Every few days, when I have to get up between 6 and 6:30 AM, I long for the days when I had little responsibilities; the days when "the summer" was a thing and I could wake up in the middle of the afternoon if I pleased. My mother didn't like it, but I knew that my life in general would not be affected negatively if I decided to sleep for a few more hours. Then Adulting happened. Without warning, without a grace/training period, adulting came out in full force and forced me to be a work robot, only motivated by the fear of becoming homeless. And as a millenial, I know that my story and feelings about adulthood are hardly original. So it made me wonder, can the nomadic lifestyle work? By "Nomadic" I mean the courage, guts, balls to wake up one morning and simply say "I'm not gonna take this shit anymore!" The guts to decide that from now on, you're gonna do your own thing regardless of the consequences that may befall you. In this post, I will explore the different ways in which this lifestyle can work OR fail, depending on the circumstances and personality of the person involved.
So I've played several different scenarios of how I could escape the plantation myself, and none of them truly lead to a sense of safety FOR ME. Knowing my temperament and unending urge to always find stability in anything I do, I know that at THIS moment in my life, I'm not quite ready to make such a drastic life change. But there are people out there who are 'bout dat life and are willing to do whatever it takes to escape the 2 hour daily traffic (conservative estimate); the mundane, stressful routine of waking up everyday to do a job that you hate so that you can barely pay your bills at the end of each month.....ONLY to repeat it again and again and again until you die!!! Not RETIRE, but DIEEEE!!!!!!!! But how do the few brave people who dare to go where no man has gone before take care of themselves? How do they sustain themselves without a steady form of income?
Well, some move around the country and do odd jobs here and there for a few months. Others decide to take the entrepreneurial approach and use their skills for their basic necessities. These people usually decide to leave the United States (or other Western countries) in search of a simpler, but more exhilarating life in Latin American, Asia or Africa. I myself have been contemplating taking the latter approach every single day for the past two years of my life. Not only does it sound exciting, but it also sounds healthier for my longterm mental and physical wellbeing. Not to mention the financial and social benefits one can reap from taking this approach, depending on what country/countries you choose to migrate to. I believe that the lifelong experiences and benefits one can gain from taking this approach far outweigh the perceived stability one gets from working up the corporate ladder while looking forward to retirement in an age that will almost always guarantee that you will be too old, too weak, too sick, and perhaps too dead to enjoy your retirement.
I believe that the most important thing to have embedded deep in you when brainstorming ways to "escape" is a strong entrepreneurial spirit. What are you bringing to the people of the country/countries that you are interested in moving to? How will your urge to break beyond the boundaries you've been given lead you to amazing things that were never thought possible before? This is precisely what I am brainstorming at this point in my life. It takes great planning, putting thoughts to paper, and YES people, it requires that you save up a decent amount of money. This post, more than anything else, is really about me talking to myself. Forcing myself to think of ways in which the "Nomadic" lifestyle can work for ME and yield longterm benefits. Because these two hour commutes, the 60 miles of driving per day, the 10 hours of sitting per day, the minimal monetary benefits per month, NONE of it is worth it for me. They say that the best ideas are formed in a person's lowest moments. In many ways, this post is my way of "crying out" for something better; something meaningful; an actual LIFE, and not accepting that this is all that life has to offer to me. So let's join together in this brainstorming session!
So I've played several different scenarios of how I could escape the plantation myself, and none of them truly lead to a sense of safety FOR ME. Knowing my temperament and unending urge to always find stability in anything I do, I know that at THIS moment in my life, I'm not quite ready to make such a drastic life change. But there are people out there who are 'bout dat life and are willing to do whatever it takes to escape the 2 hour daily traffic (conservative estimate); the mundane, stressful routine of waking up everyday to do a job that you hate so that you can barely pay your bills at the end of each month.....ONLY to repeat it again and again and again until you die!!! Not RETIRE, but DIEEEE!!!!!!!! But how do the few brave people who dare to go where no man has gone before take care of themselves? How do they sustain themselves without a steady form of income?
Well, some move around the country and do odd jobs here and there for a few months. Others decide to take the entrepreneurial approach and use their skills for their basic necessities. These people usually decide to leave the United States (or other Western countries) in search of a simpler, but more exhilarating life in Latin American, Asia or Africa. I myself have been contemplating taking the latter approach every single day for the past two years of my life. Not only does it sound exciting, but it also sounds healthier for my longterm mental and physical wellbeing. Not to mention the financial and social benefits one can reap from taking this approach, depending on what country/countries you choose to migrate to. I believe that the lifelong experiences and benefits one can gain from taking this approach far outweigh the perceived stability one gets from working up the corporate ladder while looking forward to retirement in an age that will almost always guarantee that you will be too old, too weak, too sick, and perhaps too dead to enjoy your retirement.
I believe that the most important thing to have embedded deep in you when brainstorming ways to "escape" is a strong entrepreneurial spirit. What are you bringing to the people of the country/countries that you are interested in moving to? How will your urge to break beyond the boundaries you've been given lead you to amazing things that were never thought possible before? This is precisely what I am brainstorming at this point in my life. It takes great planning, putting thoughts to paper, and YES people, it requires that you save up a decent amount of money. This post, more than anything else, is really about me talking to myself. Forcing myself to think of ways in which the "Nomadic" lifestyle can work for ME and yield longterm benefits. Because these two hour commutes, the 60 miles of driving per day, the 10 hours of sitting per day, the minimal monetary benefits per month, NONE of it is worth it for me. They say that the best ideas are formed in a person's lowest moments. In many ways, this post is my way of "crying out" for something better; something meaningful; an actual LIFE, and not accepting that this is all that life has to offer to me. So let's join together in this brainstorming session!
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