Whether you’re aiming to be a freelancer, business owner, or blogger, as you begin your journey to becoming a full-fledged wage slave rebel you’ll be filled with enough passion and excitement to work undeterred for weeks. The newness of the project and maybe even the newness of working at home will be enough to sustain you. Your goal, however, isn’t to be independent for a few weeks, is it? Of course not. The life of a wage slave rebel is much more permanent.

What happens when the newness fades? I’ve heard it said that humans have an infinite capacity to take things for granted. This is very true. Eventually an independent lifestyle (especially if you’re in the pre-travel stage of location independence) will get to be “normal.” You might fill completely unmotivated and if that motivation lingers too long, you’ll likely get yourself into a non-productive slump.

This was a lesson I learned very early on, but didn’t think to combat until recently. Now every time I feel an unproductive phase coming on, I have a few things I do to keep myself motivated. These included talking with certain people and reading certain books, but most importantly I have a list of blogs I read to get inspired, to learn different ways to do the same old things, to patch up my life and to get me motivated.

They’ll likely do the same for you!

1. LocationIndependent.com

Visit: http://www.locationindependent.com

If the location independent  movement is the body, LocationIndependent.com is it’s heart. It was one of the first (likely *the* first) site where aspiring and active digital nomads could plug into a community of talented and like-minded individuals. It’s a brilliant resource, especially if traveling is the ultimate goal for your freelance/blogging/business endeavor. The blog features many helpful articles related to building a business or freelance career plus the automated income required to sustain location independence. Even if traveling isn’t your thing, it’s great just to realize the infinite possibilities offered by an independent lifestyle.

2. ZenHabits.net

Visit: http://www.zenhabits.net

ZenHabits is probably the site I visit more often than any other. It’s full of practical advice to help you finally take control of your life. Its author, Leo Babauta, has done some pretty amazing things since he began to turn his life around in December of 2005. He lost weight, ran marathons, quit smoking, got organized, doubled his income and eliminated his debt. Leo hasn’t only simplified his life, he has developed a simple life philosophy that can be easily understood and applied by the masses. It’s no surprise he has one of the top blogs on the internet with over 125,000 subscribers!

3. FreePursuits.com

Visit: http://www.freepursuits.com

Corbett Barr is a remarkable character with a lazily-stoking-the-flames-of-revolution writing style. This, along with the variety and quality of his posts, makes Free Pursuits one of the blogs I enjoy most. He’s a prophet for Digital Natives, shouting warnings from the wilderness, telling our generation to repent from our “deferred-life” plans. If you plan on starting a blog, I highly recommend reading his article, “21 Tips for Getting 500 Subscribers in 90 Days with No Blogging Experience”.

4. FreelanceSwitch.com

Visit: http://www.freelanceswitch.com

For me, Freelance Switch has always been the king of all freelancing sites. Two years ago when I was working 12-hour days and two jobs (both for minimum wage), Freelance Switch popped up and totally changed my perspective on life. It made me question my goals and, more importantly, it made me feel like the life I truly wanted to live was attainable. Within three months of my first encounter with Freelance Switch I dived head first (and without experience) into freelance writing, design, even some audio editing. Freelance Switch offers awesome tools for people just starting out such as a rate calculator and job boards. It’s a must read!

5. ChrisGuillebeau.com

Visit: http://www.chrisguillebeau.com

Anyone who can create a highly successful blog with a domain containing a difficult-to-spell name like “Guillebeau” deserves to be listened to! I first found out about Chris Guillebeau’s Art of Non-Conformity when Lea Woodward tweeted about a manifesto he released called “279 Days to Overnight Success.” If you want to read something that can really kick your ass in gear and get you actually working toward the life of your dreams, Chris Guillebeau is who you should be reading. “279 Days” as well as his other manifesto, “A Brief Guide to World Domination” tore me out of a 2 month slump.

Bonus: SeanOgle.com

Visit: http://www.seanogle.com

I had written this post a couple weeks ago. Since then I have found Sean Ogle’s Location 180. I was introduced to it by a post called “How to Make an Extra $1000 in a Month” which is a great read and full of great ideas for making some extra dough. Sean writes a lot about entrepreneurship and travel, especially location independence. One of my favorite things about Sean’s blog is his list of things he wants to do.

What are the blogs that inspire you? Do you have any to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

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Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/muha/ / CC BY 2.0

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