Be a digital nomad, become an online business owner: be your own boss and how it’s done. This is my story…
Dream life?
Actually I was trying to do all I could to live my dream life. I am born in Belgium but I fell in love with another country: Greece. I wanted to spend as much time as possible there so I was living 2 part-time lives: the summers in Greece and the winters in Belgium to get an office job that paid a bit more to put some money aside to be able to spend my summer in Greece again.
But somehow this was never enough and very tiring. Switching jobs each half year, looking for a new one in winter times each time again. Starting from scratch at a minimum wage.
Also
living on only one island and working 6 days out of 7 never gave me
the opportunity to travel to other islands to spend my holidays.
Accidents do happen
Then the summer of 2017 my accident happened, I got hit by a motorbike coming from the beach one day after job. With an ankle badly broken, I spend the last 2 years more or less recovering, working here and there but unfortunately not on Kos again. I was guiding excursions, a job I truly loved. But with a bad balance and a painful ankle, walking became a real challenge instead of a hobby.
So there I found myself being stuck in an office chair constantly.
Stuck on the highway: destination burn-out
A while ago now, I decided I was so dead tired of working in an office, being the slave of a boss who probably is not even really aware of my existence but is very happy to become richer by the efforts I provide. It’s pure madness. Feeling locked inside between the walls. On the highway to a burnout.
Waking up every morning, especially in winter time, when it’s still night and returning in the evening only to have time to be occupied with the daily routine that needs to be done such as cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes, etc.
Seeing my mental health vanish sitting on that office chair, dealing with a job that doesn’t give you any fulfilment or inspiration.
Somehow I never fitted in. I can’t explain otherwise. I wanted to become my own boss!
https://www.doyoureadme.eu/career-and-childhood-dreams/
You can’t pour out of an empty can
Growing older, and I DO hope also wiser, I came to realize that I am not made for this kind of opportunities without any creativity. They are emptying my soul and my spirit.
The road with the huge amount of traffic aggression on the way to and from the job, was causing me a lot of stress.
The amount of days off never were sufficient to make the travels I wanted to make. I missed time for hobbies and pastimes I really enjoyed.
For those reasons and many others more, I decided it was time to work from home. And for me home means, wherever I want to be home at the point in my life. I was on the rescue for myself and my physical and mental health.
Worth
saving if you ask me. 😉
What’s next?
So I have made that decision and then what’s next?
Where do you start? What kind of job do you plan to do from home? What job will offer you the freedom to travel and work whenever / wherever?
What kind of job gives you fulfilment when your customers are pleased and you can have your own creative input? How do you become an online business owner?
Searching the web
So you start searching the web!? What better place to start to find a digital job? Doesn’t the internet not offer a problem for every solution? Or was it: a solution for every problem? 😀
Actually, I found a mixture of both.
Belgium seems to have so many governmental supported organizations and they seem to be wishing you all the best in your career, offering training, education, career support etc etc.
If you start looking further however, the way I was living, I seemed not to fit into one of the programs being offered.
Either I was being unemployed an it was only offered for employees. Or I was employed and then I didn’t have the opportunities and time to study or educate myself further.
I started to become rather desperate. But who said: the one who searches, will find?
Finally, it dawned on my that I had to do it myself by becoming a freelancer and choosing for myself what I would love to do with my days.
My kind of online job
And exactly what I was looking for: working at my terms, not HAVING to get out of bed in the mornings, no need to wake up in speed action, not facing the traffic anymore and being able to work from home or whatever home is like for me!
I can travel as much as I want, even work from the beach so beach time will not be limited to just after working hours.
But most of all I love my freedom, deciding for myself how hard I want to work and picking the fruits of my OWN commitment. Not making my boss richer since I don’t need a boss any more.
Just trust
I know this is not for everyone, many people are not willing to trust (in others and mostly in themselves), a lot of you will be too afraid to take the plunge into the deep….
I decided I had more to win than to lose in trying it out. What was there to lose really?
I haven’t regretted it one single day! For sure, you have to put an effort into it but nothing is more rewarding than picking the fruits of your own labour.
The world is mine
World, here I come!
If you are curious about what I am doing nowadays as a digital freelancer, you can check out my professional page, where I am available as your Online Octopus. 🙂
Starting as a virtual assistant, I specialized in SEO for small business owners.
If you would like to follow me on Facebook, feel free to go ahead:
https://www.facebook.com/AstridAsteraki/
Light at the end of the tunnel…
For me, it was the light at the end of the tunnel. I am positive again because I can see a better future for myself.
I met so many nice, helpful people whilst every day I am learning new lessons, being an online business owner and living my best life as a digital nomad.
The only regret I have is not having started this earlier in my life!
