8 years ago I did my first exit. “Exit” is the technical, startup-lingo-compliant term, but in plain English what I did was just selling the portfolio of the vertical portals I painstakingly built in my online publishing company.
It took me 9 years to build that network of websites, a lot of work and many, many detours. And many mistakes, of course.
At the end of this journey, I took a radical decision: to never, ever work from the same place again. Like never having to rent a specific place and consider it my “office”.
Although the term wasn’t invented yet, I decided to become a digital nomad.
Too Much Is Enough. Or Enough Is Too Much. Or Enough Is Enough. Or Something.
I guess the effects of pushing so hard, for so many years, were deeper than I thought. After years of working 16 hours a day, somehow, I ended up associating the stress of running a business with its physical environment. Some days, just the though of being in the office of my own startup was utterly depressing.
Don’t get me wrong, I was deeply enjoying what I was doing, and I was my own boss and all, but at some point I crossed some sort of an internal line. I guess I simply consumed the experience of having a nice, shiny office.
Which brings me to this entire idea of “having an office”. Or, in Western corporate culture, even a “corner office”, which seems somehow to be even better than just a normal office.
Well, I can certainly understand that. I’ve been there too. For a number of years, maybe 2 or 3, having my own office was kind of a big deal. Having a big monitor on that desk and a nice, rotating, leather chair were obviously on the must-have list.
At the same time, I was also quite immature and superficial. And my ego was probably way above the roof.
Being the “CEO” and having a large office can certainly soothe an inflated ego. But once you decide to ditch that ego, to detach from the pleasure given by an external image of success, that office is no longer necessary.
As I was soon going to find out, the amount of satisfaction you get by having a shiny, big, corner desk fades in front of the feelings of easiness, joy and flexibility you get if you simply have a different desk each and every day.
The Pros Of Being A Digital Nomad
It’s incredibly refreshing to start the day pondering which place you’re going to work today. Only because you have so many choices, you know. Feel like socializing? Go somewhere crowded. Need some time for yourself? Just crash on the that lovely, hidden coffee shop nobody knows - yet - in your neighborhood. You can even work from a coworking place, if you feel like.
Another advantage is the social ingredient. As a digital nomad, you get to see so many new people, each and every day. You get so many interaction opportunities. Some of these interactions can even evolve in friendships or business relationships. Constantly pushing the circle of the people you see each and every day will end up making you a better networker, a better communicator, a better and a nicer person.
And probably what I like the most, is the feeling of freedom. It’s not that exhilarating, adrenaline pumping thrill you get when you quit your job or when you ignite a new startup. It’s that slow but constant feeling of certainty mixed with surprise: the feeling that you know for sure that something new will happen today.
The Cons Of Being A Digital Nomad
There’s no one size fits all in the garment shop, and, alas, there’s no universal solution for anything in our lives. Just because I enjoy so much being a digital nomad, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any bad sides.
Sometimes, too much interaction can be tiring. Sometimes you may not like the music in the coffee shop or people are too loud. Sometimes you just have a bad day. Just because you’re a digital nomad it doesn’t mean you can’t have a bad day.
And, every once in a while, I kinda miss the feeling of predictability (as shallow and as wrong as it was) that I experienced at my shiny office, while rotating in my big, leather chair.
Yes, there are some days when I think at that with a little smile.
But then, I get up, put on my backpack and start hunting for the next place to work from.
With a big smile.
This post is part of a 30 days challenge on business, you can find the entire list of articles here.
I'm a serial entrepreneur, blogger and ultrarunner. You can find me mainly on my blog at Dragos Roua where I write about productivity, business, relationships and running. Here on Steemit you may stay updated by following me @dragosroua.
