When I first went out on my journey abroad, I was hesitant. I had no idea where I’d get my cash flow from, or if I’d ever manage to do so, so far from home. Little did I know, that first step outside my comfort zone was the kick-in-the-pants I needed, to become the independent, confident and outgoing man I am today. Success is all about taking risks, but if you’re smart, you can minimize those risks and be responsible. Here are few life-changing lessons I’ve learned along the way:

01: It’s Okay to Be Scared

My biggest takeaway, so far, is to be able to walk around scared and not let that stop me from following my dreams.
The Internet, for most people, is considered the ‘slippery slope’ of the information world. The dark side is that the unknown is scary and there’s no guarantee that anything you do will work out. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made since I quit my job to travel were because I got into my head. I don’t think I would have been as successful if I had done so.

My business is my passion, and it gives me a lot of satisfaction and meaning, but when you’re giving it your all, that’s when you’re most susceptible to mistakes. When you have your dream, you get so caught up in achieving it, you forget to step back and smell the roses.

02: You Have to Pay to Play

You’d be amazed at how many people make their living working on the internet. No, it’s not about our dear social media, it’s about the revolution that is technology and the billions of industries that are relying on it for their survival.
People are making a living by helping people find and hire each other.

If you have a good idea that would benefit people’s lives, but you can’t afford to pay for advertising, the answer is obvious. You should find a way to get it to people directly, which is what I did.

I started an online service that connects people with professionals they need to find. Thousands of people use it every day.

Pro Tip: If you’re going to start an online business, this is the one you should invest in. There’s no telling when the next revolutionary tech comes along.

03: Break The Mold – Stop Traveling Like A Tourist

So, let’s say you have a big dream and you want to make it happen. Now, here’s the fun part: You’re definitely not going to be a “normal” tourist.

Sure, you’ll try some “typical” tourist activities. You’ll ride a plane and a train, and you’ll probably spend a lot of time on the bus. However, the minute you step into another country, or even an area in your home country, you will experience a very different lifestyle.

You won’t be the same person.

Some say travelling is about exploring the unknown, being flexible and experiencing new things, but as I’ve learned, there’s another very powerful side to it. It’s about breaking the mold. It’s about disrupting your life, and standing out from the crowd, while you do it.

04: Trust Your Gut

According to Dr. Arthur Aron, the essence of psychology can be summed up in two terms: context and mechanism.
Context describes what’s going on, in the moment, while mechanism explains how we perceive the world, our situation, and our actions, moving from moment to moment. A good example of this is the gut feeling you get, based on instinct, but also the decision you make based on all the different thoughts swirling in your mind. Trust your gut.
At least I did. When your gut is telling you something, listen to it.

Another key factor in becoming financially free is knowledge and having a solid foundation to your skills and experience.

05: Market Your Gifts

People do not buy your work. They buy your energy. So you need to give that to them, and what better way than through your passion for travel? Think about all the blogs you read, all the travel books you read and the many adventures you see on instagram. There’s someone out there that wants that. You just have to find them. When I
first started writing, I was thinking about ways to market my brand, because at that point, I had no income. I wanted to find a way to offer products and services people would actually want to pay for.

I started by trying to design sticker sets and T-shirts, which proved to be a complete failure. I still don’t know why.
My intentions were good, but I was just not sure how to market them.

06: Relationships Are Your Greatest Asset

The ability to establish and maintain solid, long-lasting, mutual relationships is what separates the strong from the weak. But this has to start with us, the digital nomads.