Is this really what I was so afraid to do?A workday in the Himalayas
It is a few minutes to midnight and I am sitting in the moonlight on the balcony of my room in the Himalayas. I just arrived after a full day of working productively. As I was walking uphill and stared at the stars, listened to the cicadas and enjoyed the warm breeze, I asked myself: “Is this really what I was so afraid to do?”
This is my second time in India, the first time I naively thought that I am going to become a digital nomad, not knowing that my tormented soul needs healing from the burnout, the heartbreaks, different traumas, toxic patterns, unhealthy coping mechanisms and self-sabotaging behaviors before I can pick up working again. So I did that, went from one workshop to another, did a lot of courses, certifications, healings, sessions, ceremonies, you name it. This village, just a 30 minutes walk from where Dalai Lama lives, is supercharged with a peaceful vibe. I came here for deep healing and the place delivered — I found the guides who helped me to face and transmute my shadows.
So here I am, the same village I used as a healing sanctuary 3 years ago, but now as a completely different person in a different life situation and somehow the environment is still perfectly fitting. I quit my corporate job and despite I was not really sure how I am going to find the motivation to work on building my business in the place where life is a dictionary definition of chill and flow, I just felt the calling to came back here so I followed it.
The crowd changed here with Covid, and so did the offerings. Now it is full of digital nomads (mostly Indians but also foreigners) who work online from well-suited cafes and compared to 3 years back, not so many hippies are aimlessly roaming around the streets. I mean, the events are still happening, but the cafes are full of people on their laptops and on work-related phone calls - the emphasis is not put solely on the events that feed the soul.
Coming here I realized that I can have my cake and eat it too. Today I was the most productive I’ve been in ages and despite working the entire day and it is late, I found more than enough energy to document my thoughts in this article. My work day looked like this: I woke up at 6am after only a couple of hours of light sleep and went for a walk through the pine forrest. I came back, took a shower (this time without a massive jungle spider in my bathroom), and meditated for almost an hour. Then I admitted that I might as well just sleep so I laid down and slept for 2 hours. I woke up, did my yoga practice and ate my staple breakfast — juicy mango with locally made granola. By noon I reached a cafe where I brainstormed my entire project inside out while being served delicious food and flavorsome masala chai. My almost 12 hour stay with a cosy seat, fast internet, quiet environment, 2 meals, 2 cakes a lot of chai and ginger tea cost me around 10 Euros — unimaginable bill in Europe for such service.
In the breaks, I was talking to people who have become friends by this time. Apart from the loving talks about all the shades of our eventful days, we also engage in business conversations. We talk about streamlining the sales funnel, how to refine the offerings, what tools to use, the thought processes behind the business itself, potential of blockchain, the process of setting up a DAO, the challenges of scaling visionary projects in the current crumbling system, and anything that essentially helps me to stay focused on work despite it does not feel like working.
When my productivity wore off around 8pm, the conversations changed to getting to know each other’s life stories that have a common thread… They are transformations from the corporate-ladder-climbers with no purpose neither joy in life to the successful sweatpants-wearing entrepreneurs who prioritize walking around the nature, dancing with friends and caring about their holistic health over obsessively checking their emails while still creating value for their clients and making very decent money.
More quality, less quantity. That’s what I was scared of. The belief that only by prioritizing hard work I can deliver results is … unhealthy to say the least.
I see how prioritizing myself and not being run by a calendar is beneficial, the work is basically getting done itself by mere momentum. And at the same time, I am having the time of my life. The work doesn’t feel like work and I am getting more done by doing less and prioritizing myself. I feel content, inspired and connected to the self, the nature and the strangers who feel like family. I don’t need to schedule an appointment minimum 2 days in advance to meet my friends anymore. I either call them or come to my fav spots, knowing somebody will be there.
I don’t have a schedule, I flow. I party when I spontaneously want to celebrate life, I go to a yoga class when I spontaneously want to slow down, I hang around the Tibetan exile town when I miss the hustle and bustle of big crowds, I go to a waterfall or climb to mountain temples when I crave nature, and most importantly, I only do things that feel right in that particular moment. And the cool thing is that whatever I feel like, there is a just-like-that event happening.
So if you are considering quitting a job and starting working on something that you find inspiring and are passionate about (and were playing with that idea for quite a while), let my story be the sign you were looking for. The only thing you’ll loose is misery and you’ll find way more fulfillment very soon. The fear is an unnecessary barrier between you and the life you are dreaming of. Lose the fear and gain the life you desire. You’ve got this ❤️
Namaste
~The Simona
Follow me on Instagram @TheSimona to access content about yoga, breathwork, and anything consciousness-related that will empower you to tap into your dormant potential of being radically alive
