42 Things I Learned From 21 Books In 2016

Published at December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 In Category Self-Development, Writing and Creativity Leave a comment

Check out my lists from 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Idea originally inspired by this list of Julien Smith’s.

Another year, another bunch of books read. I try to read at least 20 every year and to make some of those fiction. I’m much better at doing the former than the latter.

And like I do every December, I like to skim through my notes and list out my favorite two passages or things I’ve learned from each book I read.

Text in quotes is taken straight from the author:

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]1. “Still, plain talk will not be easily achieved in corporate America. Too much vanity is on the line. Managers at every level are prisoners of the notion that a simple style reflects a simple mind.

Actually a simple style is the result of hard work and hard thinking; a muddled style reflects a muddled thinker or a person too arrogant, or too dumb, or too lazy to organize his thoughts.

Remember that what you write is often the only chance you’ll get to present yourself to someone whose business or money or good will you need. If what you write is ornate, or pompous, or fuzzy, that’s how you’ll be perceived. The reader has no other choice.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]2. “Nowhere else in nonfiction [than in travel writing] do writers use such syrupy words and groaning platitudes.

Adjectives you would squirm to use in conversation–‘wondrous’, ‘dappled’, ‘roseate’, ‘fabled’, ‘scudding’–are common currency. Half the sights seen in a day’s sightseeing are quaint, especially windmills and covered bridges; they are certified for quaintness.

Towns situated in hills (or foothills) are nestled–I hardly ever read about an unnestled town in the hills–and the countryside is dotted with byways, preferably half forgotten. In Europe you awake to the clip-clop of horse-drawn wagons along a history-haunted river; you seem to hear the scratch of a quill pen…. [and] chimneytops sing their immemorial song of welcome.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]3. “It is no accident that the first highways in America were called parkways.

That’s what they were envisioned to be: parks you could drive through.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]4. “I still quite often go for walks on the trail near my home, especially if I am stuck on something I am working on. Most of the time I am sunk in thought, but at some point on each walk there comes a moment when I look up and notice, with a kind of first-time astonishment, the amazing complex delicacy of the woods, the casual ease with which elemental things come together to form a composition that is—whatever the season, wherever I put my besotted gaze—perfect.

Not just very fine or splendid, but perfect, unimprovable. You don’t have to walk miles up mountains to achieve this, don’t have to plod through blizzards, slip sputtering in mud, wade chest-deep through water, hike day after day to the edge of your limits—but believe me, it helps.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]5. “Being an executive does not require very developed frontal lobes, but rather a combination of charisma, a capacity to sustain boredom, and the ability to shallowly perform on harrying schedules.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]6. “[Philip] Tetlock studied the business of political and economic “experts.” He asked various specialists to judge the likelihood of a number of political, economic, and military events occurring within a specified time frame (about five years ahead). The outcomes represented a total number of around twenty-seven thousand predictions, involving close to three hundred specialists. Economists represented about a quarter of his sample.

The study revealed that experts’ error rates were clearly many times what they had estimated. His study exposed an expert problem: there was no difference in results whether one had a PhD or an undergraduate degree. Well-published professors had no advantage over journalists. The only regularity Tetlock found was the negative effect of reputation on prediction: those who had a big reputation were worse predictors than those who had none.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foer

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]7. “As everyone knows, Italian men are the most foppish representatives of their sex on the planet. They smear on substantial quantities of hair care products and expend considerable mental energies color-coordinating socks with belts.

Because of their dandyism, the world has Vespa, Prada, and Renzo Piano. With such theological devotion to aesthetic pleasure, it is truly perplexing that their national style of soccer should be so devoid of this quality.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]8. “As the Protestants celebrate a goal, they’re egged on by the team captain, a long-haired Italian called Lorenzo Amoruso, who has the look of a 1980s male model. Flailing his arms, he urges them to sing their anti-Catholic songs louder. The irony is obvious: Amoruso is a Catholic.

For that matter, so are most of the Rangers players. Since the late nineties, Rangers routinely field nearly as many Catholics as Celtic. Their players come from Georgia, Argentina, Germany, Sweden, Portugal and Holland, because money can buy no better ones. Championships mean more than religious purity.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]9. “Rainbows do not exist without an observer and there are as many rainbows created by as many people looking in the right conditions, each one subtly different. The reason for this is that rainbows are formed in an exact position relative to each observer and they have a precise shape.

Whenever our shadow is shorter than we are tall, we can say with certainty that the sun is higher than 45 degrees. Therefore if our shadow is shorter than we are tall, we will never see a rainbow.” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]10. “The easiest method for finding the North Star is by finding the easy-to-identify group of seven stars known as the Big Dipper to Americans and the Saucepan to many others.

Next you find the “pointer” stars—these are the two stars that a liquid would run off if you tipped up your “saucepan” by its handle. The North Star will always be five times the distance between these two pointers in the direction that they point (up away from the pan). True north lies directly under this star.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Wander Society by Keri Smith

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]11. “When we constantly fill up all our “empty” time with stimulation in the form of electronic devices, games, and distractions, our brains become disengaged and the thinking process is effectively halted.

We never get to hear our own inner voice—we don’t develop a relationship with ourselves and our minds. We don’t get to know who we are because we’re not listening.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]12. Per·e·gri·nate (verb): travel or wander around from place to place.[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

**The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck** by Mark Manson

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]13. “The desire for more positive experience itself is a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]14. “The rare people who do become truly exceptional at something do so not because they believe they’re exceptional. On the contrary, they become amazing because they’re obsessed with improvement. And that obsession with improvement stems from an unerring belief that they are, in fact, not that great at all. It’s anti-entitlement.

People who become great at something become great because they understand that they’re not already great—they are mediocre, they are average—and that they could be so much better.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Born For This By Chris Guillebeau

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]15. “A few tips on figuring out which real world problems you can solve, and how:

1. Solving problems of daily life is usually the easiest and most successful approach

2. Solving specific, measurable problems is much better than attempting to create huge behavior change

3. To avoid getting off track, always ask, ‘Why should people care about this?'” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]16. “In Alexandria, VA, a personal finance advisory company has an unconventional sabbatical practice of its own. The Motley Fool, which has around 300 employees, sends one of them on a “mandatory vacation” every month. In keeping with the company’s culture, it’s called a “Fool’s Errand”, and each month the lucky employee is chosen by lottery (with long-term workers receiving multiple entries based on their number of years service).

The winner gets two weeks off and $1,000 to spend however they like, but there’s one strict rule: the employee must leave immediately and have no contact with the office while gone. Winners are also encouraged to do something that contributes to the Motley Fool’s overall mission (“to help the world invest better”), but aside from not checking work email or phoning into conference calls, there’s no restriction on what people can do.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]17. “It is only in his work that an artist can find reality and satisfaction, for the actual world is less intense than the world of his invention and consequently his life, without recourse to violent disorder, does not seem very substantial.

The right condition for him is that in which his work is not only convenient but unavoidable.” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]18. “I have been corrupted as much as anyone else by the vast number of menial services which our society has grown to expect and depend on. We should do for ourselves or let the machines do for us, the glorious technology that is supposed to be the new light of the world. We are like a man who has bought a great amount of equipment for a camping trip, who has the canoe and the tent and the fishing lines and the axe and the guns, the mackinaw and the blankets, but who now, when all the preparations and the provisions are piled expertly together, is suddenly too timid to set out on the journey but remains where he was yesterday and the day before and the day before that, looking suspiciously through the white lace curtains at the clear sky he distrusts.

Our great technology is a God-given chance for adventure and for progress which we are afraid to attempt. Our ideas and our ideals remain exactly what they were and where they were three centuries ago. No. I beg your pardon. It is no longer safe for a man to even declare them!”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Stand And Deliver by The Dale Carnegie Institute

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]19. “For a speaker, sincerity is the wild card that trumps everything else. Deep, genuine sincerity is the first characteristic of all credible presenters. No audience can deny the truth of emotions that you feel at a deep level, nor would any audience care to deny them.

On the contrary, they want to feel what you’re sincerely feeling. They want to share the experiences of your life for the few moments that you’re standing before them.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]20. “Magic Formula (best for short, motivational talks):

1. Share a vivid, personal experience that’s relevant to the action you ultimately want your listeners to take. This should be a story that led to a positive change in your life. This will take the most time.

2. Call directly on the audience to take that single, well-defined action. Make it seem easy. This should take you only 2 minutes to explain.

3. Clearly and convincingly describe the benefit that listeners will get by taking the action. This will take the least time; as little as one second.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Olympic Weightlifting by Greg Everett

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]21. “Proper [squat] depth is full depth; full depth means full depth. That is, full depth is not breaking parallel, nor is it breaking parallel—it is squatting to the lowest possible position without surgical alteration of body parts while maintaining correct posture.

To simplify, we want to close the knee joint maximally while maintaining upright posture and a correctly arched back.” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]22. “Part of the myth that weightlifting stunts growth can be attributed to flawed logic, similar to that which persists with regard to gymnastics. Because elite gymnastics and weightlifters in lighter weight classes tend to be smaller in stature, many people assume that their training has limited their growth.

This is a classic logical fallacy—post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this). In other words, because following sport training these athletes remain short, it is assumed that this training was causative of the athletes’ stature. This chronology however, in no way demonstrates causation.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

God’s Debris by Scott Adams

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]23. “If the penny’s consciousness were like human consciousness, it would analyze the situation and conclude that it had free will.

When it wanted to come up heads, and heads was the result, the penny would confirm its belief in its power to choose. When it came up tails instead, it would blame its own lack of commitment, or assume God had a hand in it.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]24. “Conversation is more than the sum of the words. It is also a way of signaling the importance of another person by showing your willingness to give that person your rarest resource: time. It is a way of conveying respect.

Conversation reminds us that we are part of a greater whole, connected in some way that transcends duty or bloodline or commerce. Conversation can be many things, but it can never be useless.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Martian by Andy Weir

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]25. Despite the fact that we haven’t been there (on foot), most of Mars’ major topographical features have already been named, and many as long ago as the late 1800s.[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]26. ASCII can be used to communicate in a pinch when space and time are at a premium. [/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]27. “By using this principle you can make contents looks far more exciting:

Hang heavy items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right. Heavy items include those with length, those made from heavier material, and those that are dark in color. As you move toward the right side of the closet, the length of the clothing grows shorter, the material thinner and the color lighter.” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]28. “Attachment to the past and fears concerning the future not only govern the way you select the things you own but also represent the criteria by which you make choices in every aspect of your life, including your relationships with people and your job.” [/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]29. “Certain things in life will cut you open like a knife. When that happens—at that exposing moment—the world gets a glimpse of what’s truly inside you. So what will be revealed when you’re sliced open by tension and pressure? Iron? Or air? Or bullshit?”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]30. “There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]31. Dentuso is Spanish slang for something with big, ugly teeth (like a shark). [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]32. “But he liked to think about all things that he was involved in and since there was nothing to read and he did not have a radio, he thought much and he kept on thinking about sin. You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?” [/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Take Your Eye Off The Puck by Greg Wyshynski

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]33. “At the 2013 Sloan Sports Conference, authors Eric Tulsky, Geoffrey Detweiler, Robert Spencer, and Corey Sznajder presented evidence that showed carrying the puck over the blue line generated roughly twice as many scoring chances as dumping and chasing it.”[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]34. “Buffalo Sabres general manager George “Punch” Imlach was ticked off about how tedious the [draft] process was, so he decided to cast one of most hilarious protest votes in pro sports history. In the 11th round, with the 183rd pick, Imlach selected Taro Tsujimoto of the Tokyo Katanas in the “Japanese league”.

Technology being what it was in 1974, there weren’t many ways for the NHL to check the credential on this “star center”, according to Imlach. The league rubber-stamped it; rival NHL general managers immediately wondered who this mysterious rookie was.

Weeks later, Imlach came clean. There were no Tokyo Katanas–“Katana” being Japanese for “sabre”–and there was no Taro Tsujimoto. Imlach was exasperated by the length of the draft and decided to have a laugh at the its expense. So he made up the pick and submitted it.” [/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]35. Puss in Boots was a European fairy tale character around long before Shrek 2.[/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]36. [Wikipedia]: “The Great Stink was an event in central London in July and August 1858 during which the hot weather exacerbated the smell of untreated human waste and industrial effluent that was present on the banks of the River Thames.

By June the stench from the river had become so bad that business in Parliament was affected, and the curtains on the river side of the building were soaked in lime chloride to overcome the smell. The measure was not successful, and discussions were held about possibly moving the business of government to Oxford or St Albans.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Beginning Songwriting by Andrea Stolpe

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]37. “There is one chord in a major key that doesn’t sound particularly happy or sad, but more suspicious, confusing, or even simply ‘wrong’.

This is the diminished triad that results by playing a triad starting on the 7 of the C major scale, the B. When we stack the B, D, and F, we call it a B diminished chord, or Bdim for short.” [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]38. “Crumpled Paper Songwriting Activity: Have each songwriter take out a piece of paper. On the paper, everyone writes something they deeply want to tell someone, but are afraid to. Crumple up the paper, and throw it in the middle of the room.

After everyone has contributed a paper ball, have the songwriters each choose a crumpled paper and unfold it. Each songwriter will write a song based on the idea they chose, perhaps even using the language on the paper as the actual chorus section of the song. Have everyone perform their songs next time the group meets.” [/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Antarctica by Claire Keegan

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]39. Fred and Rosemary West were English serial killers that buried at least 12 victims in their garden and cellar in the 1980s and 1990s without their neighbors knowing. [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]40. “The air spiked her lungs. Clouds smashed into each other in the sky. She hung her head back to look at them. She wished the world could turn into a fabulous, outrageous red to match her mood.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett

[stag_columns][stag_one_half]41. No matter what version of this story I read, I will always picture Scrooge as Michael Caine and every one else as Muppets. [/stag_one_half] [stag_one_half_last]42. “Was he not enjoying the solitude he had sought his entire life? He was, and that was the bitter realization. For he was so competent, so driven, so independent that, in a temporal sense, he had never really needed anyone. This ability was now his cruse, for he craved a friend in his final hours.

His earthly assets, all of them, were down in the street in the counting-house, measured in ounces and pounds, and by morning, he would have lost his grasp on them. He did not even have a will, having been dissatisfied with simply giving his hard-earned estate to one who had not worked for it. He yearned for someone to tell him his life had been successful, to affirm that the single turn he had gotten upon earth had been well spent.”[/stag_one_half_last] [/stag_columns]

What was your favorite passage from a book you read in 2016?

365 Days of Being Grateful

Published at November 24, 2016December 7, 2016 In Category Self-Development Leave a comment

As a kid, my least favorite thing about Thanksgiving was when some cheeseball would inevitably suggest that we go around the table and say one thing we were grateful for. I loathed having to take part in such a campy exercise, and I’d usually resort to my fail-safe answer of ‘modern technology’.

Ironically, I now force myself to do that very eyeroll-inducing thing three times every morning.

—

Gratitude is one of the latest self-help trends. Being grateful supposedly improves your self-esteem, mental strength, relationships, productivity, helps you sleep better, and even keeps you from getting sick.

Basically, if you believe everything you read, being grateful makes you superhuman.

Despite many of these claims being backed by science, I was skeptical. Even though I was only a sporadic journaler two winters ago (compared to now), I was hesitant to add in yet another supposed-life boosting habit to my daily routine.

Then, the subject of being grateful daily popped up on an episode of Tim Ferriss’ podcast (I can’t remember specifically which one, though he talks about it again in this episode). What he calls “five-minute journaling” was part of his own morning routine, which even spawned a similarly-named product.

Since following the advice in Ferriss’ first book changed the course of my life, in February 2015 I decided to give being grateful every day a try. In addition to just seeing what all the fuss was about, I used it as a way to also “trick” myself into journaling more regularly. Writing three things in my life that made me happy everyday seemed like a manageable minimum daily “standard” to meet, and if I did feel the need to vomit my soul onto the pages, I was already in position to do that, too.

Even after I began, I wasn’t convinced I would be able to sustain the habit for long–how many different things could I possibly be grateful for?

—

I get asked this a lot when I talk journaling with people. While at first I tried to avoid repeating things, eventually I gave myself permission to be grateful again for something I had already listed before. For instance, I couldn’t help but laugh at how many times I was grateful that I “caught up on sleep last night” or “let myself sleep in” when I flipped through the previous years’ pages.

What also surprised me was that it was never really difficult at all, and that I have more to be grateful for than I could have ever imagined beforehand. Some were esoteric and sappy; others were trivial and minute, but I can’t recall ever being unable to come up with three things. Soon, the habit became an unconscious one that I have stuck with for over a year now.

I’m not going to say that expressing gratitude has outright made me an overall happier person (and certainly not made my sleep better), but I don’t think pausing every morning to write down three good things in my life has ever started my day off on a bad note. Instead, my brain feels primed to look for more good things to be happy about during the rest of the day.

Finally, reading back through old entries helps me revisit times in my life just as if I had written detailed entries about the day’s activities. Seeing that I was grateful for X on a particular day triggers all sorts of great memories from that day that weren’t explicitly written down (similar to what the 1 Second Everyday app does).

—

For those that are still a little confused at what their own gratitude journal could look like, I wanted to share some (ok, many) entries of my own from my first year of “appreciation training”. I certainly don’t intend for anyone to read all or even most of these since it is such a large (and personal) list, but I wanted to include as many examples as possible to demonstrate the scope of just how many different things there are to be grateful about. Omitted are many of the duplicate entries (such as the many pertaining to sleep) and ones that make zero sense out of context.

I tried to organize them into different categories, but many of these distinctions are muddled and overlapping. Either way, most of them are as raw as they were when I initially wrote them and are representative of some of my best days, along with some of my worst.

And if the words ‘self-affirmation’ make you dry-heave, now would be the time to click away (or avoid reading the last section).

From Feb. 10, 2015-Feb. 10, 2016 I was grateful for:

META AND THE ESOTERIC

2/10/15: That I am trying this five minute journal thing.
5/12/15: The fact that the world is only imperfect relative to a perfect image that doesn’t exist (Owen Cook quote, not my own)
7/02/15: For everything I am and have, here and now, at 8:40AM MST on July 2nd, 2015 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, North America, Earth.
7/17/15: That I am finally truly grasping (I think) the concept of impermanence.
10/07/15: Those ‘where the fuck am I’ moments in life, like I had most of yesterday, but especially at happy hour at that table with people from all around the world

THE LITTLE THINGS

2/11/15: Living in a city where I know what is going on and where the places “to be” are
2/11/15: That I can go from listening to sports talk to Sinatra to standup in 20 minutes
2/25/15: My apartment and the pink sunrises I get to see in the morning while I write
3/17/15: That people loan me books
3/27/15: Folk punk
4/01/15: That I seemingly won’t ever get sick of eggs
4/05/15: ER Doctors
4/07/15: Getting out of bed early and getting shit done
4/10/15: Casual Fridays (what every day should be!)
4/30/15: My work laptop, despite its flaws
4/30/15: This journal, regardless of its origin
5/08/15: The rain (except when it congeals into slush that slides into my trunk when I open it)
5/18/15: Music I can listen to for 10+ years and not get tired of (Streetlight)
5/22/15: Four-day workweeks/holiday weekends
5/28/15: Days with few meetings.
6/03/15: Fat, thick, nasty, house basslines.
6/05/15: Taco nights
6/12/15: Cool, rainy mornings
6/12/15: Casual Fridays
6/12/15: Busy weekends
6/13/15: That I love something as much as I do music
6/19/15: The new meditation ideas I learned in Be Here Now
6/23/15: People like Ralph Smart
6/31/15: New music from great bands
6/31/15: Living in a country where women’s sports are celebrated (comparatively)
7/07/15: The amount of amazing road trips I’ve had in my lifetime
7/09/15: That I plan on getting my hair cut today
7/10/15: reddit and all it has taught me
7/10/15: Fridays
8/01/15: That the US’ domestic soccer league is such a great thing to attend
8/04/15: MC Lars being such a down to earth person and inspiration
8/04/15: That August is going to be a great month
8/07/15: That so many people I talk to have some sort of ‘tie’ to Panama
8/11/15: My laid back work environment and no boss this week
8/21/15: That creative genius is so easy to share via the internet
8/21/15: Long lunch breaks and visit to the library
9/04/15: That there’s still places like high country Colorado that still exist relatively undisturbed (all things considered)
9/06/15: That my car has seemingly gotten me all the way home without issue
9/12/15: For the awesome backyard I had to play in when I was younger, and that I have to sit and reflect on in and now.
9/12/15: Getting to experience cool, Ohio fall mornings for the first time in years, where you wake up and the windows are open and your hands feel borderline icy inside the house, but you’d much rather just throw a hoodie on than shut the windows.
9/12/15: Getting to watch Ohio State football with my family again.
9/13/15: Facetime and all the other technology we have today to stay in touch with friends, family, and SOs
9/14/15: The abundance of places like coffee shops that provide solitude, a cheap enjoyable beverage, and a place to be productive
9/14/15: Ohio in the fall
9/14/15: That I paid off my credit card in full yesterday
9/16/15: That there is a place 5 minutes from my parents’ where I can do Olympic lifting
9/29/15: Modern technology and how it can assist in travel
9/30/15: The advent of things like AirBnb that which have made comfortable (and sometimes stylish) travel so affordable
10/01/15: This childhood home I got to grow up in and still visit, particularly how it feels in the fall and winter
10/03/15: Ohio State football and the community that comes along with it
10/03/15: EPL being the adult version of Saturday morning cartoons
10/09/15: Not being deported
10/09/15: How similar hostel life is to college dorms
10/13/15: That everyone here vibrates with a similar “energy”
10/16/15: That my biggest concerns of late are things like “should I go snorkelling or swim in the pool”, “there’s so much glare on my computer screen” and “I hope my girlfriend I talk with and receive adoration from every day doesn’t lose interest in me in < 3 months”
10/20/15: That I am 3/3 with hostels so far, with no horror stories to speak of
10/21/15: That the U.S. isn’t the only country whose kids get to enjoy the benefits of marching band
10/22/15: That something like getting to go over the portfolios of other freelancers and take notes makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning
10/22/15: You know what? I am grateful that the WiFi has been out the past 18 hours or so at the hostel…it has allowed me to see that it really was affecting my mood
10/25/15: This hostel I am at where everything is close, I have met some awesome people, and I don’t feel overly stimulated or pressured to constantly be doing something…and the free coffee
10/26/15: That I’m on a schedule where I can stay up late talking to my girlfriend and then sleep in as needed without consequence, because I can always work more later in the day.
11/02/15: You know what? I’m grateful that sport serves as a connection to home for me here
11/03/15: That I realized yesterday why (part of the reason) I love travel, sports, and people is that I love being around people and events that exude pride about where they are from. I suppose this goes along with being attracted to presence.
11/06/15: The lows before the highs
11/8/15: That my screen is only damaged in the top right corner and not the whole thing.
11/09/15: The energy of cafes/delis/eateries near campuses no matter where in the world you are
AirBnB and the brilliant minds behind it. Along with that,simple quiet rooms, any bed above a twin, and laundry machines
11/16/15: Uber
11/18/15: That Medellin has built itself into what it i today after its past
11/18/15: That not everywhere in Latin America has to be balls hot/humid all the time
11/18/15: Awesome blog post comments from older people telling me I’m on the right path with how I am living my life
11/20/15: That meeting interesting people is and probably always will be as easy as checking into a hostel
11/23/15: Families that enjoy taking in students from all around the world
11/24/15: The view I have from my host family’s balcony that keeps distracting me from my journal
11/25/15: People like Casey Neistat that re-assure me that it’s ok to love work and be happiest when I am working
11/29/15: That I just had a steak as big as my foot and about as thick as a brick with two drinks for $13.
12/09/15: Facetime
12/10/15: Spontaneous invitations–I feel like those are rare in the States
12/10/15: That in Colombia you just pick your city based on what season you want to feel
12/19/15: That I am about to get another stamp in my passport
12/21/15: That you can cook eggs in the microwave
12/27/15: Panamanian hotel breakfasts and their, at-minimum, three types of meat
12/27/15: Things like Facetime, Maps.me, and Uber that have made this trip 1000x easier
12/28/15: That there are now a small number of non-U.S. cities I feel comfortable navigating by the back of my hand.
12/29/15: That I am going to work out today
12/29/15: That I am going to trim my beard today
12/29/15: That I might not leave the hotel today
12/30/15: That WiFi at this hostel or coffee shop didn’t work and I am able to slow down and just journal instead
12/30/15: That I am going to go to an old book museum!
12/30/15: That I have so many things to be grateful for
1/09/16: The Way of Life app which I think will increase my daily habits even more in 2016 (excited to see the data)
1/14/16: All the creators and inventors that have come before me and made this such a great time be alive in history
1/21/16: That I get to touch a barbell today
1/23/16: That hopefully before I die we will have self-driving cars for mass use
2/05/16: Your Import Car Dr. and their awesome service
2/01/16: Even though it has no bearing on me as a freelancer…snow days!
2/06/16: That my car problem was cheap compared to what it could have been
2/08/16: Coffee.
2/10/16: That I have no obligations or plans to day until 7:30PM

FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND RELATIONSHIPS

2/12/15: Being able to talk about sports with people from any corner of the world
2/19/15: Having a good relationship with my parents
2/19/15: Having friends that text me random questions
2/25/15: Friends I see only a few times this year but always hit it off with when I do
3/4/15: Dating someone I feel like I don’t have to impress with extravagant nights out
3/6/15: Having a friend I can talk to that instantly makes everything better
3/18/15: Parents that are accepting of my future travel lifestyle
3/22/15: Friendship that lead to random nights like last night
3/24/15: That I have random people ask me to look at their writing
3/25/15: I know people who have travelled that can give me backpack recommendations
3/25/15: That I have a knowledgeable and (seemingly friendly) CPA
3/26/15: My siblings
3/27/15: That people reach out to me for advice
4/10/15: My siblings
4/13/15: That my parents have become so supportive of my plan to travel
4/28/15: That I can argue with my brother and it not be a big deal.
4/28/15: Friends sending me old funny pictures
5/1/15: My friends
5/1/15: Nights like tonight where I have four things going on to choose from
5/10/15: Having a friend like Daniel that puts my little “problems” into perspective
5/11/15: My mom!
5/21/15: I have friends that want to share their writing with me
5/26/15: The opportunity to go to places like Portland and meet my friend’s friends
5/31/15: I have someone to be neurotic about
5/31/15: She is not my world and I have so much else going on in my life
6/1/15: Friends like Alicia
6/2/15: Elaine and our conversations and memories
6/5/15: Time spent with Elena
6/7/15: That I can make friends anywhere I go
6/13/15: That what I think are big problems in my head sound ridiculous when I say them to Elaine or Christina
6/15/15: That all my parents and siblings are still in my life
6/19/15: That I care so much (about the right people)
6/19/15: Getting to witness and be in my good friend’s wedding
6/30/15: Ben and I’s early morning phone calls
6/30/15: That I have friends like Ashley that can just drop in to talk about feelings and stuff
6/30/15: Early morning texts from friends
7/1/15: That I have friends to watch soccer with
7/1/15: That friends want me to look over their resumes
7/7/15: The look on a woman’s face when you tell them that you love them for the first time
7/8/15: That saying and hearing “I love you” for the first time is something that only happens a handful of times in one’s life
7/17/15: That in relationships I am an accountable person
7/29/15: That I can emotionally vomit to my girlfriend and it’s no big deal
9/5/15: That I have places across the country to stay with people and witness different lifestyles and ways of living (making me grateful of my own)
9/6/15: That after I stay with people or do things with them I get texts afterwards saying it was good to see me, etc.
9/8/15: Despite small annoyances, getting to live/belong to a such a sane and together family, one I am never really hesitant about introducing people to
9/9/15: That my parents both work two jobs…I guess I didn’t realize this in those exact words
9/11/15: That I can dip my feet back into the waters of weed/booze now and again (just to say I visit) and not drown.
9/17/15: That I have an awesome brother and sister-in-law with an awesome house to stay in and have a good time with others
9/18/15: Elena arrives tonight! And that this week has gone so fast and that we’ve had contact every day!
9/18/15: I get to sleep with my girlfriend in my childhood home tonight in my arms.
9/19/15: That saying bye in the airport was so hard
9/19/15: But that we are (I think) going about this whole thing rationally and maturely
9/20/15: That I’m not embarrassed in any way to take people to my home or introduce them to my family
9/24/15: That the amount of people I know that want to see me feels like a burden #firstworldproblems
9/25/15: That I know so many people still in the amazing city of Columbus
9/26/15: That my parents are getting their passport applications turned in today
10/1/15: That even though it’s gotten me behind on some work, that I am taking the time to try and sit/hang out with mom and dad.
10/3/15: That I get along with Ben’s friends
10/4/15: Really, the support from 99% of the people in my life regarding this trip
10/4/15: That my biggest “nitpick” about my family is that their energy/optimism level isn’t the same as mine, which is silly since not everyone can be like that.
10/4/15: That my girlfriend and I are equally sentimental to each other and equally committed in making this work. And that moments and what made us ‘us’ is as equally as important to her as it is me.
10/8/15: Friendly people in hostels that, whether they are doing it consciously or not, take me under their wing to a degree
10/8/15: That I have someone I am loyal to.
10/9/15: That feeling of knowing someone your whole life when really it’s been 24 hours
10/27/15: That there are people like Frank in the world where my brain actually feels alive after talking to
10/28/15: That the world is a small enough place that I spent the morning talking to the man in the bunk next to me who lives a mile away from where I did in Colorado Springs
11/2/15: That my girlfriend says sentences like “that’s why I had to stop playing Pokemon”
11/5/15: That I have friends that text me like I’m not 2000 miles away, but still hanging out with them every night.
11/11/15: Erin’s coming today!
11/12/15: That my sister and I have become closer
11/17/15: All the amazing characters I have met on this trip that may have sent me messages on Facebook or connected with me in some way
11/20/15: New friends that feel like old friends
12/6/15: That I have friends to share both my niche and major sports interests with
12/6/15: That I know people all over the world
12/6/15: The beauty and serendipity of fleeting human interaction–just how quickly most people enter and exit your life. I like the lack of attachment associated I guess? But then it just goes to make those fleeting instances into something more that much more special
12/10/15: That my family has so many Christmas traditions
12/14/15: That, as the Argentine girl volunteering at the hostel put it, travel is the best school.
12/18/15: All the great people I have met in Colombia
12/29/15: That I am going to see my family in <72 hours
1/8/16: That I love my family and I am always welcomed home indefinitely (within reason)
1/9/16: That I have so many friends I don’t skip a beat with and that I have to reminisce about the past with
1/15/16: That I have met–and allowed someone to remain in my life that makes me so incredibly happy
1/15/16: That the wait is over
1/19/16: That we decided to try long distance
1/19/16: That is wasn’t that hard all things considered
1/22/16: That I know so many great people here that it’d be a chore to catch with them all quickly
1/26/16: I have someone to be goofy with in the morning
1/31/16: That I get to live and further share my life with such an amazing person that I love so much
2/9/16: I get to live with and somewhat take care of a cat.
2/10/16: I know so many interesting people and places that would make good stories

OPPORTUNITIES

2/10/15: Getting to work for a big time client that I think can take me places
2/12/15: The amount of freelance work I have to do
5/4/15: That my job has enough variety to have me be cranky about not being able to get into a groove (sometimes)
5/6/15: That my biggest complaint about my job is that I have too many meetings
5/27/15: That my freelance clients have been imposing deadlines on me, making me a much more efficient writer
5/29/15: That I get to go to South Dakota
6/6/15: Getting to work international sporting events (World Archery Youth Championships in Yankton, SD) and interact with people all over the world.
6/10/15: That I have the challenge of managing someone
6/28/15: That I’m about to jump out of a plane
6/29/15: That I said ‘fuck it’ and went skydiving
7/1/15: When the muse visits
7/7/15: The investments my employer makes in me
7/23/25: That I get to go to a float tank for my birthday present!
7/30/15: That I get to go to Seattle!
8/5/15: Every freelance assignment I get
9/12/15: That I get to live under the roof of my adoring parents, rent free, for this period of time and that I am seeing them more now than if I were to come home for the holidays like I had been doing.
11/8/15: That I was able to end up yesterday in some place that I am knowledgeable about and is safe.
11/18/15: Living with a 60 (?) year old German-speaking Colombian woman in her beautiful apartment that she mops for seemingly four hours a day while listening to meditation music
11/19/15: How cheap travel is if I weren’t doing the Spanish schools
11/22/15: That today I am moving into a scary experience yet one that will be great for me
11/26/15: That, including work-to-be-done, I am something like $50 away from reaching my goal of quadrupling my income for the year.
12/13/15: That I have a life where I can just be like “ehhhh I think I’ll go to Curacao for a week”
12/16/15: The awesome people and places I keep encountering through AirBnb.
12/18/15: That I have the dilemma of taking more regular work for slightly less money
12/20/15: That Medellin/Colombia spoiled me
1/3/16: For the adventure behind.
1/3/16: For the adventure ahead.
1/8/16: That more and more my life is shifting toward just being filled with what I want to do, when I want to do it.
1/12/16: I am getting to experience cozy, snowy days inside my childhood home again
1/18/16: Freelance life and that this is exactly how I like to work and start my day
1/28/16: This period in my life and the the uncertainty before me
2/2/16: Freelancer life
2/10/16: That I live someplace that people want to visit
2/13/16: That COS (Even if it’s just COS) is exposing me to new things like kava

SELF

2/10/15: Loving who I see in the mirror each morning
3/15/15: How I can think I am socially hopeless not even a week ago and now feel close to my socially strongest
3/20/15: My openness to new music
3/20/15: Even though I go through periods where I have trouble staying with it, my overall persistence with meditation
3/23/15: That I don’t settle
3/24/15: That I put pressure on myself to be better
3/27/15: That I am not that jealous a person anymore (at least compared to who I used to be)
3/29/15: Realizing I need to cut out alcohol and certain groups of people
4/1/15: That I was just like “Ima write a poem” and then I did
4/8/15: My ability to be alone.
4/15/15: My resilience, even when I try and convince myself I am not.
4/17/15: That I question my value and place in the world
4/20/15: My life as it is now.
4/20/15: Being grateful for #1
4/20/15: That I pursue what I love most.
4/29/15: My body
4/29/15: My mind
4/29/15: My spirit
4/30/15: How much I’ve grown
5/1/15: That I have become self-aware enough to know to “reset” my brain (sleep, meditation, cutting out distractions)
5/4/15: That (I think) I am learning to do less, or at least put less pressure on myself to do more
5/5/15: That I feel like I am leveling up
5/7/15: My kickass morning routine
5/7/15: That I think I have finally eradicated a large portion of the jealousy I used to carry with me…some that mindset, some because I’m so happy with who I’ve become
5/14/15: My life
5/14/15: My energy
5/14/15: The fact that I will be ok, always
5/18/15: My strength to overcome negative emotions and thought patterns
5/29/15: That when I really like someone I put a lot of effort into dates
5/30/15: That I have someone I care for enough to worry about a couple of sentences I sent in a conversation over three hours ago
5/30/15: ^^That I’ll get over this, too.
5/31/15: I seek knowledge about my neurosis and how to overcome them
6/2/15: How diverse and well-rounded my life is
6/2/15: How fast I can bounce back from a “down day” and get the “spark” back
6/3/15: For my gumption/balls/idiocy to do what many talk about and never do and buy the ticket.
6/8/15: My analysis and self-reflection, even if it drives me batshit a lot of the time.
6/10/15: My height
6/18/15: The progress I have made with meditation
6/18/15: That people want me to do writing for them.
6/22/15: That I am starting to focus on doing less
6/25/15: Everything in my life
7/14/15: This moment in time where I have a guaranteed source of income, a solidified social circle, comfortable dwelling, and love.
7/15/15: That I am taking a step many only dream about
7/15/15: That it’s not easy to do (meaning I have had a good time here)
7/15/15: That I am able to recognize when it is time for me to go
7/22/15: That I’m not dreading turning 27 soon
7/22/15: That putting in my five weeks has started to make me look (even more) at what I value most
7/28/15: That leaving is hard, not easy
7/28/15: That I know how to pick myself up and feel better in just a few a days
7/28/15: That I have ties in both the MLS and Olympic worlds
8/10/15: That I find it relatively easy to get rid of my belongings
8/11/15: That I am a hopeless romantic
8/14/15: That I am a happy person overall
8/15/15: That I feel minorly obsessed with learning Spanish
8/17/15: That my childhood self would be proud of me
8/17/15: Who I’ve become and who I will be
8/28/15: MY LAST DAY AT USADA
8/28/15: That I don’t have to sit in a cube for at least a while
9/5/15: That I feel like I can help and inspire people
9/5/15: That I basically view my life as one big video game map to explore with a shit ton of NPCs to interact with
9/6/15: That I am not shy about eating or exploring places by myself
9/11/15: That I can see how I have grown every time I come back to this town
9/12/15: The heightened awareness and vivid clarity I gain from just 11 minutes of sitting, especially considering I still have many things to “learn” about meditation
9/14/15: That I’m not old enough yet where 3 beers gives me a *complete* hangover
9/17/15: That I will continue to pay off my credit card every month in full form here on out
9/18/15: That I am not going to get my haircut this week, as I feel like I lean on it too much as a way to draw satisfaction from an external source
9/18/15: That all things considered (and barring financial catastrophe) I am in a good spot
9/18/15: That I haven’t stressed hardly at all over my texts like the last 36 hours or so…hopefully this anxiety will just be another one of those things I’ll look back on and laugh about in the future.
9/19/15: That I am starting to get into a frugal mindset
9/20/15: That I enjoy reading classics
9/24/15: That I am a seeker: for what I love to do, where I love to be, and for someone great to love that is good for me.
9/24/15; How comfortable and confident I feel in (most) bar settings
9/28/15: The ability to think rationally (or what I think is) about short versus long term gratification
10/6/15: That I am somewhat wildly uncomfortable now, in that my tongue feels tied and my ears plugged whenever I try and talk to someone
10/6/15: That I made this happen…from daydreams in a cubicle to actually buying the ticket to eating steak for breakfast.
10/8/15: That I am ok with not vibing with everyone.
10/17/15: Fuck it, that I am going to change the world
10/20/15: I am going to throw myself into learning Spanish at all costs
10/21/15: That I am meeting more people at this hostel now and that really my social skills are to the point where most people I vibe with I will find, I moreso just need to relax and do me as opposed to exerting any sort of actual effort.
10/22/15: That I enjoy/don’t mind cooking for myself
10/25/15: That whenever I seemingly have (unwarranted) doubts about relationship things, a slew of tests or other forms of contact ease my worries (though even when there’s periods of times where there aren’t those types of things I feel more at ease)
10/27/15: That I am going to have a lifetime full of interesting stories and experiences–I have too much momentum and a taste for it now.
10/30/15: That every older person I meet (and I guess all ages) speaks with admiration about what I’m doing. I know it was just a decision, and I know it was a very good one for me to make, but it’s a little nice to have affirmation and support from strangers.
10/30/15: That my “low” moments don’t seem to last that long/I know ways to generally pull myself out
10/30/15: That I have something like writing I can always turn to when I’m say, happy, in need of a distraction, etc.
10/30/15: That I can’t imagine not writing now that I have begun
10/31/15: That even when I think my social skills have faded, I can switch back on and feel so damn comfortable in skin with complete strangers
11/1/15: That I am unashamedly independent and there are others like me
11/1/15: That all things considered, my Spanish is improving and at times it’s ‘unconscious’
11/2/15: That I get to tell people I am a writer
11/4/15: That I read things like The Zahir that tell me exactly what I need to hear right now in terms of letting go of the past, if you tell a story a certain way about the past you haven’t moved on, or if you say it another way then it’s like you’re talking about a different person, which shows you have moved on immensely.
11/10/15: Meeting a fellow digital nomad re-confirmed again everything I was reading/telling people last week
11/11/15: That I don’t feel good when I don’t work out
11/19/15: The amount of personal work I am getting done and how hard it is for me to tear myself away, the point where it makes me late for things
11/21/15: How easy it is for me via technology to “surround” myself with the voices and work of highly creative and inspirational people.
11/21/15: That I am in the midst of one of the most creative and productive times of my life at the moment.
11/24/15: That I have to try and start thinking in Spanish before I am even remotely awake
11/29/15: That everything will be ok work-wise and that I am crazy enough to take the leaps of faith I have taken in my life.
12/1/15: That I self-examine often why the fuck I drink. More and more I question it’s place in my life and I bet it will have an increasingly smaller place in my life as I get older.
12/2/15: That last night I am pretty sure I had my first dream sequence in Spanish.
12/3/15: That I am me.
12/11/15: That I made the choice to do this–all of this. Freelancing, quitting, travel…everything.
12/13/15: My propensity to seek out and try new things
12/13/15: That I am living my dream
12/14/15: How much I enjoy reading and doing my annual books post
12/20/15: That I can recognize (usually, I think) when I am just being hangry/annoyed by stupid shit like a sick guy on the plane touching my shit, taking my seat, and a rude customs agent
12/21/15: That I know what my mission: To help other people live better lives through writing
12/23/15: That I know when I go back I will be building myself on top of a stronger foundation
1/3/16: That I did this
1/8/16: That I do like cooking for other people now and again and that I can just look at a recipe and “go for it”
1/9/16: That I started meditating that autumn afternoon 3+ years ago
1/9/16: How overall I am pleased with myself and life situation at the moment
1/11/16: That I went ahead and shared my 2015/16 review post on FB even though it makes me feel like a narcissistic douchecanoe.
1/22/16: My life, always, but especially these days
1/23/16: That I can express my frustration at situation and not at people
1/27/16: That it’s my half birthday, I guess?
1/27/16: That the first 2.5 years I lived here I put myself out there or at least put myself in the right groups
1/28/16: That I overanalyze as opposed to underanalyze
2/11/16: A simple diet (and fast metabolism) that lets me snack seemingly all day with little consequence to my appearance
2/12/16: How energized I feel socially by having so much time to recharge and not be around people I don’t want to be around all day.
2/13/16: Fuck it, that I like cats and like caring for them

What are you grateful for today?

3 Bits of Advice for New Freelancers

Published at July 8, 2016January 6, 2018 In Category Writing and Creativity Leave a comment

The fine folks over at Invoice2go (a professional invoice app)* asked me, and many other freelancers, to offer up three nuggets of advice for those new to self-employment. While I still consider myself new to the game, I was happy to contribute the below, part of which made it into a sleek infographic (also below).

In just over two years, freelancing has taken me places and taught me things I never could have predicted.

For context, I did my first paid freelance gig in April 2014, charging a modest $6.24 to write a sales page for a friend. Fast-forward to August 2015, and I was making enough money writing and editing on the side that I could quit my 9-to-5 job and start freelancing full-time.

I’m finally living the dream I had for several years, but the journey hasn’t been without its fair share of tough lessons, and the days in which I wonder what the hell I am doing outnumber those in which I don’t. I think some of this is inevitable with starting anything new, however those feelings may have been mitigated if I had known these three things earlier on:

It’s Ok To Pay For Help

As soon as you start bringing in more than just beer money, meet with an accountant. Not only will they tell you how you can best protect your business and its assets in the face of legal action (by forming an LLC, S-Corp, or otherwise), they’ll be able to estimate how much you should be setting aside for next tax season.

Stupidly, I didn’t realize being a business owner meant I had to pay two sets of taxes (personal and business), and I went from Scrooge McDucking into a room full of coins one week to wondering where it all went the next.

You Can Probably Charge More

If you have “formal” experience working in your field and are new to freelancing, I guarantee you are undercharging what you actually could be. When I was charging just $10 per project starting out, a large part of me still felt like a fraud even though I had been working in PR and writing professional copy for three years. I was convinced an unhappy client was going to call me out and spread rumors across the internet that I was what I felt like: an impostor.

Eventually I realized that potential clients saw me as an expert and were coming to me for a reason: because I had work experiences and skills that they found valuable. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have contacted me in the first place.

Be It Til You Make It

Pay for a logo, nice business cards, and a website. Be someone that you would want to hire. Even if your freelancing work is only a side-gig at the moment, when you get asked “so what do you do?” always include in your answer (preferably first) that you do writing/photography/art/etc.

If the person is interested or a potential client, they will ask about that over your “other” job. If you take yourself seriously, other people will, too.

—
Most importantly, even when none of your friends can relate to what you are trying to do and you feel completely lost, remember that you are far from the only person to choose this path. If you make yourself do just one thing for your business each day, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your career trajectory can change and you’ll discover there are countless others like you. You may even be asked for advice by aspiring freelancers someday.

Here’s what others had to offer:

*I don’t personally use the product (Excel and Word are just fine for my current invoicing needs) but I know other freelancers that rave about its ease-of-use. I was not compensated for this post.

Why A Trip Is Like A Trip

Published at April 6, 2016May 28, 2019 In Category Travel Leave a comment

During my recent travels, I had a random (and arguably unimportant) realization—that two of the main definitions for the word trip are extremely interrelated:

Trip (n):

1. an act of going to a place and returning; a journey or excursion, especially for pleasure
2. a hallucinatory experience/an exciting or stimulating experience/a self-indulgent attitude or activity

When I was breaking the plans to friends and family ahead of my recent adventure, I was fortunate to receive their near-unanimous support.

Once on that trip, however, I met many people that weren’t so lucky in this regard. Where they expected or needed encouragement back in exchange for their plans, they instead received accusations of selfishness, neglect, or even abandonment.

Similarly, tripping in a more organic fashion is often seen as similarly hedonistic, and comes with its own batch of warnings (both warranted and unfounded), stereotypes, and judgement.

But both, if done safely, can take you to places you’ve never been before, then return you home with a cleansed lens of perspective, allowing you to see the familiar in a completely different light.

(And after meeting many serial travelers on the road, some of which had ended up neglecting or abandoning another life back home, I’m not so sure travel couldn’t be classified as a drug, too).

—

I vividly remember being at the top of El Peñol near Guatape, Colombia when this thought forced me to scribble fervently in my notebook.

A 7,000-foot tall rock towering over everything around it, climbing El Peñol’s 740 steps rewards your efforts with a breathtaking view as you try and catch your breath before passing out (as one fellow hiker did at the top):

Overlooking the series of lakes that once housed a lakeside getaway of Pablo Escobar (who probably enjoyed a few trips in his lifetime), I felt…light (beyond just my brain being short on oxygen), reflective, and sentimental. Trying to take in every ounce of the view I could, I began to think about how different the first six weeks of my trip ‘felt’ so different compared to the current stage of my three-month trip.

Although the beginning of my travels felt nothing short of precarious and wobbly, I realized that even though everything about my travel life that autumn was new and shiny—novel places, people, and experiences in every direction I stepped—the memories of the first six weeks especially felt this way because in a way, I was blind.

In my head, these earlier memories seemed ‘faded’ due to of course both the passage of time and ignorance to my surroundings, but also because the flash of the novel was everywhere, to the point where I often felt overwhelmed and many times, vulnerable.

When traveling solo (or even with someone), you have two choices: remain in the dark and reject this blinding, new reality around you by doing the most familiar things you can find in an unfamiliar world. The upside to doing this is that you are probably less likely to get yourself into a compromising and/or uncomfortable situation.

Or, you can be so open to the experience that you temporarily blind yourself as a whole new way of being sinks its way into your skull. You can use your ego as a shield and remain unchanged, or ditch it entirely and willingly grope blindingly through the world as you regain your senses (or some illusion of them).

In my limited experience with trips, those options are mutually applicable.

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Long-term expats and serial travelers would probably attest that truly adjusting to a place takes a lot longer than just a few weeks. Instead it takes months, years, or is a never-ending process of both macro-adjustments (like figuring out how to order something in a restaurant), and less obvious micro-ones (like the adjustment of your tone and mindset when greeting someone).

Conversely, veteran psychonauts would probably affirm that their kind of journeys also take a certain amount of preparation, education, healthy fear, and of course open-mindedness to get the most out of them.

Both also take a combination of mental calibration with a heavy dose of concession and surrender to your new, and ever-changing environments. As you start to adjust and learn bit by bit about the new world you are in, you start to piece together clues about where you are, and then, who you are.

These stages in a trip often coincide with our location as we move around, but the passage of time is often also marked in our memories with other things too such as mood, time of year, or learning something that brings us a small epiphany.

Which makes sense, as the end result of trips is seeing and experiencing the world in ways you could never imagine, and in ways you could never explain accurately to someone that wasn’t there.

Author: andrewelsass