When it comes to life and how you’re living it, Henry David Thoreau said it best, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined”.
Sometimes, it’s important to question the big things. Are we really living life how we’ve always imagined? Are your dreams becoming a reality in your life?
According to this survey, of the people questioned, only 19% of people in the US and Canada enjoy their jobs. Unacceptable.
It’s time to start digging deep and pursuing the passions that give us life and vitality. The mundane is now dead.
Enter travel and remote working.
As a startup founder, avid traveler and studier of the remote lifestyle, I can say definitively that this lifestyle has not only changed my perspective of the world but has given me a deeper, more passionate sense of direction in my work.
Here’s a quick list of why travel and remote working together, have change my life for the better.
1. Deeper Friendships in More Diverse Places
According to this great post by Ben Groundwater, friendships while travelling are much more intense than friendships at home. He explains, “We should have been basically strangers but we felt like best friends. Travel days, however, aren’t like home days.” he goes on to say, “It’s not just the foreign sights, it’s the intensity of the relationships you form. Everyday friendships from home just seem that tiny bit duller once you’ve packed a whole decade’s worth of fun into a crazy week in a foreign country with a complete stranger.”
It’s true that friendships can be incredibly deep while travelling, especially if both parties are out of their element and carry a certain level of vulnerability which, ultimately requires them to be more open and dependent upon each other. Trust builds quickly and lasts a lifetime.
2. Changing My Scene Brings a Higher Level of Productivity in My Work
Regularly changing your workspace or scenery can be used as a great productivity booster while allowing you to block out potential distractions, simply because you’re unfamiliar with the area. Rob Heggen, blogger and web developer understands this first hand. In his blog he explains, “In a new environment you’re not aware of what the distractions are or how to find them so you tend to keep on task.” Changing your space creates mental confusion, which allows you to focus on what’s most familiar, your work.
3. A Broader View of the World
I find that when I travel, my view of the world is much farther reaching than my own limited bubble. It’s only when I understand people from different cultures and their stories, do I realize how I fit into the grand scheme of this crazy machine called Earth. Thomas Bernier says it best in his post, “To view new customs, different ways of living is fantastic for the mind. It gives us a new perspective about life and especially our life, it can help us change some of our habits or even create new ones.”
4. “What will I do next?” Isn’t Always an Answerable Question and I Love That
I find it typical to never know what’s happening until the last possible minute. I find that way of life exciting and fascinating. It gives me the feeling of curiosity when I wake up because, everyday is a new adventure.
Though I couldn’t possibly understand Helen Keller’s life or disability, this quote sums up her sense of adventure quite nicely which is an absolute inspiration, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
5. It’s Cheaper Than Life on the Coasts
My end goal as a traveler is to optimize my experience by making it cheaper, so I’m more likely to continue travelling tomorrow. That’s it. No rocket science involved.
My way of doing this is by figuring out small ways to save money where I can. As someone who’s lived in San Francisco for the past 3 years, I know the cost of living on the West Coast well. Before I left the city, my rent was almost $1,700/month plus utilities and food.
Matt Boyd is co-founder of Sqwiggle, an app designed to make remote working a more collaborative experience. Follow him and his journey as a productivity blogger, remote worker and distributed team builder at http://blog.sqwiggle.com or http://www.twitter.com/mattboyd
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
