Gypsy |ˈjipsē|

A nomadic or free-spirited person.
 

The charming life of a gypsy is intriguing to many for the reason, a gypsy lives an untroubled life, with a carefree attitude and no responsibilities. In the past, “real life” gypsies were fortunate telling wanderers, who spoke their own dialect called, Romany. These people had seasonal work with each stop they made and never settled in one spot. They lived and travelled with the same people, creating a sense of a nomadic community wherever they went. The reality of the twenty first century is, people can’t survive living this way anymore and it isn’t very common. Society has pressures of adhering to consumerism, ridiculous standards of how you should live your life and the way you look. With that, people find it hard to escape the mentality of it all and begin thinking jobs, education and possessions define a person and their rank in life. If you have orchestrated your life and have a great career, prestigious education and worldly possessions, this doesn’t mean you’re abiding by societies regulations or are necessarily a bad person. In other words, don’t chase these ideas thinking it will bring happiness, because contentment comes from within first. If you are “woke”, the realization of societies’ standards will boil your blood and you will begin to resist the concept.

I consider myself a “modern day gypsy” because I have been on the road for almost a year straight. During this time I have taken on casual jobs that provide me accommodation for a few hours of work daily, or a seasonal job that pays. I don’t own a car in which I get around by foot, bus, train, plane or hitch hiking. I can’t tell you how many different beds and couches I have rested my head during this time. I live out of backpack and carry a guitar. In other words, I am living a wayfarer life much like a gypsy. While I have been living this way, I have realized characteristics that have help me adapt to this life. With that, I have created a list of important qualities to comply with to live like a “modern day gypsy.” Whether you are a student, lawyer or however you may identify yourself as, you can live like a gypsy. Try adding these qualities to your life to help allow you to continue living to the beat of your own drum through the journey of life.

 

Love yourself

If you can’t love yourself, who else is going to? The relationship you have with yourself sets a tone for any other relationship you have with another person, being a lover, friend or work colleague.

Think of a person who has or finds a problem with anyone they encounter. You will most likely run into these types in a workplace setting. From my experience, this common pattern of their shortcomings likely results from low self-esteem. These kinds will have a hard time establishing and maintaining friendships. Accordingly, it is all because they let their insecurities manifest them. Accept who you are, change things you don’t like, acknowledge your insecurities, talk to someone about uncertainties and work on welcoming a new positive thought process. This new thinking should be practiced little by little every day.

 

Live in the present

Step away from your phone and laptop frequently! Take a sincere break from technology to align your thoughts and surroundings to the present. For once, don’t care what other’s are doing on social media and start caring about what you are doing to be living a life of fulfillment. If you aren’t happy or need to fill a void, social media use will certainly not help with that. As a guilty repeated user of social media, I like to go on social media hiatuses at times. I delete all my social media apps on my phone and set a goal on how long I will not operate. The longest I have gone was four weeks and it was a supreme feeling of simplicity. When I am in the midst of cleansing, I sense a better creative flow with activities I immerse myself in. The lack of distractions opens your mind and helps you focus on important activities and most importantly yourself.

 

Never take anything personally

Life is hectic and crazy, and each person has his or her own journey to lead. While each individual is steering this path of life, you have to remember they have their own insecurities, hurdles, much like yourself. Someone may act out a certain way that may make you feel uneasy or confused. If you take every little incident in your life personally, I promise you, you will never have joy in your existence. The bliss will constantly be sucked out of you when you fixate your mind on others actions or opinions.

 

Go where you’re called

Sometimes in life we are stuck on what to do, where to go or who to spend time with. My theory is, if someone is making an effort to stick around in your life, join him. Don’t hang around waiting to hear from someone you have tried numerous times to contact or make plans with. If someone wants to make you a priority in life, they will make the effort. This goes virtually with any type of relationship you will ever have in life.

 

Express yourself in everything you do and never apologize for it

Human beings are such fascinating creatures. We have this amazing ability to feel emotions and these senses are so powerful. Passion fuels us to be unique individuals and stand out in this world. There are so many ways for people to express themselves, with clothing, opinions, music, education etc. When we freely express who we are with various outlets, we must remember the importance of emotional expression too. If you feel a certain way about someone, say something. If you are upset with someone, say something. The release of our inner emotions is an incredible feeling of liberation when we communicate. It all comes down to never holding back on who you are and how you feel.

 

 

Have compassion and understanding

While society is pushing many to live by a guideline, it is now creating selfish egotistical individuals who are solely looking out for their own benefit. This leaves compassion and understanding out of the equation and it is a sad reality it is missing from the world. One great thing about being a gypsy is you meet so many like-minded people on the road and this way of life is all about giving back to one another. It could be as simple as giving a fellow traveller a bar of soap and socks when they found out their bag was lost at the airport. There is an abundance of gratitude and love within a nomad community. You will meet people travelling and they graciously invite you into their home to stay with them. You share meals and stories together. You find yourself confiding in each other with personal issues and are genuinely open to wanting to help each other. After countless experiences of meeting kindness and charity, it is a gypsy’s duty to give back to others in anyway they can. Giving back is never a forced feeling for a gypsy, it feels great to help someone out in need. This is what a majority of the world needs to figure out.

 

Chase your fucking ambitions!

I stress this one with a curse word because it is incredibly important. Life is tough as it is, and we all want to be the best version of ourselves. Each one of us has a vision of something we would like to accomplish, see and do. Setting goals often and working towards them will encourage us to maintain hope and faith in ourselves and boost our self-confidence. Having ambitions gives us a chance to look forward to something that we have only be dreaming of. It takes perseverance, patience, time and focus to achieve an aspiration. While you are in the process of dream catching, without realizing it, you are developing admirable characteristics that enable tenacity and drive. These characteristics build you up to continue setting more goals and never giving up on achieving self-happiness. I am such a goal-orientated person myself and I have to admit, I am quite hard on myself at times. When something becomes tough and not going at the rate I “think” it should be going to accomplish my goal, I have to stop and tell myself “patience is a virtue, I got this.” As long as your mind is set on the outcome of your goal and you’re patient and persistent, nothing can stop you!

By: Olivia Goheen