Kathleen Hamilton: Life is a Cosmic Joke, Don’t Forget to Smile
Kathleen Hamilton, 25, The World, is an avid wanderer. Her soul rarely sitting still. Her passion is people and lifting them up to their truest purpose. She’s also a bit wacky.
Kathleen is what you might call a third culture kid, meaning she grew up somewhere different from where she was born but also different from where her parents grew up. Not only that, but she also spent her youth moving across the world every two years. Most of her formative years were in Bali, Indonesia but that’s really only one part of the great puzzle that is Kathleen.
If you asked her where she felt most at home, she might say Bali. After all, she spent at least 10 years of her life there, but because she’d explored so much of the world already and because Bali isn’t the biggest of the Indonesian islands, Kathleen spent a lot of time experiencing itchy feet. A difficulty in just being in one place.
Even if she wanted to stay somewhere, Kathleen has no official residency in any country, her family scattered across the globe and she has the heart of a true traveller. It’s no wonder she became a digital nomad.
The Travel Life
Never one to back down from a challenge, Kathleen ventured over the US for her University education. In hope to discover a new place, and wishfully, herself as well. Once graduated, Kathleen took the time to be in San Francisco, in particular, to explore the Intentional-Community way of life. There she discovered a blossoming community of wanderers with souls that matched her own, but ultimately the world called to her.
After a few festivals, Burning Man a particular favourite, she headed to Europe with her partner Dominic. They planned to tour Europe on the train, whilst Kathleen worked full time. Her first real experience of the digital nomad way of life. Not only was she getting to experience Europe in its many beauties, but Kathleen was working hard.
Putting in the Hours
And when we say work hard, we mean it. Balancing travelling, exploring and a full-time job is no small feat. Of course it’s a privilege but the hours could be long when you want to experience the world in the way Kathleen does. Breakdowns and a constant feeling of stress plagued her. Something needed to change.
It took time but Kathleen learnt to better manage her time. Leaving Dominic to plan more, and for her to create more boundaries for when she was and wasn’t working. And soon it paid off. She grew her role in the company she worked for, going from being a copywriter to a community manager, then skipping to the future where she is today, a product manager and company board member.
Intentional Travel
As Kathleen travelled across Europe, and often further afield for work commitments, a pattern started to emerge. The pair found themselves not travelling for the countries they were visiting, but rather for the people or the events that were taking place in those countries. Her travel became more intentional.
They began to stay longer in places, setting up temporary homes and establishing work and life boundaries. Still attending events, still spending time with loved ones but with being more intentional about the moves they made. An on-purpose life.
Creating a Home
As many other nomads have, Kathleen has felt the pull to create a sense of home for the time being. In fact, it was already something she had been considering for some time. Her heart being called to return to Lison, Portugal, where she’d spent time previously and fallen completely in love.
With a stable income and sizable savings she could make a bold choice; to set up home in Lisbon for a year. To enjoy the experiences of a life lived in one place, especially being able to buy all the cookware and even get a cat. Such small things for many people, but big for Kathleen.
She doesn’t think it will be a forever home, but her goal is always looking for happiness and fulfilment in right now. And Lisbon is that place for her.
Finding Purpose
For Kathleen, life is about learning to be more purposeful. Kathleen loves to help others do what they love. People doing work they adore means they never feel like it’s a chore, she believes.
One of her biggest lessons from all the travelling she’s done in her life is that there are thousands upon thousands of people in this world who experience a different reality every day. Travelling humbles you in many respects because you realise you are insignificant in so many ways.
Kathleen’s biggest lessons: “Understand that life is really just one cosmic joke. We spend so much time faffing around in all the small detail. Getting bothered about things of no real consequence, when really all you need is a little humour and some new perspective. Is it really as bad as you think? Probably not. In fact, use it as a tool to remind yourself you are life and you are grateful for the experience, whatever it may be.”
The Details
- Follow her on Instagram @itskathleenhamilton
- Discover her Digital Nomad tools — www.kathleenhamilton.me/freebies
- Check out her Website — www.kathleenhamilton.me
If you liked this story, please made to give a few claps (up to 50). It really helps with the visibility of these stories. To keep up to date make sure to follow The Travelling Womxn Publication. Thank You!
