Are You Weighed Down by Your Location?

I grew up in Los Angeles, more precisely the middle class suburbs of Pacific Palisades. I've always loved it there. In fact, although I vacationed throughout California and across the United States as I was growing up, I never actually lived anywhere east of the 405 Freeway, north of the Santa Monica Mountains, nor south of Jefferson Blvd. Even with all of the traffic and Hollywood fickleness, for more than 40 years I had never imagined living anywhere other than the Westside.

I used to think nothing of it and justified my addiction to the familiarity of culture and community. But since the turn of the millennium I've spread my wings and have seen more of the world than most people see in a lifetime. And these past two years especially have helped me realize just how much I had been limited by my attachment to my legacy, with the biggest revelation being the change in my general attitude towards everyday life.

I love my family and the many friends I have back in Southern California, but am feeling much more free since we've been away. I needed to shake things up to follow my own expansion, but will always have my community no matter where I am. And while Kathryn and I were definitely pulled into this Portable Lifestyle we were also pushed into creating a more global existence. In a sense, it was time for us to leap from our comfortable nest and fly. The truth is, we've never looked back!

How does your location make you feel?

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The Traveling Hosts

We are by choice living a nomadic life, but by no means are we only visitors in this world. In fact, we've had more friends and family come to see us and stay in our "homes" over the past two years than we had the five years prior while maintaining one home base.

Perhaps it is the clutter factor. Living out of suitcases limits the tendency to have too many things pile up around the house. Or maybe it's the fact that we aren't attached to our living quarters as much as when it was all ours. It's not such a big deal opening up a temporary apartment or house to visitors since the furniture, garden, and fixtures are maintained by a third party. But the best explanation that we've come up with is that even though we are off and traveling the world, we still love our friends and family and want to make sure to spend time with them.

In the past, we'd see our friends periodically while taking walks, going to work, buying groceries, or at the occasional party or event. Many times we would just trade voicemail messages. But now that we're away we've become proactive and are inviting family and close friends to come to us. It's actually a very good way to stay in touch and truly connect with the ones you love. Coming together in unfamiliar and neutral territory helps focus the time and conversation to what truly matters. And we are happy to be traveling hosts as there is always fun to be had and new experiences to share!

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Income Intention Exercise

As you seek to institute or expand your Portable Lifestyle, the key ingredient is always virtual income, since it's the factor that frees you to be a nomad at will. And setting-up your own virtual stream is not as difficult as you might imagine.

How much of your income is virtual right now? Set an intention to continually up this percentage.

1. Write down an intention, a specific amount that you'd like to start making virtually in the next 6 months. This alone is a powerful step.

2. Next, brainstorm a few ideas for adding additional virtual income streams as well as expanding the ones you've already got. Jot down a list that you add to as new thoughts arise on making virtual money.

Even if you don't form a definite plan, just setting this intention and brainstorming ways to fulfill it open you up to greater possibilities and will keep you in movement toward your goal of going completely portable. Listen to our FREE recorded teleseminar Make 6 Figures Virtually for more insight on expanding your virtual income stream. Sign-up now as we'll be pulling the recording at the end of November!

In our next issue, we'll give you a powerful example from our own lives of how this process worked for us in a surprising and very rewarding way.

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