A professional life of location independence is by one definition, the freest way to live. Boundless, borderless but far from penniless.
“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” -Unknown
All types of lifestyles have tethers that restrict us from absolute freedom; money, time, people, etc., but there’s one tether that actually feels and works like an actual leash, location dependency…
Being dependent on a specific vicinity at almost all times throughout each year cycle.
Where abruptly leaving or being away too long from that general point in place could cause lifestyle dysfunction or even prove catastrophic.
Most of the human race lives like this and there’s nothing wrong with that, but some want an untethered life. In fact, the opposite, a location independent one.
A freer life with free roaming, the nomadic way.
The most common term for this type of professional is a digital nomad; a person who can work their job(s) anywhere in the world just as effectively as if they were going to a central office or workplace everyday.
Think about this. The average and most of the working population follow a strict variation of a “9 to 5” life.
An entirely predictable and barely alterable schedule of; wake up at 8am, get to work at 9:30am, get home at 6pm, eat dinner, sleep… repeat, weekend, repeat.
A location independent schedule is fluid and adaptable.
It may even be so casual and flexible that it’s more like vague agendas or loose itineraries. There’s a certain hedonistic allure to that. More relaxation, more time.
Just because you can be anywhere or you can keep traveling doesn’t mean you have to. It just means that you have that freedom and capability.
Unlike a “normal” or sedentary lifestyle where you’re confined to your relative location.
Both ways of living work perfectly fine.
Such as a landline phone and cellular phone. They both make calls but the former is limited to a close proximity to its base while the latter doesn’t have a physical base it needs to be near to function, it’s independent.
Try to imagine the literal life of a landline phone; it stays in the same spot of a desk, day in and day out used occasionally for simple voice calls, then it’s replaced.
The life of a cellular phone has an entirely different lifestyle; it travels everywhere, it’s used constantly for calls and countless other activities, it collects actual memories, then it’s upgraded.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” -Neale Donald Walsch
A location independent lifestyle gives us an almost unlimited potential for more options and experiences.
The Location Independent Way of Life.
[The featured photo was taken at my bungalow on Nusa Lembongan Island, Indonesia.]
4 Comments
Very inspiring! I’m so close to realizing my own location independence, just a few more months and I’ll be free.
I still have UNI but I’ve been wanting to do this forever to.
Best way to live. Like you said, the most free way to live.
Been trying to get to your level of location independent but just need a few more clients… Then I’m free!!!!!