Wrapping up my first two months as a digital nomad in sunny Playa del Carmen and I wanted to share my journey so far:
One year ago today, I was miserable. My mind was not in a good place. I was struggling with toxic coworkers in a corporate environment. I hated life. My mentality was literally take it day by day, thinking that there might be a small light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.
Then one day, I complained to Michelle Jamesina McGinn, my sister-from-another-mister that I couldn’t take it anymore. She introduced me to the digital nomad lifestyle. This was all very interesting to me.
So, I took the BB courses, took ample notes, started listening to podcasts on the way to work (I don’t miss the one hour commute back and forth in my new lifestyle).
Started to book business meetings with potential clients, learned a lot about what my potential market would want, and kept on going. It’s important to remember that you get better at talking to clients after every call, so even if you don’t land the project, there are a lot of knowledge nuggets there for you to glean. So, keep your eyes on the big picture.
While I worked my corporate job, I created an exit strategy: make at least $1k before I leave the company to prove that this is a viable option.
Was the hustle hard? Yes. Did I almost lose my mind trying to figure out how to balance corporate work, online business work, and school? Yes. Did I have to sacrifice having a somewhat social life? Yes.
I also took the time to go back to school to learn new skills, even if the skills were not directly related to my online business, ie pottery class, it taught me a lot about myself, how I go about learning new skills, and patience.
Fast forward to today, I’ve made new friends from all over the world, I wake up for a morning run and greet the ocean and the sun at the end of my run, where I take a moment to be fully present with myself, align internally, and meditate to the sound of ocean waves.
The more I tell people I own an online design and strategy business, the more it becomes my reality, and I love it because I get to create my own opportunities, and design a lifestyle I truly LOVE. I grow and learn everyday through failures. I celebrate my failures by figuring out what to do better next time around. You see, life is about learning from our mistakes. And you don’t fail, you only fail to try.
I’ve created a business to work with people and organizations that align with my values. I’m looking to grow the business and hire outside help within the next few months, and looking to also take over a small portion of my family’s business and really start to build a community there.
I’ve met friends who challenge and inspire me to be a better person everyday. I’ve seen how people build their own little empires because they truly believe in the work that they are doing. And I am so damn proud to be a part of the Digital Nomad Community. Living out of a carry-on suitcase for the past two months has made me realize how little material things we need in life, and that all that matters is love and connections with friends, and of course believing in the work that you do so you CAN make a difference.
I now genuinely wake up everyday excited for my future. Living in Mexico for two months to build my business and forge new friendships has been so great for my life, my body, my mind, and my spirit.
In retrospect, I don’t regret anything that I’ve been through with my corporate job at all. It was tough, but I am better because of it. I learned a lot, and I’ve moved on to bigger and better things.
Do I freak out about not hitting my ideal monthly income goal still? Yes, you bet I do. But no one ever achieves anything great by being negative. So chin up, girl. You’ve got this.
P.S. – (The above post was posted in a facebook group that received really good engagement. So I also wanted to put it here as a way to document my progress in both business and personal growth.)
For the first time in a long time, I’m finally able to understand what others mean when they say, “enjoy the process and the journey it takes for you to reach your goals and become successful.”
I definitely see where I still need to do a lot of hard work, but there’s something so calming about having mental clarity.
Ciao, for now!
Remember: Do more of what you love!
