One of the many benefits about traveling is that you have to stay flexible as your environment is always changing which makes it challenging to stick with a consistent routine. Some would not call this a benefit haha. I’ll explain…
Routines are great to build a foundation and allow you to use your focus elsewhere because you can put many things on autopilot. Some of these things are having a gym to go to, quality healthy food source, ideal work space, transportation set up, etc. Each time you travel to a new place you have to start from scratch and figure out how get these things set up so you can continue to function at a high level.
The upside to this challenge is that it forces you to be resourceful and use what your environment offers you. It makes you much more creative which translates into other areas of your life. If you don’t have a gym; go for a run outside, do yoga in your room, do push ups, google a gym near you. If you don’t have your ideal work space; create one where you are, discover one close by, go to a local coffee shop or hotel.
What’s great is once you have this skill you are no longer limited by location. You can function anywhere with what you have which gives you the ability to move freely throughout the world.
Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned during my travels so far. From Italy, to Singapore, to Malaysia, Thailand and now Indonesia. I have become more attuned to them specifically because I have to be more flexible and creative with my resources as my environment is changing and I want to make sure I make the most of the places and time I have with them.
Be selective who you spend your time with.
Filter quickly who you decide to spend time with. This is true back home as well of course but especially when on the move. You make new friends and meet up with old friends. If they aren’t aligned with your purpose, values and outcome politely remove yourself and move on.
Learn from your mistakes quickly.
It is inevitable that you are going to make mistakes. Make sure you learn the lesson and don’t repeat it. The biggest mistake is dwelling on it, letting it drain your energy and not learning the lesson. If you don’t learn the lesson you are going to make the mistake again until you do.
Don’t make more mistakes just because you made one.
Just because you screwed up doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel and make five more bad decisions. The quicker you can dust the dirt off your shoulders, the less damage control. If you can correct asap, frame it as a win. You stopped the bleeding fast and are back on track.
It’s more expensive not to go all in.
Even if it’s more expensive for the option you really want to do, go for it. When you do the cheaper less exciting one you end up paying more because you don’t get the full ROI you want and still pay for it. Get the full ROI and move on to the next big goal.
It’s more expensive to think about it and procrastinate.
When booking a flight or deciding to take a jungle tour, instead of weighing out the pros and cons of time and money just decide on the one you want. The time, energy and focus that it takes away from higher ROI activities you could be doing isn’t worth the trade off.
Don’t let things build up.
If something or someone is bothering you. Communicate it to the appropriate parties. Sometimes that might be you being gut honest with yourself and simply doing something different. It saves you much time, energy and frustration vs. letting it fester until it all comes crashing down at an inconvenient time.
Set boundaries.
Not everyone can have access to you. Make sure you communicate that to people. Also make sure you set the time blocks for yourself for fun, business, friends etc. If you don’t life will take control for you.
There’s seven lessons I’ve learned and have gotten the opportunity to grow from. I hope you found value in some of them and encourage you to discover your own as you embark on adventures around this wonderful Earth we have been blessed with to call home.
Please comment below on what you think and share with anyone you believe will find value in this post. Thank you for reading!
Naeem
