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I was sick of being a nomad. Every day I had to make the choice between work and actively experiencing the city I was in. I was staying with friends and in hotels for a few days at a time. The hotels were nice and my hosts were beyond gracious, but I was missing that element of having a "home base". The wonders of the world were flying by my eyes so quickly that they blended together.

At the same time, the thought of staying in one place wasn’t appealing either. I felt like I had one foot on one boat and the other on another boat, and the boats were drifting apart.

Then I realized two things. First, that I had no obligation to do anything in particular. Just because I had been traveling for two years didn’t mean that I had to keep doing it. It’s my life and my path to choose.

Second, I thought back to why I became a nomad in the first place. It was because I wanted to untie myself from a single location and give myself more freedom to be wherever I wanted to be. Planning months ahead and pressuring myself to race around the globe had taken that freedom away.

The solution is simple: realize that no obligation exists. I had planned on going back to London in a few weeks, leaving a few days later for Berlin, then Ulan Bator, then Beijing, all by way of the Trans Siberian Railway. I may still do that, but I have other plans that are more exciting, and thus more likely to be chosen (hint – I’m doing a bunch of work to the RV).

This situation felt a lot like when I was about to drop out of school. I felt obligated to stay there, even though I no longer wanted to. The answer was the same: realize that it’s my life and I ought to spend it however I want.

What are you doing that started out fun/interesting/rewarding but is now an imaginary obligation?


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There are 14 Comments.

Jun 10th, 2009 @ 10:10 am

I’ve embarked on the biggest project of my life recently and there are many times when it feels like I’ve created an imaginary obligation. I know full well that I can walk away at any time, but every part of me wants to give this thing all I’ve got. The project is short (100 days) but I know if I push through and inspire those around me to do the same that the end result as well as the process itself will be magical.

On another note, Tynan, I have read your posts for a while and I can’t tell you how much I admire the way you live your life. I think if everyone was as “selfish” as you are about making their lives their own, the world would be a much better and happier place.

Mike

Jun 10th, 2009 @ 10:32 am

This is a nice article that seems to get down to the point of what nomadic travel is all about. It should be about doing what you want on a daily basis, and not doing something because you feel like you should. Good luck on the


Erica
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 12:52 pm

So what does this mean for Life Nomadic?

Jun 10th, 2009 @ 1:16 pm

i totally relate and agree with what you are saying. it is much harder to be productive while being nomadic and not having a ‘home’. i spent the last year or so traveling, not having a place i could call my own. being back ‘at home’ in austin for a month and seeing my productivity levels rise dramatically, i realized just how important stability is. i will continue to travel, but probably more for pleasure than as a lifestyle. i have found that the quality of my work and travel adventures are both compromised when i’m trying to do both simultaneously.

ps – your comments/spam filter captcha is terrible. i am confident there is a better solution.


elisia
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 1:17 pm

well i wrote a massive comment but your comments spam captcha filter is TERRIBLE and prehistoric. i am confident there is a better solution for you.


elisia
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

my guess is life nomadic is about to go on the road in the RV


Tommy Gunn
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 1:43 pm

Isn’t this the one thing you wanted, Life Nomadic? Didn’t you drop everything else so you could focus on it? You wanted to be the go-to source for that lifestyle. I’m all for doing what you want to do, but it seems like Tynan is just as confused about what he wants out of life than the readers that come here. You’re constantly looking for new things that inspire you and slap you in the face and make you say “this is what I want!” Don’t get me wrong, I generally like how you approach life, but it just seems like you’re never sure of yourself or content. You finally hammer down and proclaim “This is what I am focusing on!” and then 3 months later find something else, drop what you were doing, and proclaim that you’ve found some other calling. Rinse, Repeat.

Tough Love,
Tommie Gunn.


peetuhr
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 2:56 pm

i really appreciated this post and in response to tommy gunn, i can fully appreciate where youre coming from but at the same time i think its better this way because it results in more freedom and a more interesting life, life nomadic thus far has been a pretty exciting rollercoaster, hes had his fun, and im sure its far from over, but now that hes done that the focus can shift on something new and exciting. it keeps things fresh and i definately support it! (ps am really pumped for this RV business… great american school bus conversion round 2??) :P


Erica
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 3:43 pm

“now that hes done that the focus can shift on something new and excitin”

It all depends on what your goals are. See: http://tynan.net/the-dip-and-how-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with-your-life/ . If the goal is just to feel fulfilled on some level and to never go through bouts of feeling bored or overworked, then sure, that’s fine. If the goal is to be the best at something, to commit to this one special thing, make it your passion and a great achievement, then I would suck it up.

This, right here, is the dip. There is a lot of unpleasantness that one must endure in order to achieve greatness, whether that means exhaustion or just plain tedium. The obligations here are only imaginary if the goal is to always be doing what you immediately want to do. If the goal is to be the best, these obligations are very much real and very necessary.

No judgment from me, as you could certainly take either path. Just be honest with yourself about what you want.


A Nonymous
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 6:05 pm

>The solution is simple: >realize that no obligation
>exists.

Wrong!
I too think that less are the obligations and better is life, but still there are, and keeping up to your word is one of them.
More so if you want to lead and inspire.

Realize that some of your readers have agreed to be inspired by you, and set their bar higher and higher, enforcing their beliefs because “Tynan did it (or at least said he would have done!) so it can be done”.

Such is the responsibility of leading.

Keep your mouth shut or climb the dip.

Or be a wanker.


A Nonymous
Jun 10th, 2009 @ 6:08 pm

Tough Love too.


vanmartin
Jun 11th, 2009 @ 3:36 am

“What are you doing that started out fun/interesting/rewarding but is now an imaginary obligation?”

Reading your blog.

You see so little through that you set out to do in your blog posts. I realize it’s your life to live, I really do.

The thing is you create certain expectations among your readers on this blog and hardly ever satisfy them. You once mentioned you’d love to make a living from blogging like Steve Pavlina – you won’t they way you’re carrying on right now. Heck, I don’t even like Steve Pavlina but I still want to achieve a lot of the things he’s achieved.

How can you hope to inspire when you’re growing more and more uninspiring? It’s honestly getting to the point where it difficult for me to justify setting aside the time to read your blog.

Man up and face it – you need direction in your life.


G
Jun 11th, 2009 @ 9:04 am

I Agree with the last poster above me 100%

You really are just full of hyperbole and “ideas” but when it comes down to it you just can’t see anything through. Your need to be “famous” and inspiring is not because this is your actual calling, but rather it is because you have a big empty hole where your ACTUAL self-esteem should be. That’s my diagnosis anyway. You have the potential to e an interesting guy. But so far it’s just potential. Man up or remain just another irrelevant fame-seeking wannabe/also-ran.


G
Jun 11th, 2009 @ 9:04 am

I Agree with the last poster above me 100%

You really are just full of hyperbole and “ideas” but when it comes down to it you just can’t see anything through. Your need to be “famous” and inspiring is not because this is your actual calling, but rather it is because you have a big empty hole where your ACTUAL self-esteem should be. That’s my diagnosis anyway. You have the potential to be an interesting guy. But so far it’s just potential. Man up or remain just another irrelevant fame-seeking wannabe/also-ran.

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