7 Ways Discipline Can Set You Free.
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Discipline and Freedom have been together forever. But it wasn’t always like this.
Discipline didn’t think she would ever meet the right partner, she didn’t feel she was free-spirited enough. Besides, people told her she was too tough and hard to get along with. To her, the world always favored those who go with the flow, and Discipline had a hard time not sticking to rules. She was scared.
After years of feeling like life was too rigid and controlled, Discipline decided to loosen up a bit, and that’s when she met Freedom. He embodied all the things she always appreciated but was too afraid to commit to: Liberty, detachment from material things, openness, and fearlessness. Discipline’s favorite thing about Freedom was that he held on to the things she always thought scared most people away.
All her qualities were enhanced by living alongside Freedom, and together they took on the world, one country at a time. Moral of the story: Discipline and Freedom need each other!
Some people spend their whole lives attaching themselves to either one or the other, and that is where oftentimes it can get tricky to find that perfect balance where you can accomplish all you want, while also giving yourself space and freedom to have an epic life.
Nomadic living, aka living with freedom, is a big topic these days, and most people have a question mark in their heads when it comes down to understanding how it works. Questions often asked are “But do you work?”, “Where’s all your stuff?”, “Do you miss your friends?”, “Do you ever want to settle?”
The answer to a lot of these questions is Yes, but what some people fail to see is that not all choices in life have to be mutually exclusive.
Nomadic living can be one of the most enriching and fulfilling ways to live if done right, with the right amount of discipline and balance. Just like a good relationship (equal parts commitment and freedom to roam around). The key to finding and maintaining that balance is to never give up and focus, focus, focus. Here are seven ways to gain discipline and live nomadically without guilt.
1. Commit to positivity: A positive mindset is key to achieving goals. Believing you already have the things you want, or that you are capable and worthy of living your dream, is the most important step towards achieving them. This is the first step towards disciplining yourself, and it starts with disciplining your mind to be more positive and encouraging.
Mantras really help… something as simple as “I am a badass” or “The Universe has my back” repeated over and over again in the morning can really help start the day off in the right foot. Self-doubt haunts our society, and social experts say we live in an age of insecurity and anxiety. We’re flooded with bad news and images that make us feel less than what we are. Don’t pay attention to that.
Focus on inspiring yourself so that you can inspire others and eventually change the world. The nomadic life can be lonely at times, so it’s important to be very good friends with yourself and pat yourself on the back often. You got this. You are amazing, and you were born to get everything you want.
2. Get enough rest: Let’s talk about the importance of sleep, or what is most importantly, catnaps. People who sleep too much have a bad reputation, but you know, your body needs what it needs. No one judges you if your body needs to feel clean and you shower too often. Think about it, the more you do what feels natural, the easier it is to flow with what comes.
Sleep is a Reset button, and if you need to reset in the middle of the day and you can, do it. As much as sleep sounds like a lazy habit, it actually encourages discipline. The ability to reset yourself and start over takes work. And to top it off, if you get accustomed to giving your body the rest it needs, getting up in the morning and crushing it will become easier everyday.
Sleep affects your mood and ability to be productive, so treat it as the powerful tool it is.
3. Set your priorities straight: What do you really want? Write it down. Commit to it. Work on it… every day. Simply wanting to work and live remotely because it sounds exciting is not enough of a reason to do it. What makes you want to change your life? Why do you want to be location-independent? When you have those answers, transitioning into them and making them a reality will be smoother.
Don’t get caught up in small, mundane tasks. Prioritize your goals everyday. A big misconception about people who roam is that they are lost wanderers. Everyone has heard the phrase “Not all those who wander are lost,” and that rings very true with those committed to this lifestyle.
Wandering can bring extreme amounts of joy and personal growth, and sometimes that is all it takes to reach your fullest potential.
4. Learn to say Yes: While learning to say No is a common way to avoid overloading yourself with stuff and things you don’t want, the power of Yes is underestimated. Not taking on more than you can handle is the precept of discipline, however, being surprised by the things that come your way when you say Yes is what makes life magical.
Ever heard the phrase “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it”? When we teach people too much about the power of No, and the power to think about whether this will benefit you or not, we are missing the opportunity to be taken down a whole new path full of opportunities and surprises. This is how connections are made, friendships formed, and new ideas emerge.
To live nomadically, you have to be open and ready for whatever life throws at you. Say Yes more, and trust that things happen exactly at the pace they’re supposed to.
5. Be comfortable with the unknown: It is not easy to let go of your possessions, be on your own in foreign lands, have strangers as friends, and still find enough strength to do your work and stay productive. Oftentimes, any of those so-called obstacles can be enough to throw you off your creative frequency and hamper your ability to get things done. Learn to be okay with not having all the answers.
Trust that your intention is strong enough to lead you where you need to go.
6. Be kind to yourself: There’s no reason to beat yourself up about silly mistakes or slip-ups. Guilt will deter you from achieving your goals and make it harder to trust, let go, and enjoy what the world has to offer. Learn to let go and forgive yourself, learn from the past and move on. Every negative experience was here to teach you a lesson. So learn and keep moving towards greatness.
Kindness is so closely linked to greatness because what you give, you receive. It’s the Law of Attraction. Other ways to be kind to yourself that enhance productivity include regular exercise, a balanced diet, healthy relationships and habits. Kindness is key to meeting people on the road, getting situated, and forming communities.
7. Manifest with purpose: This links back to Way Number Two, which talks about priorities. Your priorities are your manifestations, so be very precise with the things you spend time on. Is it bringing you joy? Does it make you a better person? Is it helping you grow and achieve your goals? Be specific in your intention, be specific in your discipline.
Energy flows where attention goes.
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Jade Moyano is a Brazilian-born travel writer, editor, and creative strategist living a location-independent life. She is in a quest to tell the stories that will shift conversations from mundane to mind-expanding. You can find her bouncing around the world, in LA or NYC (depends on the time of year), usually with a Yoga mat handy, too many books in her bag, and no return ticket. Her work can be seen in print magazines such as Monocle and Conde Nast Traveler UK. She also contributes to online publications such as Fathom, A Hotel Life, and SUITCASE Magazine. You can follow her on Instagram.
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