Location Independent, NOT ‘New Location’ Dependent

I’ve read a few posts around the internet recently that bugged me. They talked about location independent workers and entrepreneurs who were breaking down in tears and feeling terrible.

 

Always on the road, they find it impossible to build strong relationships with those around them. With only 3 months on their visa, they can’t create lasting friendships or deeply romantic relationships. Totally estranged from those around them, they feel deathly alone… and it hurts.

 

Here’s what bugs me…

 

Location Independence IS NOT an Obligation

 

Building a career that you can work on from anywhere does not mean that you need to keep moving all the time. In fact, you could be location independent and live in the same small town forever.

 

Location independence is NOT ‘New-Location-Every-30-Days-Dependence‘.

 

If you’re a successful entrepreneur and you’re crying because you’re in Bali getting a group massage with people you don’t know, then fly home to see your friends from high school.

 

If you feel like crap because you get into perpetually-shallow romantic relationships every 2 months, try not running away at the first sign of commitment.

 

If you’ve built up a massive friend group in Hong Kong you don’t need to cry/hug/kiss goodbye and go to Ecuador. Just renew your visa by heading to Macau for 2 hours.

 

Nothing More Than An Opportunity

 

Location independence means the freedom to choose where you work.

 

It’s an opportunity to travel if you want to.

 

I’m in Mexico right now because I want to learn Spanish and had a dream of riding horses ‘cowboy style’ through the desert. If I didn’t want to be here I wouldn’t.

 

 

I could just move to Portland, make some good friends, go to the local bars to meet my future girlfriend/wife, and live happily every after. Hell, maybe I’d travel to the Philippines once each year for some scuba diving.

 

This option is open to every single digital nomad who is bummed that their life of full-time travel doesn’t have enough stability to build solid relationships.

 

Quit crying. You inherently created some instability because you wanted to see the world. You can end it by not impulsively buying more one-way airline tickets.

 

It’s that easy.

 

Got a comment on this post? Sent me a message on Twitter or via my contact form.