The Millionaire Hippie

Everything Is Perfect In Hindsight So Make It So Right Now

Post published:June 6, 2017
Reading time:8 mins read

If you looked back at your life right now, you will see a pattern in your life. A pattern that is apparent to everyone in hindsight. Think about the last time your life was imperfect, and something went wrong. You were in dire straits, you were crying, or angry about it, you felt like your life would never be the same again. Everything was tumbling upside down in that moment and perhaps for a few more moments after that.

Then, a few days after or a few weeks after, you wondered what all the fuss was all about? What were you so upset about? What happened? You might try to remember that anguish you felt, but the emotion you felt has faded in your mind, and you feel nothing for that oh-so-momentous occasion. It seemed so important back then. It seemed like everything was going to fall apart in your life, but nothing actually did. Everything is normal now, and you are back to the humdrum of everyday life. What happened there?

Not only that, you are sitting here a few years later, looking back at that part of your life, and you realize that that bad thing which happened to you needed to happen for you to be where you are right now. If that particular thing hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t be where you are right now. (more…)

Digital Nomads – Who Are They, And Why Do They Matter?

Post published:May 21, 2017
Reading time:12 mins read

I dislike using the word ‘Underground Revolution’, because it makes Digital Nomads, DNs for short, seem like some nefarious rock band. But they are far cooler than that, in my opinion and that’s not because I claim to be part of that not-so-nefarious group. I think Digital Nomads matter in a way like most important revolutionary groups matter.

I have been speaking to a lot of people in mainstream businesses, and they have told me the same thing over and over again.

‘I first heard the term Digital Nomad (DN) a few months ago, and I had no idea what that meant.’ Or ‘I didn’t know that I was a digital nomad, until a few months back, when I heard someone describe themselves as such.’

What’s In A Name? A Rose By Any Other Name..

Does the definition of the group or the naming of it matter that much? Not really, unless you realize that revolutions happen because a group of people consider themselves to be part of a select cache, and are willing to fight for that group’s safety, and precedence. I don’t think DNs will have to go into battle anytime soon, but I want to delineate why the naming of a group matters.

I have spoken to many DNs, who became so before the advent of the internet. They used a fax machine, and snail mail to communicate with their bosses. They weren’t necessarily ‘Digital’ Nomads, but they were nomads and they worked on the road. These people would tell me that they had no idea that they were part of this awesome group of people who worked on the road, and were free to travel the world. It gave them a sort of belonging. They didn’t feel lonely anymore. They weren’t just cast-offs, or rebels, or outcasts. They were part of something bigger than themselves. It gave them a sense of safety and security to belong. (more…)

Yes To Science! I’m In The Best Shape Of My Life!

Post published:May 21, 2017
Reading time:18 mins read

Three years ago, I had a health scare. At 30, I found out I had high cholesterol. It was a shitty thing, of course, but it was shittier, because I thought I was doing all the right things. I had been been going to yoga 2-3 times a week, I had been restricting my calorie intake as much as possible, I had been taking one cheat day a week, and I had been avoiding juices. But it was obviously not enough!

I decided then and there to cut out the bullshit. I wasn’t going to listen to anyone who was sponsored by some random corporation and I would base all of my health stuff on scientific research. Science was my new guru. I had followed the other gurus, but they had failed me. Even though I did what they asked, I had failed.

I needed a change, so little by little, I started reading up books, and blogs on health and fitness research and I started including one by one the techniques I speak about below, in order to bring my cholesterol back to normal within 2 months without drugs, and to get to the best freaking shape of my life. No longer would I be one of those skinny fat people. Skinny on the outside, and so unhealthy on the inside.

I wanted to share all of my research and these techniques with you, because all of them are free to implement, easy on the wallet, and also, in my opinion, convenient to add on into your daily routine. But that’s just me. (more…)

Do You Know What It’s Like To Be Hungry?

Post published:May 19, 2017
Reading time:7 mins read

We are the lucky ones. I have never ever had occasion to be hungry in my life. I have never known what it’s like to skip meals, unless I did it deliberately to lose weight, or follow a meditation retreat’s bylaws.

Have you ever known what it’s like to be hungry? I have never. Even when I was young, and my family had very little, one thing my parents always made sure was to feed us. Even if there wasn’t much meat, or sugar, there was always enough to eat, to fill our bellies. I never went to bed hungry. Even when my parents were angry with me, they never ever sent me to bed hungry.

It wasn’t the same for them, of course. They had known what it was like to feel intense gnawing hunger, where your stomach is eating itself from lack of food. They had had to skip meals, not because they were in time-out, or they were being punished, but because there just wasn’t enough food at home to feed the entire family. (more…)

Chiang Mai Is The Flow Capital Of The World

Post published:May 13, 2017
Reading time:12 mins read

I have discovered this fact about Chiang Mai, with a bunch of other dilettantes and I had to share. Why not keep the secret to myself? Because the people who are going to feel flow in Chiang Mai are the kind of people I want to meet. In reality, most people will not feel the flow quality of Chiang Mai and they will leave. This post is going to be all about what is flow state, and why I think Chiang Mai brings out that flow in me.

#FlowMo Not #FOMO

Remember when you were a little child, and you used to go on the swings. You would go higher and higher. And much higher than you could ever imagine going. Then, you would let go and FLY. For that brief moment when you were in the air, you were higher than a kite. You were experiencing the flow state that comes from weightlessness, and defying gravity.

It was easy as a child to experience flow, wasn’t it? I would get lost in almost everything I did for hours on end, experiencing the four qualities of flow state. Timelessness, Selflessness, Effortlessness, and Richness. You can read more about all of this in the book, Stealing Fire, by Steve Kotler, and Jamie Wheal. I highly recommend their book for a glimpse into how people are experiencing flow nowadays.

I am not going to speak in this post about how other people experience flow. You can read about that in hundreds of books. This post is about my experience of flow state, and how I deliberately put myself in that state through all of the systems I have set up for myself. (more…)

Hows That One Year Plan Working Out For You?

Post published:May 12, 2017
Reading time:7 mins read

I met up with a friend recently. In fact, I have met up with a bunch of friends recently in Toronto as I have come back for a short sojourn to say hello and goodbye all in the same breath.

I sit down with each friend, in a different location, but the conversation surprisingly runs exactly the same. The questions are asked entirely by them. All of my attempts to ask them about their life is thwarted by the comment, ‘But you have a more exciting life than I do. Tell me about you!’

Alright, so I do. These are the questions they ask me. ‘What have you been up to? How is your business going? How much money are you making from it now? What do you spend your time doing? How was Chiang Mai?’ And the final question, the whopper of a question, that always hits right where it hurts, without meaning to, ‘Where do you see yourself in a year or five years with this business?’ (more…)

Money Mindset Issues? Meditate To Bring Abundance Into Your Life.

Post published:May 11, 2017
Reading time:4 mins read

Having hung out with people of all statures, I realize that the only different between people with money and without is their mindset. It is actually fascinating to me, to hang out with really rich people, vs. not-so-rich people in the same day. The difference is quite stark. There is no distinguishing between the two. Anyone who wants to become a millionaire or abundant in anyway needs to work on their mindset before anything else. It has been said, that you become a millionaire on the inside first, and then the money shows up on the outside automatically. I absolutely believe this adage. If your mindset is screwed up, there is no way in hell you are ever going to bring abundance into your life, no matter what mantras you sing, or what sage you burn. Have Money Mindset Issues? The main thing you need to start off with, is what is your current mentality about money. Some mainstream thoughts about money…

When You Are Working On Your Stuff, You Are Never Alone

Post published:May 10, 2017
Reading time:6 mins read

I was having coffee with a friend of mine the other day, and she asked me a question that made me think. So as usual, I used it as fodder for a new blog post, and here we are.

She asked me the following question. ‘Do you ever get lonely when you are working all day by yourself? Or when you are travelling on your own as a digital nomad?’

Wow. Such a great question. She said a lot more, but this particular question caught my attention. I wanted to share my opinion on the matter, which is just my opinion. Let’s see how it goes.

So here it is.

I Am Loneliest In A Crowd Of People

[bctt tweet=”The truth of the matter is that I was loneliest when I worked in an office setting.” username=”BoomShikha”]

It wasn’t because I disliked the stuff I was working on, which was true. But because the people I worked with weren’t part of my tribe, and I knew that. I would say all of these things that came from my heart and they would look at me, like I was crazy.

I remember that look very clearly, and in order to avoid that look, I kept all of myself away from these individuals. I didn’t share my true self in the office in order to fit in, and I did fit in, but I lost myself. (more…)

Energy Management Should Be Your Highest Priority

Post published:May 10, 2017
Reading time:6 mins read

The more I move around in the world as a digital nomad, the more I get to interact with people from all different backgrounds, and different energies. Not everyone I come into contact with is balanced, and knows how to keep their energies equanimous. So sometimes, actually, often times, I run into people who are energy vampires of sorts. They use drama, high emotions, and arguments to bring more excitement into their lives. And because we are human, and we want to help, their drama-filled existence sucks us in deep.

This has happened to me wherever I have been. It’s been really interesting to me, how I used to get pulled into so much drama before my meditation practice. It was almost impossible for me to step away. It was as if I was being pulled into a cyclone, and I had no way of running away. The force pulling at me was too great.

Since, I started my meditation practice, I have become more of an observer. The more I observe, the more I realize how much of my energy in the past was wasted in these meaningless confrontations. So much energy gone down the drain because I couldn’t control myself or prevent myself from being sucked in. (more…)