Dreams and Location Independence

When I first went to University, I had a clear goal in mind. I’d study Genetics and get into research and at some point I’d cure the world of some terrible illness. Maybe cancer, muscular dystrophy or vaccine production – anything to help. Three years in labs made me realise that I wanted to see the world and experience all that it had to offer. I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab all day, socialising with pipettes while life passed me by, I wanted more for myself. After an unsuspecting catalyst turned my life upside down, I sold everything I owned and bought a one way ticket to Asia.

 

This was in November 2010 and since then I’ve been floating around without a clear goal in mind, other than to travel, take photos and see more of the world. I’m not saying this isn’t a worthy goal, because it’s brought some of the best experiences of my life. But the whole time I was exploring I could feel a ping under my chest, that same ping I’d felt in University: I want more for myself. At this point in time I can say without a doubt I do not want a typical 9 to 5 job. There’s a part of me that wants the (perceived) prestige of pursuing something academic like intellectual property law or genetics, but I’m not interested in working away my youth only to start living my dream after retirement.

 

So, how does someone who loves travel and photography with a degree in the Sciences find a way to avoid the cages of the 9-5? Location independence. At the moment I’ve made all of $0 online, but I’ve been reading a lot on location independence, freelancing, affiliate marketing, building a successful blog and creating niche websites. My goal is to, by the end of August of this year, have some income coming from online ventures – this will get me a step closer to my long term goals of being location independent. If you’d like to follow me on this journey and hold me accountable for my deadline, find me on Facebook andTwitter

 

Is this something that you’d be interested in too? Read my favourite location independent websites here: Nerdy Nomad, Woman Seeks World and  Smart Passive Income. If you’re working towards a location independent lifestyle, I’d love to hear more about it.

 

Just a brief note on packing and leaving – after 1.5 years of travel some things are exactly the same. Packing and goodbyes are still painful. Leaving doesn’t get any easier, you just get better at trusting in yourself.