you fly, there’s one thing that doesn’t change just because you’re on a new continent. You.
Your Mind
Your mindsets, beliefs, disposition, etc..
Mindsets – Do you have a positive mindset or do you get upset easily? Do you look for the good in people or always see the bad. No matter where you go, if you stub your toe you’ll probably have the same reaction. If someone cuts you off in traffic you’re going to shout at the guy just as quickly in Vietnam as you would in the United States.
Beliefs – Do you walk around with a bunch of limiting beliefs or empowering ones? Do you feel good about yourself? Do you trust yourself to follow through with your goals? Changing your beliefs takes internal work. Flying to a new country just puts your current beliefs in a new context.
Disposition – Do you generally walk around with energy, gusto, and a big smile on your face or do you slouch your shoulders, sulk, and complain. Traveling to a new location won’t make you feel better if you see everything through brown-colored glasses. Even if you travel to a nice resort, you’ll probably just complain about how expensive it is as you get that 5* massage.
Mental Stability And Focus – Are you glued to the screen all day at home? If you try to read a book, are you bored after the first paragraph? If you try to get work done, do you check your phone every two seconds, totally destroying your productivity? If this is the case at home, it’ll be the case as you travel the world. If you’re in Puerto Escondido (like me) you’ll just find yourself watching YouTube on your phone or over-emotionalized Mexican soap operas.
Is your brain jumping around like a parrot looking for a snack?
Your Body
No matter where you go, your body is right there with you. It doesn’t matter if you travel by bus, boat, plane, or train, your body is always your most important vehicle.
Fitness Level – If you don’t work out regularly then your vehicle won’t be strong. (It might even start to ‘bulge’ a little with all that street food!) No matter how many new locations you run off to (unless you’re actually running!) your bad habits, or lack of good habits, will stay right there with you. Your body is really important so you want to take care of it.
Eating Habits – If you love the soda and the sugar-rich foods, you’ll be happy to know that they are available for just pennies everywhere around the world. Sugar, fat, and salt smell pretty good no matter where you are. If you’re used to giving your body bad fuel, you’ll find it easy to keep the habit going. It’s reflex and you won’t magically stop because you’re on the move. In fact, dealing with logistics, living in a crowded hostel, and other stressful activities may make you want to eat that comfort food even more!
Health/Sickness – I got sick last week. Even though the palm trees and beaches in Puerto Escondido are beautiful, I didn’t much care to look at them. It doesn’t matter where you are when you’re sick. I’d rather be healthy in some unknown Mexican village than nauseous in a 5* resort.
It’s funny…
We travel so we can ‘have a high-quality life’. We see new sights, experience new activities, and meet new people, but the factors that makes the biggest difference were with us before we stepped on our first airplane. Having an unhealthy body or an unhealthy mind is way worse than not being able to travel.
Spear Fishing in Puerto Escondido
Full Disclosure – I only shot the little one in the middle.
No matter where you are or what you do and whether you travel or not, make sure to keep your mind and body healthy. It’s more important than learning how to make money online, speak a foreign language, or start a company.
“Wherever You Go, There You Are”
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