At least that’s what some some people would have you believe. Sure there’s some of them out there who shove that mindset down your throat faster than a small school pundit trying to convince you their team is a viable national title contender, but then there’s people that bring a lot of value to the table: Sean Ogle, Colin Wright, Cody McKibben, and others.
But here’s the thing…Just because those guys are living their dreams doesn’t mean you can’t live yours inside the walls of an 8 by 8 cubicle.
There’s nothing wrong with ‘working for the man.’ There’s nothing wrong with living a safe, comfortable life that enables you to provide for your family. Especially if you enjoy your job and like said lifestyle.
Yes, people tell you what to do.
Yes, there’s a chance you might get laid off during a recession.
Yes, there’s usually set hours you have to abide by.
But guess what? There’s disadvantages to being location independent as well. What do they fall back up on when a revenue stream unexpectedly dries up? What happens when a relative gets really ill and they have over 24 hours of travel time to get home?
And most importantly, what happens when they sand in their crack from sleeping in a hut on the beach?
And I’ll let you in on a little secret about working for the man…
… You’re still your own boss.
I work for ‘the man.’ In fact I work for the state of Texas, but that doesn’t stop me from intricately weaving MY system into THE system in way that’s conducive to my long term success.
My boss gives me projects to work on, but I dictate how well they get done.
My paycheck is the same every two weeks, but it’s more than enough for the simple things I need in this life.
I’m not traveling all over the world, but I am building rapport with co-workers and countless other people who could invariably impact my career later on in life.
The point is: I am happy. Really happy.
Lifestyle design is sensationalized online because so many people use the web as tool for their location independent success.
But go to a chamber meeting at your local town hall and ask for a show of hands if they’ve ever heard of lifestyle design.
If you’re happy then you don’t necessarily have to worry about writing your first ebook or earning affiliate commissions. Remember that you manage your career, and that ultimately you control your path.
And if you are unhappy, then don’t discredit what those guys are doing. Learn from them and find the lifestyle that best suits you — whatever that may be.
*Thanks to Elisa Doucette, Ryan Knapp, and Scott Hale for inspiring this post.
I really love this post, but then again, I kind of like the feel of having regular schedules and a place to work. Yes, I loved the flexibility of getting to work from home sometimes, but I couldn’t do that forever…I’d probably never get everything done! Now that I’m back in school, I really miss working life. Don’t get me wrong, I love school, but you are working constantly. There is always reading, studying, and homework to do. If you have a job, that will probably creep into extra hours. You meet with professors, other students, and alumni, and your schedule isn’t really your own anymore. I love what I’m learning, but I’m so happy to learn that I want the 9-5 structure, it’s helping me realize I’m on the right path.
Funny thing is I’m actually more productive working from home, but there’s a time and a place when I think it makes sense (depending on your gig). I think there’s some truth to the “you can’t work at work” argument, but I think the majority of people need to go to an office and have semi-set hours in order to be most successful.
Thanks for commenting Emily! I always love to hear your input!
I suspect the large majority of blogs are hosted in the cloud, enabling updates to be posted from any terminal on the network anywhere in the world. Combined with my desire to be more a citizen of the world than any particular country these days, I was attracted to this piece because I like the idea of being location independent.
Funny, then, how reading this piece reminds me of a certain minimalist blogger. Is he location independent? Yes. Does he have a lot of freedom? Yes, but not much else.
I read his blog because it serves as a reminder that, as a society, we are programmed to consume and hoard. Truly, the things we own end up owning us, but while some location-independent bloggers might enjoy a greater degree of freedom than I, with my house full of stuff, the only thing I see separating them from vagrancy are their expensive Apple gadgets and brand-name yoga mats.
To each his own. I believe in moderation in everything. Their extreme minimalist/location-independent views are a valuable sounding board for me. I do not wish to strip my life to the barest of essentials in order to flit about with my entire world on my back, but I would like to work for myself. To that end, I find value in such blogs, but where one minimalist blogger might enjoy yoga every afternoon, my meditation comes in the garage and behind the wheel.
Surely there is more than one path to nirvana.
“Their extreme minimalist/location-independent views are a valuable sounding board for me.”
It sounds to me like you’ve done something more people should do Brian. And that’s to extract the things that are most applicable for your life and turning the lens on yourself to see how someone else’s thoughts and opinions can challenge you to enhance your own life.
This is one of the primary reasons I read things that don’t necessarily align 100% with my own approach/beliefs.
Thanks for commenting here!
I’ve written some posts recently about the very same thing – one titled “Status Quo Queasy” and today’s “Top 10 Cold Hard Truths About Entrepreneurship.”
My point is, I whole heartily agree with you! And that’s coming from someone who I guess you can say is somewhat location independent. I say “somewhat” because while I may not work for “the man,” I still have to answer to lots of men/women/people – clients! And just because I run my own business doesn’t mean I don’t put in plenty of hours inside a cubicle. In fact, I actually prefer the cube as opposed to the closed door office or balancing my laptop on my knees on a park bench. (Although working in Bryant Park is pretty relaxing!)
It’s VERY IMPORTANT to remember that the Internet always makes things (and people) look bigger and better than they truly are. So when you see countless blog posts and Tweets and all this talk about rejecting the status quo, you’ll be mislead into thinking everyone is doing it! Then you’ll probably fall into the mind trap of comparing your life along side theirs and thinking…”hey, that might work for me too – that will make me happy.” But more than likely you’ll discover it’s not the right fit. And I don’t want anyone to ever feel bad about that.
One lifestyle does not fit all.
A) Never be shy about linking to your posts in my comments section. You know that what’s yours is mine.
B) You’ve touched on the thing I take the most issue with, and that’s other people feeling like being location independent is this ‘easy’ thing to do and/or feeling guilty that they’re ‘working for the man.’
C) I wish people could just compare their lives to wait for it…. their own life.
Hey Ryan, I really appreciate this post.
I feel like sometimes I, and others get a bad rap because we are trying to say that “our way is the only way”. Totally not the case. I love the fact you work for the state, have found your own way to do it, and most importantly are HAPPY doing it.
I try and spread a message that if you’re unhappy, perhaps there is another way. That is not meant for the majority of people who love their jobs and their lives, that’s awesome.
That said, I appreciate the mention and the thoughts. I think you’re right on. Hope all is well!
.-= Sean´s last blog ..A False Sense of Credibility =-.
Thanks for showing up and sharing a bit about “the other side” Sean. I enjoy your perspective on the issue, and I don’t think you shove it down people’s throats.
Adding ‘location-independent’ to the buckets of things people choose from is great. And you’re right, if people don’t know it exists, or that it’s possible they deserve to at the very least be aware that it’s a great fit for people such as yourself.
This is an excellent post! I think the location independent/lifestyle design bloggers are great because they challenge me to think about how I can be better at what I do and to think differently. That being said–I have no desire for a location independent lifestyle right now and think that their messages can be used as a tool to get what I want out of life in general.
It can be hard to know who “to trust” and who is legit–I feel like every other blog I come across has the same design, same message, same loud post titles—without providing anyway of knowing what the bloggers experience actually is.
re: thinking differently – see what I wrote in response to Brian. That’s a great approach!
The location independent bloggers who depend primarily on people buying into their lifestyle for their own financial freedom are sometimes guilty of over hyping and over glamorizing the lifestyle in my opinion.
I’d love to see a location independent blogger shed some light on many of the challenges they face. (I’m sure someone has if anyone wants to point me there).
You got that right! There are good and bad in every scenario. Do what works for you.
.-= James Schipper´s last blog ..What the Hell is Lifestyle Design and Why Do I Care =-.
I don’t mind location independent bloggers, I mind people who talk about being location independent and just aren’t. Like just because you freelance, that doesn’t make you location independent. I now work remotely and am more location independent than most. I can work from anywhere, and I have a reliable paycheck (knock on wood). But more than all that, when you’re location independent, you lose community – and that means you have to be really good at building that wherever you go. I like the community of place. I’ve never met or talked to Colin Wright, but I get the sense he does that well.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Staying Alive =-.
I’d definitely agree that as awesome as location independent does sound amazing, there are a lot of drawbacks and I feel that I personally fit better in an office environment. Every now and then working out of the office has its advantages for me, but that’s just it, it’s whatever is the best fit for each individual.
So, all of the location independent folks can keep tooting their horn about how awesome it is, but my cubicle is rather cozy, actually 🙂
.-= Jackie Adkins´s last blog ..The 2010 Marketer’s Christmas List =-.
Ryan – Glad I could help spark this in you. In one of the comments above you said
“C) I wish people could just compare their lives to wait for it…. their own life.”
That’s just it. While we sit there and find 1,000 things wrong with ourselves because we are reading how we just aren’t living the life that someone else wants to live, we forget to ask ourselves the simple question
“is that the life I want to live”