Household Life Is Confining

“Household life is confining, a realm of dust,” the Buddha said. “Going forth is open air.”

I made a decision to live for experiences living a life of freedom feeling fully alive. Over the course of a couple of months I sold most of my belongings and prepared to hit the open road. Most everything I own fits into my Subaru Outback. 

Before leaving on my digital nomad journey I put a lot of thought into what I want to get out of this experience. I want there to be meaning behind this time on the road more than having a great time, which of course there is nothing wrong with that. My experience in the short time I have been traveling has been amazing. I have been on two epic bike rides, I have met people at the dog park and I love where I am staying. It feels like home.

As I walked into my Airbnb rental the first thing I saw was a picture with one of my favorite scriptures on it. 

“Be strong and courageous, the Lord is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

So whether I am in Boulder, Clifton, Santa Fe, Fort Collins, Deerfield Beach, the Lord is with me wherever I go.

Return to My True Soul

My first intention on this trip is to continue to explore who I am getting back to the core of my true soul. I have lived my life for many years trying to live up to other people’s expectations trying to be someone I am not. 

I want to leave the conforming people pleasing Troy behind. The main purpose of this digital nomad experience is to continue to find out who I am through exploring the world.

I have learned so much about myself over the past several years. Some of it good and some of it not so good. What I am learning is to actually love myself. The good parts and the not so good parts of me. I think they call that unconditional love. That’s how my dog loves me and God loves me, so I should be able to do the same, right?

Find Joy In the Present Moment

My second intent is to find joy in the present moment. Joy has been elusive for me over the years. I got pretty good at being sad. I am finding joy in my life in whatever I am doing and wherever I am living. I found joy cleaning my apartment as I was getting ready to hit the road and I have found joy exploring the beauty of this world on my bike. That is my happy place. 

Ultimately, true joy comes from the inside. No one, no thing or no place can bring us joy. It can only come from deep inside of me knowing I am a son of God. Nothing to prove and nothing to earn.

I simply want to have a great time on this trip and lighten up the world. To have fun. To try new things, go to new places and meet new people. I have heard laughter is contagious. I think I am going to try that out.

Live With Passion

Finally, my third intent is to live every day with passion, gratitude and the commitment to show up everyday as my best self. I am grateful that I am able to live this lifestyle. 

I love my work coaching men, writing, podcasting and as an adjunct professor at William Jessup University. I love the idea of building community while out on the road showing people the love of Jesus. 

I love being in new surroundings in awe of God’s beauty. I went on an epic bike ride this week through the Colorado National Monument. I was like a kid in a candy store exploring God’s candy land.

You may not be able to pick up and live the digital nomad lifestyle right now, but you can still transform your life wherever you are. Doing a deep dive into the core of your true soul is a great place to start. It is a journey that is well worth embarking on and you don’t even have to leave your home to do that.

It’s also possible for you to practice being joyful living in the present moment. What a beautiful way to live life finding joy in the mundane as well as in the epic moments. We get to choose how we show up in the world.

Do you have an energy that lightens up the world or are you full of sadness bringing other people’s energy down? I have had to do a lot of work in this area. I’s pretty cool to see people respond to me differently now that my energy is joyful, feeling abundant and worthy of love. Give it a try and see what happens.

You also can live a life of passion, gratitude and commitment. If you aren’t living with passion, why not? What is holding you back? Life is too short not to live with passion. We are not promised tomorrow. I want to make sure I am living life with passion every single day with the people, work and surroundings I love.

As Buddha says, household life can be confining. Everyone needs open air. Being intentional about how we live our life can make all of the difference in the world. My intention is to be true to my soul being joyful, full of passion and gratitude. What is your intention for your life? Go forth and be in open air breathing in your true soul.

Troy Ismir

Spiritual Warrior Coach

Founder and Creator of Barbells & Brothers