These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Message from a friend:
You once asked “what’s one thing you believe that most people would disagree with?” And I don’t think I had a good answer at the time. But here it is: I fucking love dick pics and think they are beautiful. I’ve never deleted any, solicited or unsolicited, from my phone.
2
In the dream I’m counting money and a coin slips from my fingers and rolls away. It disappears down some steps and it’s dark and I can’t see where it went. I’m panicked as I grab a lamp and go look for it. I search high and low, cursing my luck, until eventually I find the coin at rest in a hole with several others. I fish them all out, then awake with a start to the sound of a goat outside my window.
3
Moved to a place closer to the beach today, will be sticking around Taghazout another couple of weeks. Went for a long walk down along the beach yesterday evening, between a sunset and a moon rise. It was beautiful. I saw little streams that had carved canyons through the coastline, and wondered if a lone tree ever felt lonely.
4
You notice a lot more people just hanging out in these small towns. They sit on doorsteps for hours, chatting and watching the world go by. The locals I’m talking about, not the tourists. The shopkeepers and the fishermen and the other townspeople. They all know each other, they all talk to each other.
5
Not enjoying my time here all that much actually. The solo travel thing, used to get a kick out of that. Now it just feels lonely. I can always meet new people of course, but that mostly feels like the same conversation stuck on repeat. The beach is nice, and I’m trying to embrace the solitude and get a good bit of work done. But I’d rather be elsewhere.
6
Okay, today was better. Probably because I got off my ass this morning and went for a stretch and then a run on the beach. That set the tone for the day. Ended up doing a good chunk of freelance work and earning myself in the region of $400. A bit of exercise and some money flowing into the bank account cures many a woe.
7
Weekly webinar. I unscrewed a flatscreen from the wall in the lounge and snuck it into my room, need the extra real estate. Didn’t think I’d be able to do the webinar this eve. Was curled up in bed a few hours ago, weak with a fever. Somehow got right in time. Enjoying myself now, teaching what I know to a backing track of waves and mu’addhins out my window.
8
Another epic day of freelancing. Billed close to $700. It’s days and weeks like this that get me wondering why I put so much time and effort into projects far less financially rewarding, such as 3M1K, when I could probably bank $10k/month with a full focus on client work. But I never wonder that for long. I already know the answer.
9
Getting more comfortable here. Into a nice routine now. Part of it is playing around barefoot on a big pile of rocks at the end of the beach. Spent about an hour at that today. Climbing, crawling, jumping, exploring. Some local dude with bad teeth came up to me at one point and asked if I wanted some hashish. Or surf lessons. Or anything at all.
10
Not really a good work spot in this guesthouse I’m staying at. There is a terrace but a bit too much sun and wind out there. I’ve ended up working from my bed much of the time. Not exactly ideal, but it’s fun to realize that I’ve earned more than a grand the past week from the comfort of my mattress.
11
Everything’s dark. Power’s been out for a couple of hours. It’s been raining most of the day. They’re not used to this kind of weather here. 12 inches of rain they usually get in a year. The kitchen is flooded and rain is leaking in through the window frame. Two men out on the street sound like they’re fighting. At least the dogs aren’t barking anymore.
12
Stretching on the beach, watching big waves. A man with a turban and a camel comes over. I’m squatting as he holds out a British five pound note, asks me in a heavy accent how much it’s worth. I tell him fifty dirham, maybe a hundred. He asks again. I tell him again. Then he walks away, with his turban and his camel.
13
Group call with the 3M1K crew about working alone. It’s a topic not much talked about in digital nomad circles. Often times it’s just you and the machine. Not like a typical office job with social lunch breaks and conversations at the water cooler. Personally I enjoy the solitude, can happily sit there for several hours building my own little world.
14
I wake every morning to a chorus of little fishing boat engines rattling to life. Sitting and eating a late breakfast now as one boat clocks out. A tractor hauls it out of the surf and up the beach. Two fisherman unload their gear and lock it away. Older men. Weathered faces. I wonder what they’ll do for the rest of the day. What homes they’ll go back to. Who waits for them there.
15
Reading a bunch of business books at the moment. Lots of words about setting priorities and cutting the fluff. What are the most important things I should be doing each week? I’ve come up with four, which is probably too many, but here they are:
- Publishing one blog post
- Making one video
- Sending one email to my list
- Checking in personally with at least 10 people who want to work online
16
This town has more cats and dogs than people. Playing around with one dog on the beach this morning. They’re great creatures to say hello, but shit at saying goodbye. They’ll be all giddy and happy to see you, like you’re the most important person in the world. Next minute they’re off sniffing the heels of some random surfer like you never even existed.
17
We’re eight kilometers in the sky, looking down on the largest disputed territory in the world. Nothing but sand and rock stretching to the coast, strangely beautiful. Occasionally a random building there in the middle of it all for no good reason. My new friend in the next seat sees my eyes wide and says, “God made all of this. Do you believe?”
18
Mostly men on the streets of Laayoune. Occasionally a woman, old or middle-aged, wrapped up colorful. I’ve probably seen five heads of female hair since getting here. On a main street I find cafes selling cigarettes instead of food. A cart full of oranges. Little vegetable and electronic shops. Floors dusty and paint peeling. I walk past a butchers with the severed head of a cow hanging from the front wall, tongue sticking out. I buy four bananas for breakfast and head back to the hotel.
19
Sometimes the best response is no response. Especially on Facebook. Wrote out a reply to a controversial comment today, then deleted it. I wasn’t going to change any minds on there. Message from a stranger asking which country she should visit in Europe. No reply. Another comment ridiculing something I posted on my page. Ignore it. Better things I can be doing with my time.
20
“Don’t let the world decide how you feel.” Heard that on a podcast today. When you think about it, most of us constantly let the world, or circumstances, or other people, dictate how we feel. Why are you upset? Because he did this or she said that or this thing happened. When you can instead decide for yourself how you’re going to feel inside, regardless of what’s happening outside… that’s a superpower.
21
Back swimming at Las Alcaravaneras. Yesterday and today. Water’s been choppy, has me struggling a bit. Aiming for sixty consecutive strokes but best I manage is about forty. Coming out of the water I remember what Terry Laughlin said in an interview right before he died: the rougher the sea, the calmer you need to be.
22
Above the clouds, between Teide and Toohil. Kissed my lady goodbye this morning, got to the airport early, as I like to do. Wrote an email to a few thousand people and sent it out. Waking up from a sky nap now, pulling out a pen and paper. I’ll write him a letter, a few dozen heartfelt lines, tears in my eyes a couple of times.
23
Standing on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork. Basking in things. Hugs and smiles. Christmas lights. Wooly jumpers. Warm drinks. Frosted windows. Kids dressed up all cute, excited for the magic. A man on the corner with a guitar and a voice sings a good song that I tell myself I’ll remember and soon forget. But no matter. I’ll remember how it made me feel.
24
He’s been building this machine for a couple of years now. Evenings and weekends, chipping away. Pure craftsmanship. Every bolt, every rivet, perfect in its place. He’ll spend an hour crafting a bracket from scrap metal, exactly to measure, can’t buy anything like it. I’m not big into cars, but I can appreciate what he’s done here. The care, the precision, the attention to detail. Thing of beauty.
25
A different kind of craftsman today. We’re having the big dinner out, first time. A magician comes to the table. He’s good, has us all enthralled. Notice the words, the gestures… years of work gone into this. He can measure up a table perfectly, knows which string to pull, which to leave untouched. A tough craft, must have endured lots of failure and embarrassment along the way.
26
Did some free writing and brainstorming today, decided I’ll make some big changes to 3M1K in the new year. Definitely raising the price for one thing. It’s way too cheap for the value it provides. And a low price attracts less serious, less committed students. I’m better off working with fewer, more qualified people. Thinking I’ll also open the doors only once or twice a year.
27
Complained too much today. Was focused on excuses for why things aren’t exactly the way I want them, instead of taking full responsibility and doing something about it. Got home and stayed up for three hours watching crap on YouTube. It’s like Jim Rohn said: don’t wish life was easier; wish you were better.
28
Been reading The Prosperous Coach. A lot of what I do these days is coaching, and I want to be better at it, make sure I’m helping people as much as possible and getting rewarded accordingly. One point made in the book is that, as a coach, you should be investing heavily in a coach of your own. If you’re unwilling to do that, how can you expect anyone else to?
29
Fortieth and final flight this year. Sudden burst of energy between listening to Terry Crews and reading about Ferdinand Magellan, I start planning out a new morning routine. A miraculous one. Spent a while writing out affirmations, something to read aloud to myself every morning, a nutritious breakfast for the subconscious.
30
Lying on the beach, talking about our plans for the year, what experiences we’d like to have. Throwing around ideas like jungle treks, snowboarding adventures, a month in Amsterdam, living in Thailand for a bit, etc. etc. We have to pause and appreciate how damn lucky we are, how much freedom we have. We can actually go do all those things and more in 2018. Nothing stopping us.
31
Pretty good year, I’d say. Found an amazing life partner, helped a lot of people, earned about $4k/month, visited thirteen countries, read a lot of books, asked a lot of questions, had a video go viral, got my work featured in prominent places… feeling wiser and more capable than ever as we start another lap and see lights explode in the sky. Onwards and upwards, my friend.
