Dreaming of Working by the Beach? A Digital Nomad Veteran's Guide (Dina)

Dina from Digital Nomad Coach, and I'm founder of the group Digital Nomad Lifestyle We Are Freedom Seekers, where you're watching this from. Um, yeah, I just want to say like welcome everybody, and yeah, it's a really interesting topic today that I'm covering, um, and I think it means everything because if you think that you can, then you probably can, and if you think that you can't, then you probably can't. Mindset is everything. So if you want to become a digital nomad, um, whether you're aspiring or you're, you're on the road as a traveler and you're thinking about working for yourself or for a remote company, this talk is for you. This talk will help you understand what you need to be successful as a digital nomad, but to be honest, as a human being. As even in the corporate world, you have to have the right mindset if you want to succeed. So I'll talk to you about that today. And just to tell you a little bit about me, I'm a digital nomad coach. I've been a digital nomad coach for the past 10 years. I've been a coach for about 12 years. Um, and before that I was working as a freelance event manager. And I ended up stepping into corporate events as a sponsorship manager, and I absolutely hated it, and I just didn't have the mindset to succeed in such a ruthless role of sales in a corporate, in a corporate company, um, dealing with oil and gas and pharmaceutical companies. And yeah, if I knew what I knew now back then, maybe I would have been successful at it. But I, I always say that the right door always opens when you least expect it, because when I left that company, my boss told me, Dina, I don't think this job is right for you. I think you'd be a really good coach, and I think you'd be a really good, um, life coach. You could help people with their lives. But also you should read The 4-Hour Workweek. So he was a nice boss, I listened to him, I read The 4-Hour Workweek, that totally changed my life completely. I learned that you don't have to work really hard all the time like I was doing when I was an event manager and in the sponsorship sales role, and I could be free to do whatever I want, wherever I want in the world. So I have— I now, like, base my whole life and everything that I do on freedom. So freedom to work with people that I like and love, freedom to work in whatever country I want to work in, freedom to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible, Freedom to spend my life doing what I want to do. If I want to surf, I can go to Sri Lanka or Morocco or Portugal, and if I want to snowboard, I can go to France, Austria, Canada. I have that freedom, and that's a mindset in itself. So I'd love to talk to you today about how to become a of how to become a good digital nomad, a digital nomad that gets what they want from their life, because that's the most important thing. It doesn't matter if you travel to 100 countries, it doesn't matter if you, um, make a, you know, you're a millionaire or a billionaire or whatever, it's all about mindset, having a wealthy mindset. So knowing how to live the exact life that you want, whether that means going on 3 holidays a year or going on, um, or working on a business that you love that gives you enough money for you and potentially your family to go and live the life that you want. So that, I would say, is something that you should really think about— not how much money you can make, but how to live the life that you want to live. And how to be successful and happy in your life. So what are the mindset blocks that you need to have to be a successful digital nomad? And if you have any questions, just send me a message or comment and I will answer. But yeah, back to what I was saying, what mindset do you need to have to be a successful nomad. The first thing I would say is to have self-belief over self-doubt. So it's natural for humans to feel unworthy or feel scared or just question who they are and whether they are the right person to do it. You know, thinking to the— thinking to yourself, who am I to do this? 'Who am I to be a digital nomad?' 'Who am I to travel the world?' 'Who am I to have a business?' All of these questions might pop up into your head. I know it did when I was thinking of my growth as a digital nomad, if I look back over the past 12 years, and what I can say is you've got to believe in yourself. You've got to think, 'Yes, I can be successful. I can achieve anything that I want to achieve.' and most successful nomads, they are adaptable and they can, they believe in themselves, they truly believe that they can do this. It's not because they're smarter than you, it's not because they're braver than you, maybe bravery is something, but you can be brave, you can have self-belief, you can achieve this lifestyle. I know that you can, and if you needed any help to get you there, I mean, there are people like me that can help, but I know that if you really wanted enough, you'll go and get it, you'll make it happen for yourself. So yeah, one thing I would like to ask everyone is, have you ever had self-doubt holding you back from something that you've wanted? Have you ever had fear that you aren't good enough to go and travel the world or aren't good enough to start your own business. If you have, be honest in the comments, and me and the rest of the people watching this will help you overcome this, because self-belief is everything. Mindset is everything. Having the right strategy will only take you so far, but if you are somebody who believes in yourself, you will go a lot further, and with the right strategy, you could achieve anything. So yeah, the next point in regards to mindset is being adaptable over controlling. So as a digital nomad, I can honestly say I've missed flights, I've had to work from noisy cafes with bad Wi-Fi, and I've lived in different accommodations. Some are like amazing 5-star beautiful places, others aren't that great. So you have to be adaptable and you've got to be free with who you are and what situations you come up with, and you've got to be resourceful. You've got to think to yourself, what, what can I do here to make my life better? Or what can I do with a noisy cafe? Can I use noise-cancelling earphones? Can I go to another cafe? Can I quickly find somewhere that has better Wi-Fi? You have to be adaptable. You've got to be able to figure things out as you go as a digital nomad because you've never been to this country before, you've never— you, you've, you've never— you don't know the streets to navigate to somewhere with better Wi-Fi, so you've got to do your research beforehand. And you also have to plan for the worst-case scenario. So the worst-case scenario is you have to work from a noisy café. Okay, so what can you do to make that situation better. In my experience, what I have done is I've gone into a corner where it seems quieter, and I've moved my laptop closer to me. I'm wearing noise-canceling earphones, and I'm honest with the person I'm speaking to, the client that I'm speaking to: "Sorry, it's a noisy café. If you need me to repeat myself, I'll I'm happy to repeat myself, just let me know. And apologies, this won't happen, um, this won't happen again. And if it does, it's because I'm living this lifestyle and you want to live this lifestyle too, so you're going to have to adapt to it. So one thing as well that you should think about as a digital nomad is letting go of rigid plans. So being somebody who has to have all the t's and i's dotted, all the t's crossed and all the i's dotted, if you have to have a plan that goes exactly right, you might find it quite difficult to be a digital nomad. You've got to be free to be like, okay, things go wrong, that's fine, how can I make the best out of this situation? So that would be my next, my, my point is being adaptable, planning for the worst-case scenario just so you're not too shocked or, or worried, and being flexible. Be as flexible as you can to make it work. My third point is discipline over motivation. So you might have all of the motivation, you might have all of the enthusiasm to get your work done, But without a routine, you won't achieve anything as a digital nomad. Your business will not make money. You have to spend a few hours a day at least on your business, especially while you're building it up. That's why I say when you're starting up a business, don't, um, don't just— yeah, when you're starting up a business, don't travel fast. That's what I'm trying to say. Don't travel fast when you're starting up a business. Travel slow. Spend 3 months in one place and focus on your work. Focus on building the business. When you're— when you've got your business up and running and it's consistently making the money that you want, then you can start automating, and then you'd still have to do work maybe a few hours a day, but you don't need to work all the time or more than, more than usual. You, you can work less and work smarter, but you still have to be disciplined in what you do. So one thing I will say is try and have a morning routine. You know, you can wake up without an alarm clock if you want to, but then know that you start work maybe at 10:30, 11. Work for maybe a few hours, lunch, then maybe go for a hike or go for a swim. Or if you prefer to work in the afternoons, do some work in the afternoons and then spend the evenings doing something that you like. But the more familiar you are with your routine, the better you're going to be at being a digital nomad with a successful business. So you have to be disciplined. The ways that you can teach yourself to be disciplined, as I said, is having a routine on the days that you work. The next point that I would like to say is having an abundant mindset over a scarcity mindset. So abundant mindset is thinking about all the opportunities that could happen. So What if you get all the clients that you need this month? What if you make the digital nomad work— life work for you? What if you thrive in different countries? What if everything goes right, you build a community as a digital nomad, and you're living your dream life? A scarcity mindset is thinking, what if I fail? What if I don't get any clients this month? What about if I hate traveling? What about if I, if I don't find friends that I can share this life with? If you think negatively, you're not going to achieve your potential. You're not going to doubt everything that you do, and then the people that you meet are also going to feel those vibes off you. So you're not going to have that dream situation where you're surrounded by friends, you're traveling the world, you have a successful business if you start thinking so negatively. So be positive, be abundant. Think about the opportunities that are out there that could make you successful. Think about the opportunities of, of different cultures, different people, different environments, different working habits, different everything. It's so different when you're traveling the world, running your own business, to working in a corporate world. There is nothing that prepares you for it. So you have to, you have to be positive and you've got to be adaptable and you've got to be flexible in this lifestyle to make it really successful and to help you achieve that happiness that you're looking for. So yeah, be abundant and ways to do that. Could be affirmations, so saying to yourself, I am abundant, I am special, I can live this life, I am a digital nomad, I am a successful entrepreneur. Another thing that my coach from years ago told me that really works for me is saying, why is it so easy to be a digital nomad? Why is it so easy to run a business online? Why is it so easy to meet like-minded people when I travel? And all of those questions in your head, your brain is thinking of the answers subconsciously, like, why is it so easy to be a digital nomad? It's so easy to be a digital nomad because I'm adaptable. It's so easy to be a digital nomad because I'm, uh, I'm, I understand business. It's so easy to be a digital nomad because I'm happy making friends as I go. So asking yourself those questions, why is it so easy to, or giving yourself affirmations, I am this, will really help you step into that abundant mindset. And also manifestation is another one. Manifestation is believing that you are something so you can become it, which is affirmations and Um, why is it so easy? Asking yourself those types of questions. But manifestation is more visualization as well, so stepping into your power, closing your eyes, deep breathing, and feeling like you have accomplished what you've wanted to accomplish. So yeah, focus on opportunity over obstacles, and don't think that you have to avoid risk or be unrealistic. Do think about the worst-case scenario, like I mentioned earlier, but don't let that rule who you are. Think about the best-case scenario too, and think about the person that you're stepping into as a digital nomad. And my last point before going into the Q&A is choosing curiosity over fear. So as a digital nomad, someone who's been to 47 different countries, I'm always experiencing new cultures, new people, new, new opportunities, new sports, new adventures. And in my business, I'm always open to new clients, new ways of working, new ways of remote-first new ways of tackling business challenges, and that's something that I have to be adaptable and also curious. I love learning, I love finding out about different ways of being, and I love finding out different ways of life as well when I'm on the road. So I would say you don't need, you to think that you need all the answers. You just need to be curious. You just need to have that within you. And don't be ruled by fear, but instead ruled by astoundment and curiosity. So now I'm just gonna wait for a few minutes, um, just to see if anyone has any Q&As. If you're watching a replay, just write it in the comments DM me, and Dina Ramadan is my name, and I will be more than happy to help you. So just waiting, seeing if anyone has any questions. I'm not sure, I'm never sure because Facebook can be a little bit annoying. Sometimes everything's a little bit slow, so there's usually like a lag of 5 to 6 seconds, and it doesn't sometimes show you if, if who's watching this or who's commenting. So yeah, I think I'll just move on to the next part. So if you're listening to this and it resonates with you and you're like, okay, there is some fear that I need to get over, there is some self-doubt that I need to go over. I'm a bit too rigid and I don't know how to free flow through life, or I'm struggling hard, I'm struggling to make a routine that's right for me. Well, if you want to talk about this, what I can suggest is contacting me on digitalnomad.coach, booking in a call. It's completely free, it's 20 minutes, I will say that it does, um, usually lead to paid coaching, but you do get that initial call with me if you want to just go over a few things. And I am available for private one-to-one coaching to help you become the best digital nomad that you can be in regards to work and in regards to lifestyle. So I'd be more than happy to work with you on your limiting beliefs on your mindset so you can achieve the best life as a digital nomad, so you can travel the world while making a full-time income, meeting amazing people who are all doing the same thing, starting up businesses and traveling the world, starting up businesses that make six figures, starting up businesses so they can work with people that they really care about and love, um, to work with. So yeah, if you're interested, I'm here for you, um, and just send me a DM with the words 'ready.' And if you'd like to find out more or, um, or you would like a guide, just DM 'guide,' and then what I can do is I can send you a few of my resources to have a look at. Okay, well Thank you so much for being here. I hope this has given you inspiration and a few ideas of how you could start your journey as a digital nomad, or you could thrive as a digital nomad if you're already on the road. Thanks guys, all the best!