I am a Digital Nomad
It immediately became a ritual to walk on that beach every evening at sunset, after finishing work.
The Mantra
For over two years, I had gotten into the habit of repeating a mantra in my mind, under my breath, or out loud (when possible) while taking long walks. It always helped me direct my actions toward a certain goal or, for those who believe, to direct the universe to help me reach that goal.
I even dedicated almost a year or more to "enchanting" some stones with certain mantras. Their effect was probably placebo, but who knows: the way they worked felt incredible.
The mantras I used were mental self-programming sentences: phrases in which you repeat your name, surname, and an action, noun, or adjective you want to achieve in the future. The sentence must be in the present tense to have more power, must contain no negations, and must make us feel truly happy while saying it, imagining we have already reached that state.
The Moment
One day, walking on that beach, with an incredible sunset next to Cirella Island, I kept repeating the mantra that had been accompanying me for at least a year.
At a certain point, I froze.
The mantra sentence I was repeating was: "I am Sebastiano Licciardello and I am a digital nomad."
I realized, in front of that spectacle of nature that had accompanied the best moments of my childhood, that by then I truly was one.
The feelings of immense joy, satisfaction, and disbelief that reached me in an instant were difficult to contain. I burst into tears of happiness. My gratitude to the universe was immense.
The Circle Closes
That beach had seen me as a child, free and happy, without knowing what would come next. And that same beach was seeing me now, an adult, free again, happy again. But this time with the awareness that I had chosen it.
I hadn't returned to Diamante by chance. I hadn't repeated that mantra by chance. I hadn't found myself on that beach, at that precise sunset, by chance.
Sometimes the circle closes exactly where it needs to close. And when it happens, everything makes sense.
The child I was and the man I had become met on that beach. And finally, they were the same person.
📻 Soundtrack
📻 Colonna Sonora

🎵 Caricamento...
YouTube Music
This melody accompanied me while writing this post. There is no specific reason: listening to it brings back exactly what I felt on that beach, a deep sense of satisfaction and rediscovered peace.