"What mother or father cannot do, Or any other kin, A rightly directed mind will do better for you than that"
Working as a Traveler
This article took way longer to write than it should have.
One thing I've realized along this journey is that; in order for you to have those cool adventures you hear about, you have to make it happen. The adventure rarely just comes to you. Hence the quote above; I can't rely on my parents, girlfriend, or friends to bring adventure into my life. I have to make it happen.
Which has made me become a bit more independent. But, when the reigns to my life are given to me; I end up spending most of my time training, eating, and sleeping.I'm getting better at finding balance. Studying Thai and finding a job forces me to focus on other things than training. This helps me not get burnt out or injured.
Studying and working in this situation is a bit different than back home. I study for 2-4 hours a day, instead of 6-8 like my friends in college. For work... well I have none right now. My "work" is this blog and Youtube, which I only spend a couple hours a day writing, filming or editing. not 8-12 hours like in the factory. Everything is a happy medium, which allows me to rest well, eat well, and even play a little bit.
Current Challenges
Balancing Priorities
Balancing priorities is something that everyone unconsciously does. You determine what is important to you at every second of the day. Jujimufu released a video a long time ago talking about life priorities, and many people now reference this video as its a good method. But, I think people enjoy this method because it is very real and very flexible.
Using martial arts as an example, you see videos about a day in the life of UFC fighters or So and So's training regiment. They way these videos portray these lifestyles as very rigid and unchanging. You'll often here, "I do this everyday", in those videos. Yet, they never talk about what these athletes do to handle unexpected events or how they balance the other aspects of their life. Nobody has the same schedule every day, 24/7 365.
I believe that in simply acknowledging how you spend your time and what is most important for you on that day; you will see a big change in yourself. Some days, I have to spend more time studying or editing videos so training will get pushed aside for that day. Meaning, that the next day I will make training the priority. This way I can keep doing the things I need to do and want to do.
Note! I said pushed aside for that day... not forever.
Training
Another challenge for me is training. Training Martial Arts (currently Muay Thai and BJJ) is now a part of my life. I accept that fact now. For me, it is challenging and rewarding. Man, does it take a toll mentally and physically. Training 1-3 hours is doable for me, I will feel tired throughout the day but I can still manage. On days that I train more than that, any free time is spent either sleeping or eating. Which effects my budget (see later).
Even with the added difficulty that training brings, I feel empty without it. I believe that everyone should find that something that makes you feel this way. Call it your hobby, passion, ikigai, or whatever. I think it is necessary.
Video Editing & Photography
Adding on to the challenges is "work". Since I don't have a job right now, I'm simply working on the skills needed to get the jobs that I want. Staying disciplined towards learning new things is pretty hard in the long run. Just like training, consistency pays off as the little bit of time I spend each day writing, reading, filming, and editing improves the content that I create.
There was an article I read that said something like, "if you spend 15 minutes a day learning a skill every day for a year, you'll be better at that skill than most of the population"... or something like that. This article also talks about taking a little bit of time each day towards learning the skill. Honestly, I think this idea works. Not only is it easier to be consistent with 5-25 minutes a day... but if you're truly laser focused during those 5-25 minutes; you will get a lot out of it.
Budgeting
Money, money, money. It seems to always be the final challenge. The two years I spent working in Minnesota were for building a solid foundation. This foundation obviously shrinks a little bit everyday; but I'm able to control how much it shrinks by being aware of what I'm spending.
Above is how I schedule my week and budget. I keep track of a lot, its honestly very similar to a spreadsheet that my previous job used. It's almost like my life is my company. I don't mark everything I do on it but I do try to keep track of everything I buy on it. As I've said before, it is really easy to spent a lot while traveling. So being as mindful as a monk is key to traveling long term.
Budgeting is also hard to balance as you have to think of the pros and cons. For me, investing in equipment to improve my photography might cost a lot but there is a small chance that it would also pay off. Training costs and food are the same way. I could eat super cheap; then how would that effect my training or my studies? Luckily, I'm at the point where I can sometimes get better gear or eat slightly expensive food without worrying too much.
I just can't go overboard.
Reflecting Over a Cup of Tea
Jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea
During fight week, a fighter simply relaxes. The training intensity is turned down, and more focus is on their weight and mental state. Making sure they are 100% ready for the challenge ahead.
I think everyone needs to take the time to reflect on their mental state. A little bit of time at the beginning or end... or shoot even in the middle of the day. To make sure that the actions you're taking are getting you closer to where you want to be. Working the factory, I did this a lot... constantly reminding myself of what I was working towards. It took a while. It worked.
Call it manifesting, hard work, luck, whatever it may be. Working towards a goal will always have progress, even if you fail you'll be in a different place than you were before.
Hope this helps!
📿Johnny
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