I am here begging you, hat in hands, to go out and travel by any means necessary. You don’t have to travel around the world to find what you’re looking for. It can be just a short trip down a road in your town you’ve never been down. Go to the grocery market, get to know the cashiers, ask about their stories. Travel and experience new things, new conversations, by any way possible. For it is there, and only there, where true joy lies.

And when you travel to new places, always live like the locals do. Live simply, eat what and where they eat, and talk to them. Get to know them and hear their stories, and how incredibly different they are than yours. Many times, their stories will be much more difficult or uncomfortable than yours. The events and things they have gone through to survive or provide is likely going to be 100x more difficult than yours, comparatively. But you’ll notice something as you’re listening to these stories - They’re not complaining. They’re not victims to the things that happened to them… They just adjusted based on their environment and created something out of it. I travel to third world countries so often because it’s every day you meet someone that is not just a security guard but also a contractor when there’s work, a bartender if theres hours available, a truck driver if theres the miles… On top of also being a good father, a provider for their family, a good husband and son that helps their mom when they’re able to. Again, you will hear this coming from locals and that don’t think anything of it… That’s just what you do. You won’t hear them complain.

In these conversations, you’ll quickly notice things you can do to help them also. If they make a comment that buying food has been difficult, but they’ll be okay, go and buy them groceries. They will never forget about the kindness you showed them, in such a genuine act that costs you NOTHING. It might have cost you $20 and can provide for their entire family for multiple days.

You’ll see the gratitude overflowing and from there, you will really start to understand life. And money. When you hoard money, or base decisions on how much money we will make, rather than following fulfillment… We know we are lying to ourselves. If you don’t believe me, read the memoirs of hundreds of peoples last words in their dying days. Count how many times they say ‘I wish I hadn’t chased a life of money. I lost so many special moments along the way.’

I went to a market here the other day and saw a lady that had to put food back because she didn’t have enough money. Flour, eggs, essentials. I quickly said to the cashier ‘I will pay for that’, which was a little over $3, and she stopped… Looked at me with disbelief, and walked the whole line of people to me to shake my hand with both hands and thank me deeply, while looking into my eyes. She said thank you another 10 times before she left. For $3. I will never forget that moment.

When you see the gratitude and understand the true value of money (how you can use it to help the world around you and leave places better than you found it), you begin to understand how simple joy is for yourself. There is no joy in being selfish. Maybe it provides a momentary feeling of gratification but we all know that will never provide sustainable happiness. We know that. Beyond any question. Yet we forget it many times.

Now, after you take a trip like this, you go home to your comfortable, wonderful life and you’ll notice you start appreciating things. Appreciating people. Appreciating the small routines and wealth that you have. You’ll also take notice on the things that only provided momentary feelings of gratification (addictions, technology, etc) and you’ll feel how you felt when you indulge in those again. You won’t like it. You’ll feel more empty because of it, after the moment of distraction passes, and you’ll quickly remember that you had felt true joy. When you have this realization, you’ll get rid of the things that only provided momentary feelings of gratification. You’ll step back from the relationships in your life that have been giving you the same - But weren’t helping you be the best you can possibly be.

For, if we’re not the best versions of ourselves (which is all relative), then we cannot help the world around us as much. Make no mistake in that.