I’ve Moved 18 Times This Year. This is How I Stay Grounded

I have moved 18 times so far this year. This year as in this calendar year. Add in the three months at the end of 2018 after I sold my apartment in New York, and the total goes up to 21.

That’s a lot of moves.

Each move is an uprooting, a scattering of energy.

It’s the ultimate test for even the most tried-and-tested productivity rituals and routines.

This is the adventure I wanted; it’s part of the vision I had for myself four years ago. I wanted more freedom and adventure.

And I wanted to test myself. To stretch myself.

That’s how we grow. Not by staying in the same place, where it’s comfortable and familiar. But by pushing to our edge and staying in the discomfort.

This is my edge.

I have a tendency to fall into anxiety and overwhelm. Living a nomadic lifestyle is something that, in the past, would be a trigger for those emotional states. Before I set out on this adventure, I knew this would be my challenge.

How would I stay grounded and out of overwhelm when I have no home and am constantly uprooting myself?

So far, I’m managing to do it.

Two weeks ago, when I was at Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within, one of the senior trainers told me that she had never seen me more grounded and present. She told me this in a moment when I was on a high after stepping into a big growth moment for myself. The energy in the environment was swirling. It was the exact confluence of circumstances that would typically cause my attention and energy to be scattered in a million places.

Her reflection to me was a huge moment. It showed me that what I’ve been doing was working.

How do you stay grounded when you’re constantly moving?

This didn’t just happen. I trained for this.

I’ve spent five years conditioning daily rituals that help me stay grounded, give my days enough structure while still preserving freedom, and create space for me to do my best work.

Fitness. Meditation. Prayer. Time for Deep Work. Writing. Blogging. Yoga. Eating healthy.

Starting each day with fitness and meditation helps me connect with myself and with my body and get out of my head. I find presence where I am, instead of wondering or worrying where I need to be and where I’ll be tomorrow or the next day.

One crucial aspect of my daily rituals is that they help me create structure without the rigorous confines of schedules. Rituals are more about rhythms and routines.

Although I have an ideal time schedule, often that time schedule is thrown off. I might feel tired and choose to sleep a little later. Or I might be wired and up late into the night.

Instead of berating myself or going down the rabbit hole of self-judgment about not waking up exactly my ideal time, I’ve learned to treat myself with compassion and kindness. I recognize that I’m a human being and not a clock or machine. I do what I can in the time that I have.

What I aim for is consistency over perfection. Something over nothing.