We’re back, game on! 

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I've been MIA for a few days and when I saw the title of the blog post my mind went in one direction but when I saw the actual question, it went in another. I’ll address both here. 

The title of today’s challenge is: “The Key Qualities and Characteristics you Will Need to be a Suitcase Entrepreneur”

As I see it, the qualities and characteristics needed to be a Suitcase Entrepreneur are similar to those needed to be a Life Athlete.

Once you choose the life you want, it's a matter of going for it, and making it work. No matter what you call it, it’s an inspiring level of existence. 

There are lots of excuses for why I’ve fallen behind with the posts.  I’ve had visitors for the last couple of weekends, I've had good times with friends as well as some bad times that took a lot out of me, I've completed or nearly completed four graphic design projects (for an event and a couple of blogging friends... all will be unveiled soon!), and I pulled a muscle in my neck making impossible to turn my head to the left.

I allowed all of these things to slow me down a bit and wear me out BUT they're not why I haven't posted in a few days. I haven't posted because I’ve got a twist in me that needs to be kneaded out that I’m going to call myself out on. 

I like to be a frontrunner, I like to be in the lead. I don't like to feel like I'm in a position where I'm behind at all to the point that I’ve quit when I’ve fallen back in the past. It wasn’t conscious or obvious to me but that’s what’s up. 

Perhaps it's because I was the youngest (but the tallest) kid in my class growing up but I have a distaste for feeling like I'm behind at things. 

It doesn’t really matter where it’s come from unless that’s my access to releasing it; What matters is the impact it’s had. 

It's caused me to hold back from starting some new things until I felt comfortable that I could excel right away and it's made it so that if I've tripped and stumbled I've sometimes just given up.

I saw the same thing in my brother and sister when they were young (they’re 13 and 15 years younger than me) and visiting me in Montreal.  I was able to clip it in them during a bike ride up Mount Royal in which they had wanted to quit. After a a talk that rallied them, they made it to the top now remember it as a triumphant moment in their lives. I didn't see that I had the same thing in myself and didn't make the same intervention. I've of course made it through lots of tough things in my life without quitting but that doesn't mean that this isn't still a pattern at work in me. 

I started this blog challenge 12 hours later than I'd intended due to the time of the first posting and the time difference where I am in the world.  I had waited to see what the first post would be but I didn't see it before it was time to go to sleep and so I saw it in the morning my time. I posted a response and that evening there was a prompt for the one for the next day. I was already on the edge of falling behind. 

My window to be productive in my personal pursuits isn't huge and so if I don't fiercely protect it, it’s easy to find myself behind in my projects and there's really never a good time to catch up.
It can feel overwhelming to see all of the things I’ve agreed to do on top of the things I’ve promised myself. Sacrificing sleep is the easy solution to finding more time I’ve fallen to in the past but as Admiral Ackbar said “It’s a trap!”

It’s one I’ve fallen into often, staying up until 4am working on projects and then waking up a few hours later to start working again, while trying to also workout, be social and go to my day job just kills my ability to really shine. 

Working smarter instead of harder is the key. Managing my energy allows me to be far more productive than when I’m exhausted. It’s one of those easier said than done things for me. 

If I was to say what my main opportunity for improvement is, what key characteristic or attribute would make the biggest difference in my pursuit to be a Life Athlete, it would be being unstoppable.

The funny thing is that this often means that I must stop so I can recover my energy and not fall into exhaustion. 

The combination of maintaining my energy and being unstoppable in terms of my production are they areas that I’m training currently. 

I've already talked in a previous post about how we're only as strong as the thing that stops us. Letting a few delays stop me sets my bar a little lower than I know I'm capable of.

Even worse, fear of looking bad by posting late is also not a reason to stop. People give in to their excuses all the time. Being abel to brush them off and take action, even if it's slightly delayed, is a triumph.

Wanting things to be perfect, immediately and with the fewest hangups possible is normal. I'm aiming a little higher and so here I am, a little late but standing before my readers to say that I will not stop, you will have a system you can use and count on in Life Athletics, and I'm going to have fun as I go.

Now, to answer the actual question... “What’s your level of location independence and your nomadic quotient?”

I have been to twenty countries and have livd outside of my own more than I've lived in it over the last 8years. That said, I've now lived in the same country for nearly three years and I've only been out on vacation once. 

What my nomadic quotient looks like is this, I'd like to have a home, a base of operations with a big soft bed, a good home gym and a fantastic kitchen. It doesn't have to be huge or showy, just well located and comfortable with a good internet connection.

The main difference to my vision and what I have currently is that I’d like to be in a place I can see myself living in for the next 10-20 years. 

With that in place, and income coming from an online business, I'd like to do courses around the world or participate in initiatives globally that inspire me. Ideally this would be on a three months at home and one month away, loop.

I'm a firm believer of building a life you don't need a vacation from but I'm also a huge proponent of travel and growth opportunities and I see this as an ideal set-up to balance those two aims.

Everyone stumbles but getting up, laughing and continuing on your way is whatLife Athletics is all about. This is just a game, and so I choose to enjoy and keep playing! Game on!