Over 40+ Living A Global Lifestyle – How To Trust In Life And Believe In Yourself

Sitting on my turquoise sofa in my empty living room in Cerveteri, a little town north of Rome between the Tuscany countryside and the sea. It was two days before my 40th birthday and just a few weeks before I decided to start living as a digital nomad. This decision happened in March 2018, exactly three years ago. I needed to trust in life and believe in myself to take the leap.

Are you crazy?

People thought I was crazy.

Having always been a traveller living between different cites like Paris, Los Angeles, Milan, Rome, and around the world like the Virgin Island, Asia and Australia. Nothing ever stopped me from travelling; I always went with the flow and kept on moving.

At this point in my life, I realised that travelling and being a nomad are two completely different things.

Being a digital nomad was more profound for me and a little scarier and more adventurous, and that’s what I needed in that moment. Sitting there in my empty living room made me feel lost, without security for the future and with no roots anymore. But at the same time, no roots was the exact feeling I was looking to achieve.

Over 40 and starting my Digital nomad journey

In the beginning, though, when I started my digital nomad over 40 version three years ago. I still started in a safe mode (that’s just to tell you that there is a safer option). At that time, I was doing non-stop Yoga retreats and teacher training around the world while working online and, when I was not on a retreat, I was somewhere surfing.

True Love

And here comes the real story behind my nomad life. I was also trying to be a surfer. But this goes even deeper: I felt in love with it, and when you are in love you can’t think of anything else. The center of your world becomes that thing. When it’s not there you miss it like the air, you miss the smell, you miss the way it makes you feel. You spend all your time thinking about what it will be like next time you see each other. Will it be the same? How will it make you feel? What new emotions will you have? It becomes like a drug. The more you have it and the more you want it. You are desperately looking for a way to see each other again. When you then know that you will see each other again, the time that still separates you will seem never-ending. Yet when you are together everything stops, time no longer exists.

‘This is my love story with the ocean.’

Photo provided by Bi M

So, I was forty years old, madly in love with the ocean, surfing and I was longing for adventure.

Everyone, my friends and family of course, thought I was crazy, not just because of the travelling, but also for the surfing and leaving a marriage (oh yes, I forgot to mention that too) for the sake of finding my freedom and home inside of me while travelling the world.

Longing for Simplicity and adventure

For a normal person, this is too much risk. But I was longing for simplicity and adventure. I needed to follow what made my heart sing.

“You need to trust and every time you start to be scared you need to align to that deep sensation inside of you.” Bi M

Surfing changed me, and it became part of my everyday life, pushed me to get out of an abusive relationship and give me a new reason to travel, meet new people, find new places and discover the world from a different angle, from the ocean. Have you ever looked at a city from a boat or an aeroplane, when you are close enough to feel you are part of it but still far enough to see the bigger picture and see all the dynamics of it? This is what you see from the ocean.

Fast forward three years. My present. I am really happy I took the risk and a leap of faith. I am in the south of Portugal at the moment, surfing here since the pandemic started which stopped a little bit my nomadic life but I change accommodation every couple of months to still have the feel of adventure and movement.

Even as I continue travelling, I realise that ‘travel’ is just an outside thing that I experience. The real search I am doing is to find “home” inside of me and trust the flow of life. I think we all should have this experience, as we get so attached to things and places, and we live in fear of losing them. That is why I am ready to move again, to not get too attached. At the same time when I travel with no fixed program, I have the chance to follow the signs life brings me.

Maybe now that I am older and in my 40’s I can actually see that I am travelling with different eyes, with a pearl of different wisdom.  Here are some things that helped me get to be living my dream life;

• Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something
• You can do anything in your life, at any age.
• Every now and then, ask yourself, ‘I am living my dream?’

Because I knew what I wanted to experience, and then I jumped into an ocean and went with the flow.

Final thoughts to share with you…

If you are thinking about life as a nomad, here is what I encourage you to find the ‘why’ you want to be a nomad. Take the actions to get there (financial, mental and emotional once) and find support in other nomads, get inspired by their stories. There are so many nomads out there which are over 40. You could be next. See you somewhere around the world.

Love

Birgit

Nomadic, Yoga, Surfing, Writing chick!

Currently, in Portugal See nomad friendly stays in Portugal.