Ryan Goes Abroad

I wrote on my ‘about’ page that I am really against poverty and slavery of all kinds, especially poverty in terms of mindset and perspective.

One of the mindsets I really feel people have to get rid of is the idea that they have to be a cog in some large corporation or institution from 9-5, 5 days a week for their entire lives in order to survive. For so many people they view this as the only way that they have to make money, and thus they stay stuck and afraid for so much of their lives.

An entrepreneur’s mindset is different… He is looking to solve problems and add value to the world, wherever he goes. He doesn’t think in terms of a “job.” His goal is not to trade his time for money, but to create something larger than himself which brings him income not from his time, but from the value that is being added from the organization / community / innovation / product that he has built. He solves peoples problems and is rewarded for it.

One of the biggest slaveries (if I may be permitted to call it that) of having a 9-to-5 job as your only source of income and livelihood is that you don’t have freedom with regards to your time. You are stuck at your job with limited “free” days to take. Even if you have a good boss, if you leave for a few days there is always the expectation that you must return to your post under pressure of losing your job.

Successful entrepreneurs, though, come to be in charge of their own time, and are not slaves to the dictates of others upon their schedule (though they will assuredly be the ones working longer and harder on their venture than anyone else).

To take it a step futher, though, location independent entrepreneurs are not only in charge of their time, but also in charge of their location. Thus they can travel where they want, when they want. They have built successful businesses which do not require their physical presence in any one particular location.

Now, if you’ll read up on location independence, it seems that many people think of this lifestyle setup purely in terms of aesthetic significance. For example, location independence to them means that they can finally travel the world– hike Macchu Pichu, see the hanging gardens of Babylon, or take a safari across an African sierra.

Or it means that they can finally achieve a degree of interestingness not available to the general population, which — lets be honest– adds to their general attractiveness and sex appeal. I mean, there’s nothing peppering a conversation with, “This one time in Brazil…” or “This one night in Bangkok…” or “This one girl in Colombia…”

Location independence, in short, makes people sexy, and that’s why it’s enticing.

But let’s step back from being aesthetically pleasing and sexy for a moment and consider another way in which location independence can be valuable…

Here’s a simple scenario: what if your aging mother back in your hometown suddenly has an accident and finds herself in the hospital?

If you’re location (and/or financially) independent, you can get on the next plane and spend as much time near her as she needs.

No hesitation or planning needed. You’re there. Boom.

If you’re stuck in your job, though, you’ll have to make a judgement call about whether you can make the trip…

… Maybe you can make it, maybe you can’t (“How bad is it? Can her sister help her?”).

… Maybe you feel pressure to complete the latest project for your boss (“I really need to make an impression to get my raise.”).

… Maybe you’ve already used up your “leave” days for the year (“I’m regretting the time I took off to visit my friend in another state last month.”).

On the other hand, maybe you know you will be at your mother’s side, no question — you’re a good person– but you also know there’s no guarantee you’ll get your job back. If you are this way, I admire you.

But do you see how your lifestyle design is important in this respect? Location independence literally solves these logistical problems you would be fretting over if you are tied to your 9-to-5.

If you’ve developed sufficient income and/or location independent income, you can attend to people’s needs without worrying about your own.

Being financially independent and/or location independent gives you abilities that you didn’t have before. It relieves constraints that would have otherwise really added a lot of problems and stress to your life. It enables you to freely help other people when the situation arises.

If you have the flexibility of time and location, you can go be with your mother — or whoever it is in need– in an instant and not be in despair. You can care for them and help them with what they need. You can stay with them for awhile and care for them, like in the classic story of the Good Samaritan.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, by the way, the Samaritan leaves extra money to the innkeeper to take care of the stranger who needed his help.

If you use your brain to fill this out a little, it’s obvious that the Good Samaritan was a successful business man who had no trouble taking care of the needy, whether in time, in money, or in heart-felt compassion.

So you see, growing in your own financial and location independence enables you to live a better life.

Location independence doesn’t just make you sexy. It can make you good.