30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 23

Today's theme in the 30 Day Blog Challenge, is all about "The Key Qualities and Characteristics You will Need to be a Suitcase Entrepreneur". The question for today is, "What’s your level of location independence and your nomadic quotient?"

My levels of location independence and nomadic quotient are very high. When I think about it, I haven't really had a place to call my own home since I left for college, many, many years ago. My own family has been very lucky in its travels (see the previous post), as we have always arrived in a country, and been driven to the company apartment, which has been our home for the length of the contract. However, unlike many others in our situation, we have no home to go back to, always moving on to the next destination. So, for today's post, I would like to share with you what I believe are the key qualities and characteristics you need to follow a nomadic lifestyle, based on my own experiences.

Inner Happiness

Your most important asset when embarking on a nomadic lifestyle is inner happiness. You must have the ability to be happy everywhere, without thinking the next place will be better, or hankering after the place you just left. It's essential to be happy where you are, wherever that is.

You can't always be in control

You have to go with the flow, relax, and take what comes. You can't control every situation. When you travel, you are meeting other cultures, with other ideas from your own. What you think is acceptable or unacceptable, might not be the same as their's. Watch the locals, if they aren't concerned, you needn't be either. And always remember, a smile goes a long way.

Learn Some Words

If you learn nothing else, always learn to say please, thank you, and sorry, in whatever the language the locals speak. Those three words go a long way. Although, a little more effort will have you finding the bathroom, the shops, and the nearest restaurant.

De-clutter your life.

Although we do have some precious, irreplaceable family mementos in storage, we own nothing in the way of household goods. At the moment, living in Istanbul as we do, we don't even own a car, as taxis. and public transport are much easier than battling with the nightmare traffic. We tried, in the past, moving about with an ever growing pile of boxes as we traveled from country to country. Then we decided, "Enough! No more!", and threw everything out. It was a wonderful moment of release.

Carpe Diem

Seize the Day, every day. Look for every opportunity that presents itself. You never know when the next inspiration will strike. It could be a new acquaintance, a new business, a new country, or just a fun party; be open to everything, and you might be surprised where it leads. An essential part of this is the ability to meet people and quickly make contact. It's all very well being self-sufficient, and happy with your own company, but you must have the ability to reach out to other people too.

I must confess, I do have one dream of stability in my rootless life. I dream of a cupboard in each of my daughters' houses, where I can leave some clothes. My husband intends that when we leave Istanbul, we will leave as we arrived, with one suitcase each. That means an awful lot to get rid of before we move on again! I just don't know where it all came from!