I have been meeting a lot of digital nomads on the road, and also a lot of aspiring digital nomads. From these encounters, I have realized not everyone can be a digital nomad. I am not trying to deter people from trying out the digital nomading thing at all. Everyone should try it out for themselves to see if it will work for them. Just like you can never really truly get a feel for a country, until you live in it for a few weeks, the same applies to the digital nomad lifestyle.
I find there are some qualities that define a person who is able to be a successful digital nomad (DN). Although these qualities can be learned, a lot of people who become DNs are already able to emulate these qualities with ease. I will mention some of them in the post. Again, just because you don’t have these qualities doesn’t mean that you will not be a successful DN, but it does mean, the path might be harder as you learn to embody these qualities slowly but surely.
Ability to think on your feet
Travelling to new countries, meeting new people, and assimilating to new cultures brings with it change. Constant freaking change. There are new situations that are going to be thrown at us all the time, and with it, thinking on our feet and making changes as necessary becomes quite important. For example, if a flight is randomly cancelled (which happens all the time), we need to be able to think quick, plan, and figure out another way to get where we want to get to.
Eschewing comfort zones and comfort
In the DN world, comfort zones and comfort is a thing of the past. It doesn’t mean that we will never have those things ever again, but most of us end up living in developing countries, or in countries where luxuries are not as abundant as in Canada, USA, Australia, or Europe. That means, that we need to get used to being uncomfortable. That’s just a given.
Building experiments into your life
Things are always changing (that is the DN mantra), so we need to build experimentation into our lives. Experiment with new sources of income, experiment with different entrepreneurship styles, experiment with different countries, and so much more.
Thinking creatively
In my opinion, everyone is creative, but not everyone uses their creativity. As a DN, you have to use creativity as a given. Similar to experimenting, creativity will be a daily experience. Creativity in entrepreneurship and DNship so that every single DN ends up living a completely different awesome life.
Going with the flow of the universe
As I have said before, things are constantly changing. That means, we need to get used to going along with the flow of the universe. Accepting things as they come, and as they change. Resisting change and the flow is what tires people out, and makes them hate the DN journey.
Accepting loneliness
Being a DN is lonely. Everyone on this planet is alone, but a DN is specifically really alone. Not only are we moving around all the time, but we are also away from friends, family, and home. Getting used to it is necessary.
Taking extreme care of yourself
The constant moving, change, and different food and water is aggravating on the body, mind, and spirit. This means, that self-care becomes paramount. Taking care of ourselves is so necessary on a daily basis otherwise we are going to breakdown, get sick, and have no one to take care of us in our illness.
Being willing to do anything to make money
Some people have strict rules on what they will and will not do for money. As a DN, we learn to just do whatever is necessary for cash. Money is money is money. The only thing that matters to us is continuing the journey on its own terms. Whatever the stakes.
Working hard
DNs work hard. They have to. Not only are they working on their business, but they are also taking on a lot of extra-curricular activities. That’s the life of a nomad. It’s not easy, but someone’s gotta do it.
Making friends easily
As I said earlier, loneliness is a DN’s fate. But you can alleviate some of that loneliness by joining a bunch of communities, and becoming social. We make friends easily.
Letting go of everything with ease
Not only do we make friends easily, but as a DN is always moving, we know that these friends will be gone soon. So letting go of everything becomes a really important part of life. Let go, let go, let go.
Can you be a DN?
You will never know until you try. So try it out. Try being a DN. And, if you do, please let me know how it goes. Again, I’m always here to help, so if you want to email me and ask me questions please do. It’s boomshikha at themillionairehippie.designextreme.com dot com.
