My own take on being submissive has always been broad...there are so many ways and none are wrong, we live in a way that suits us. We can't all be 24/7 slaves. Some bottom, some sub occasionally non-commited, some sub commited, and some slave, some keep it to only online, etc....
I used to sub occasionally, whenever my masochistic needs got in the way of functioning and I needed release. I would go years between my weekend excursions sometimes, at other times...every weekend for a month, visiting Doms far away who I had known and seen before, trying to stay safe...(Queen of Run-On sentences). Now I am in a commited relationship with a Dom, but we are in no way a 24/7 couple...it can't be as we have children and other circumstances. But we make it work and our super secret bedroom life is exciting...especially when we have the house to ourselves for a weekend.
I can't recall anyone ever telling me "this is how it works, this is how you should live a submissive life." I would probably laugh to myself if they did. But I am interested in knowing how other submissives do what is best for them. How do you fit it into your life?