Time flies.
We stood up in San Francisco and leaped to London in April , wandered to Barcelona in July, dreamed our way through Croatia in August, woke up in Prague in October, blinked the sleep from our eyes and six months had come and gone. It’s incredible, exciting, existential, sad, happy, hard to grasp, everything.
There is so much we have learned during our first six months living in Europe, which I still need to capture from my overflowing mind and put onto [digital] paper. To kick off our second half in South and Central America, Keith and I listed out six goals to help guide us in this new part of the world and in this new chapter of our year abroad.
1. Zen it out
We met a friend in Croatia, Mike, who was a digital nomad from San Diego doing exactly what we were doing – living and working remotely around the world. He told us something that stuck with us.
When he’s not sure what to do or feels lost [literally or figuratively], he “zen’s it out”. He puts away Google Maps, pockets the to-do list, sets aside the itineraries and the expectations and follows his gut, his soul, his heart.
We plan to zen it out too.
2. Say yes to people
The random person we met at the beach wants to grab drinks? Yes. A friend of a friend of a cousin of an acquaintance lives in the area and wants to show us around? Yes. There’s a digital nomad meet up this weekend? Yes.
Each time we have met someone and spent time with them, we have never regretted it. Each time we have said no, we wish we had just said yes. This half of the year, we will always say yes to new people.
3. Put the phone away
Luckily, Apple just released their Screen Time feature which monitors how long you are on your phone. This tool has been a very harsh reality check for me. It’s also a blessing in disguise because it’s going to help us with this goal to scroll less and play more during our time in South and Central America.
4. Conquer the mornings
It’s easy to sleep in when we don’t have to start work until the late afternoon. We want to make the most of the fresh, beautiful mornings we have. This includes setting the alarm earlier, looking out the window at the natural light before we look at our artificial phone screen light, drink the coffee slower, move our bodies, eat healthy, and feel gratitude and excitement for the day before we begin work.
5. Eat more green
Our favorite way to travel is to eat and drink our way through a city. The caveat is that there is nothing more important to us than feeling fit and healthy on this year abroad. It’s what keeps us happy, motivated and sane.
We want to invite more greens and veggies to our lifestyle so we can not only feel good about our exercise routines but also feel proud of what we’re putting into our bodies. One doesn’t work without the other.
6. Embrace endings
Everything comes to an end. This is life. This is hard for us to grasp. This year will end and we will eventually need to come “home”. Keith and I want to learn to embrace this inevitable fact with open arms and be excited, at peace and ready for our next adventure, whatever that may be.
