How I Got Start and What I Learned From It.

Years ago, my parents gave me my first camera. It was a $200 Canon Elph. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing... I just went around everywhere and took pictures of every single thing I could . People, flowers, cats, houses, parks... You name it.

I did this for a long time until I was working at a restaurant in St. Louis and met someone named

. She was an incredible wedding photographer and I'll never forget her passion for photography and people. She inspired me to get my first professional camera - which was a Nikon d7000. (It was the most expensive thing I had ever bought - $1,000). She really believed in me and even invited me to a shoot with her in Castlewood where she would be the model and I would be the photographer - and she would help critique the pictures after.

It was after this shoot where I really started to become obsessed. I kept taking pictures of everything and trying to figure out what I liked the best... But it was all just a hobby.

Then, one day, I booked my own shoot. Someone actually offered to pay me to do something I already loved doing so much. And, for the first time, I realized it was actually possible to make somewhat of a living with this hobby I was so passionate about.

And I started to see it from a different perspective.

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Over the years after that, I refined my craft. I still took pictures of everything, all the time, and was known to always have my camera on me. Through hundreds of thousands of photographs, I started to fine tune 'mistakes'. No matter how beautiful I thought the pictures were becoming, year after year, I would look back at them from the previous year and see things I could improve on. (This process is still very much going on to this day)

While doing this, I was networking all the time and meeting people that helped me learn a lifetime of skills. I did this with no agenda - I truly just wanted to learn more and talk about what I was so passionate about. It was really during this time that I saw my photography improving - and I began obsessing over knowing everything I could about it. I was learning by just doing - by taking photographs and going through them - rather than taking classes or reading books.

Another important part of this process was that I changed whatever I was photographing whenever I lost inspiration in it. My passion for photography itself never diminished but, when I wasn’t excited about a certain form of it anymore, I would just let it go and try something new.

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Then I started projects with this and started just trying new things.

By doing this, I quickly saw I was very passionate about photography ideas that had some sort of social impact. I started to see my camera as a tool for much more than just taking pictures... I saw it as a way to help people, to connect people and to bring awareness to situations that needed it. Social media was starting to take off and this really helped with this also.

Still, none of the projects ever amounted to anything (in a physical sense). They never really got noticed, I never made any money with them and they just disappeared as soon as I stopped them. They all could have seemed like a silly idea, or even a failure, but in those experiences, I learned how to separate two different perspectives: trying to create art that drew a big audience and just trying to do things that I cared about so much that I really wasn’t worried what anyone else thought about it.

Regardless, I kept starting new projects. I would notice myself getting in a creative rut and getting depressed when I wasn't inspired so I had to keep trying new things. I tried to focus on the small successes of these projects (like words of encouragement or people telling me it made an impact on their life) rather than on a large scale. I think this is crucial for artists to do.

This year, The World I See (my 4th project), was my first project to become something. It has been published twice now by National Geographic, was a TED talk in October and will be a published book next month.

But I promise you this: Those things would mean nothing to me, if it wasn't for the hardship and difficult moments that led up to them. In fact, these results wouldn't mean a single thing if it wasn't for the relationships that are around me today, that I learned to trust and love during the times before.

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I couldn’t begin to tell you how many moments of self doubt have accompanied me up until this point. It’s a very important part of the process and those are essential times to learn. In the endless moments of uncertainty, I grew as a person in ways I never could have without them. I developed a healthy relationship with rejection. I learned humility. I learned confidence. I learned psychology and how to use that to better understand how to make a living with this. I learned to grow close to the relationships that were truly there for me. I learned how to balance life outside of photography and travel.

And today, and even prouder moment, I bought my first house. With nothing but money I made through photography. Something that, just a few years ago, I never thought I’d be able to make a penny at. Dreams I couldn’t have even fathomed just a short time ago.

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The reason I write this all is to say:

To the artist with passion but is full of self doubt and uncertainty. To the artist that is in a creative rut (or even worse, it starting to give up). To the artist who thinks that people who make a living with art just got lucky. Or are better at their craft than them.

That’s not how it works.

Art can only get to a level where it’s possible to make a living with when you have given your life to it just to get there. Where you somehow found the strength to take just one more photograph, or paint one more painting, or sing one more song, at your lowest times. When you somehow found the strength to keep trying when it seems like no one else notices what you're creating. When you persevere out of pure passion - not out of a desire to be rich or accepted.

That is the only way you find who you are and what you can create.

And when you 'make it' - and I promise you will if you obsess and have passion - you will feel like you made it at even the smallest of successes. Even at just reading the words that people write about your work. When you see your art making a tiny impact on the people around you. That ends up becoming more important to you than any amount of money ever can.

When you allow that the be the goal, making a living doing that makes a lot more sense. You’re humble enough to keep learning but your work is good enough to support you now.

And when you make a life in that way, I promise you will feel joy every day of your life. Joy that no one else could ever take from you.

All my love.

Adam C. Schlüter

Making ADHD Your Best Friend.

I have long urged people to embrace the chaos of their own personal lives and find a way to make it conducive to their art. There is few things more sad than to see children (bursting with curiosity or playfulness) who are not thinking as much about the world around them because they have a phone in their face. Or a TV they know how to turn on. It is always tough to hear people who think they need to 'control' their ADHD so as to conform or fit in to the environment they're in. (I do understand there are more extreme situations where both are needed)

Being easily distracted is a beautiful sign of intelligence, as long as those distractions create progress of some sort.

I don't own a TV - I haven't had time to watch a TV show since Breaking Bad. I truly just don't have time. I don't know how anyone younger does. I have 5 new ideas pop into my head for every time I finish one of them... And once I start on one of those, I have 5 more.

I think something crucial to learn through this is: Easily distractible people need to just figure out how to work as long on one of those tasks before starting a new one. They don't have to finish it - just work on it enough to get themselves committed to eventually finishing it.

If you're young and creative, please resist instant-gratification in any way you can. Please.

Let your distractions be starting a new task - not beginning a new TV show that might take tens of hours out of your ability to accomplish your dreams. Checking your phone too much? Leave it in a different room and put it on silent - only check it when you remember to (The more you do this, the more you'll find yourself forgetting to check your phone - this is very good for clarity). Turn off ALL notifications and sounds that snap you out of your creative mind.

Now, I of course have vices (Hello Reddit!). I think it's important to have little getaways for entertainment and am, in no way, saying creatives need to structure their life to avoid entertainment. Quite the opposite. Entertainment too lets the mind wander and get out of your own perspective for a second. But I have found that my creativity explodes in thought when I allow space to think, and time to begin a new task. A lot of these times, I kind of 'hibernate' and won't become social again until I have made some major progress on some things I have been thinking a lot about.

The gym is such an incredible place to think. To sweat and have time away from distraction, while your mind is in full alert. But just as much, nature. Solitude. (Bring a notepad with you - your mind will be thinking of a million ideas). In the morning time, start slow (If you can!). Cup of coffee, sit outside and read a book. Even if for 15 minutes.

I have always struggled with meditation so I go to Yoga instead. In Yoga, you are taught something very crucial to every day life: If you take an hour away from your normal life and/or phone/emails, that it will still be there whenever you're finished. The world didn't stop. There wasn't any emergencies. Everything was okay. You are also taught that it's okay to suffer and that almost all of it is in your mind.

When I do these things, I am so much more present for the people I am physically close to. And when I am present for them, they know that I am genuinely listening and that I genuinely care about what they're saying and what is going on through their life. I also am able to learn from them. From each person, I learn something new about life, and experiences that I am able to apply to my own life. This helps me navigate life easier than I can fully express.

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So, when you have a moment of boredom... Please do not quickly fill it with something entertaining. For these are the times when your mind has to entertain itself - by going through hypothetical situations, thinking about ideas, and following thoughts through, as much as you can. These are how dreams become action. And how thoughts become words.

These are not all things I have always done. But these are things I have learned that has significantly improved the quality of my life, and brought true joy to me.

The only downside of this? I now fully realize that one lifetime is not nearly enough to implement the ideas and dreams I have already thought of. But I promise you I will try, with everything I can, to accomplish as much of them as possible. If one doesn't work or fails? I have too many more to count... to start on in the midst of the rejection.

It has made the process a lot more interesting and a hell of a lot more fun.

Won't you join me?

Go To Cuba.

Even after being to countless third-world countries, the people of Cuba touched me in a way I could have never expected. People that, on the surface, look like they have so little but, when you say hello to them - they are deeply happy to get to know you and share in your life. And help you in any way they can.

And once you start to get to know them and meet their families and see their homes - you don't feel bad for them. In fact, you feel like they have it figured out more than you. Like they understand where true joy comes from more than you do because they express it in ways no material things could help with.

Their joy is found in their relationships. In their families. In their friends. Their joy is found in hosting you and giving you the best experience possible. Their joy is found in sharing food with you and stories about where they come from, and what their dreams and aspirations are. They don't sugar coat - they are honest about things that they wish were different - but they do not dwell on them.

Each day, they wake up, sweep the steps in front of their humble home and open up the doors to let the sunshine in. Friends stop by to bring fruits and vegetables and they spend the time to really talk to them and share in their life with them.

To those who don't know my story while there, I got a horrible case of salmonella/stomach infection in southern Cuba and the locals there gave me everything to help me make it through it. A place to stay for as long as I needed, medicine, food, drink, love, conversation... Everything. And didn't ask for a single thing in return - not a penny for the help they offered.

And in that lesson, I learned the true value of life. That true joy is in giving to others more than you give to yourself. In sharing what you have to help make the lives around you richer and easier. And that no amount of money can give you the same feeling. I am so grateful for the lessons I learned through my time there.

Please do what you can to help support the people there. And really think about the grand scheme of humanity, when getting involved in politics and how you can make a difference. Millions of people can, and are, suffering by the political games of an individual person or campaign and that is not okay. For I believe that, if we have one duty in life, it is to try and see past our own perspective to realize how we can best help those who need it the most.

P.S. GO TO CUBA!

Don't Ever Settle Down.

When I graduated college, I put everything in a car and went to Los Angeles, to chase my dream job of being an agent. I had worked with Sony and just felt like that was the right thing to do. I didn't even have enough money to get a place there - I just went anyways and knew that, with hard work, anything can work.

I spent 8 months grinding every day I was there, building relationships to navigate Los Angeles. After 8 months, I had the biggest meeting of my life, forgot my resume to it and talked myself past it somehow. The next morning, I had my dream offer in my email, of having my own desk at an agency. For more money than I ever could have imagined.

But, it just didn't feel right.

By paying attention, I had grown to realize that Los Angeles was not my city, and I loved nature and relationships far too much to build a life there. I knew it would likely be many years before I would be able to even buy a house there, and then start thinking about a family. I didn't want to give 10 years of my youth to that.

I turned down the offer and without much money, headed down south to Mexico, in search of a simple life. I got a beautiful place on the beach and built great relationships with people down there... Many of whom I am still close to today. I spent a long time down there... Living an incredibly easy and beautiful life.

But it just didn't feel right, long-term.

I am quite the dreamer and knew it would be hard to make my dreams come true in such a simple environment. So I got in my car and drove 22,000+ miles around the US, Canada and Mexico, in search of a new place to live. I had absolutely no place in mind and no clue what I would pick. I had decided to search for a place on the PCH, somewhere from Mexico to Alaska. After many months on the PCH, I stopped to visit friends in Seattle who inspired me to leave the PCH for the first time and take a detour to Glacier National Park before coming back to the PCH.

I did and stopped in a town called Sandpoint, Idaho to camp for the night. I met a wonderful couple there, who said they would show me around Coeur d' Alene (about 40 minutes south), where they lived, to give me a better idea of what the town was like.

I fell in love. I started renting a house the next day and have now been here for over 3 years. I started building deep, lasting relationships with wonderful people here and consider myself so grateful for each and every one of them.

It just felt right.

I bought my house last month and I couldn't imagine calling another place home right now.

A place I didn't even know existed until I searched for it.

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Moral: You don't have to know where you're going. And you don't have to know how you're going to do it. You just have to trust your intuition (it's flawless, I promise) and have the courage to continue seeking the life you truly want. Embrace discomfort as you search... It builds character and helps you continue learning who you really are, and what you really need in life.

Only one rule: Don't settle. Life's far too short for that.

Slowing Down.

This past weekend, I was given a very important reminder.

How crucial it is to have a healthy balance with nature, and allow yourself to get lost in it. To feel awe in our lives, as often as possible. And how essential that is to me to clear my mind and see the big picture again, rather than just getting lost in being busy all the time.

Life moves so fast, day by day.

But, when you get lost in nature, it's like time stands still again.

Asking The World To Help You Make Your Dreams Come True.

Every single dream coming true in my life right now is happening because I interacted with the world around me. I was vulnerable. I talked to strangers. I asked for help when I needed it. I accepted help when people offered it.

Everyone helped.

I am living proof of someone who has never known what they were doing, but tried my best to keep life light and kept looking for the answers, all around the world. I didn't go to school for photography, or any art for that matter. I didn't own a real camera until just a few years ago (that I paid for with money I saved waiting tables at restaurants). And I spent most of my life keeping people at a distance, and not truly letting them be as close to me.

When I needed it most, I put myself out there. I started listening more than I talked. And trying to learn from each person I came into contact with.

I want this all to just be a reminder that the world is there to help you, not to hurt you. This is not a cliche, or something I am saying to be overly optimistic. This is coming from facing fear head on, and looking for reasons to prove if it was rational or not. This is coming from a huge sample size of people, in just about every kind of situation. I gave people the opportunity to prove me wrong and take advantage of me, rob me, hurt me, and prove that being fearful of strangers around you is something you should adhere to.

But I ended up being taken care of by every single person I asked. Every person. In every country. Rich, poor, white, black (and many other different races), old, young... And everywhere in between.

Everyone helped.

This is not a brag.

This is to hopefully implore and inspire you to start chasing that dream you've always had. This is to show you that I am no different than you. I didn't get luckier or come from a bunch of money. I started this project when I was waiting tables and living paycheck to paycheck.

Life ended up becoming what I asked for and, every bit as importantly, what I worked hard for. But I couldn't have done any of it, without the strangers I met along the way.

Just about everything is possible if you persist. I promise. I'm living proof of it.

Two Steps.

Step one to being happy: Turn off the TV.
Step two: Go out and see how beautiful the world actually is.

Just For The Moment.

Life will eventually go back to normal. Your routines will rebound and you'll be busy again, I promise.

You might never have this opportunity again.

Use the time you have now to work on a passion you've always wanted to. To find something outside of work that gives you purpose and meaning. To find your heart. Try new hobbies. Learn a new language. Challenge yourself with new disciplines. Read a new book every week. Take longer hikes. Work on your dread list. Clean your house. Work on a new craft. Have deeper conversations with your spouse, your partners, your best friends. Plant a garden.

For as long as I can remember, I have heard the excuse 'I am too busy to X'. We don't have that excuse anymore.

You have nowhere else to be today, except where you are. So don't complain - Just dream bigger. Life will go back to normal but you may never have this opportunity of the time you have available today.

The skills you learn during this time could change the direction of your entire life for the better. And you could turn these events into something that was the best thing that ever happened to you, in hindsight.

I promise you that too.

The Only Way To Make It Through.

Wishing you well today.

Hoping this photograph can bring you to a place that will be there when this all blows over. A place that is given a time to heal without the foot traffic and pollution, that will be even more beautiful when we go back to it.

One day at a time.

Draw close to relationships. Write letters to the ones you love. Work through those difficult thoughts.

We'll all be better for going through these difficult moments.

Love you all.

Superpowers.

Okay, I have some pretty simple superpowers I have learned through the last few years of travels, that I would like to give away so more people do it.

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1. If you're looking for meaning in your life, you will always find it in giving your time and attention to others. Not only will it get you out of your head (and out of your problems) but it will help someone else with theres. Many times, you also realize through this experience how many people's sufferings are far worse than yours, and it helps put your issues in perspective.

Also, while you do what you can for others, you will see the gratitude that comes from doing the simplest things for them. The SIMPLEST things. You'll see how happy it makes them. And you'll also notice how good that makes you feel, to help others. So you'll do it more. And then you'll notice you're making a difference in their life... And that their problems are getting smaller... So you'll want to do it more and more.

By doing this, you make the world a much better place.

And make no mistake, this is where true happiness comes from. Happiness that can never be taken from you.

(Oh, and you'll also notice you weren't thinking of your own problems through the whole time you were helping them.)

2. Actually look at people and smile at them when you're walking past them. Why? Well, you'll notice that almost every time you smile at someone else, they smile back at you. Once you do this enough, you'll see almost everyone smiling when they see you and forget that you were actually the one smiling first.

This will rejuvenate your perspective on the world around you - And help you see the world in a much more positive light than you had been before. The world around you will look happier and you'll see much more of the good in people.

3. This seems like it's beating a dead horse but, to truly be happy, you have to live it.

Significant research has shown that, when you have enough money to pay your bills and basic necessities, (and with savings to not have to worry about them in the near future), then additional money does NOT add your happiness in any way.

REMEMBER THAT.

How many times does the story have to be told of a rich person committing suicide? How sad could life be, when you have given all of it to the pursuit of money, gotten it and realized it actually wasn't what you were looking for the whole time. You would have to start from scratch and many people that have given their lives to this simply can't do it.

DON'T DO THAT.

Find something in your life that is meaningful and pursue it. Suffer through the difficult moments and develop strength through it. This will give you resilience to weather the very sure tragedies that life can bring and make you a stronger person to be there for the people around you when they need it. By pursuing something that is meaningful to you also, you will experience joy in the smallest successes that that pursuit brings and that will help inspire the people around you and make a difference in their lives.

This is another very sure way to change the world for the better.

If you're fortunate with a lot of money, take care of the things you need to and give yourself a good life. I have no issue with money - None. But don't think for a second that stockpiling money will make you a happier person, much less a better person. Instead, think of that money as a tool - And nothing else. A tool that you can use to make the world a better place. To impact others. And to lessen the suffering of those you come into contact with.

All of this will give you perspective. Heart. Empathy.

This will always inspire others to do the same and helps them understand how to do it.

And, at the end of it all, I think it would be impossible to look back at a life where you pursued meaning, and making the world a better place, with any regrets at all.

One Of The Most Important Quotes I know.

I am going to post this quote routinely as a reminder to myself and others who forego the simpler path and dare to chase their dreams. Those that choose to let go of comfort and consistency... Believing against all odds that you truly can make a difference in this world. I post this as a reminder that it will never be an easy path but I promise you, with all sincerity, that it's one worth giving your life to.

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“We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. More than our parents/children/teachers think we are.

We fear that we actually possess the talent that our still, small voice tells us. That we actually have the guts, the perseverance, the capacity. We fear that we truly can steer our ship, plant our flag, reach our Promised Land.

We fear this because, if it’s true, then we become estranged from all we know. We pass through a membrane. We become monsters and monstrous.

We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us. What will become of us? We will lose our friends and family, who will no longer recognize us. We will wind up alone, in the cold void of starry space, with nothing and no one to hold on to.

Of course this is exactly what happens. But here’s the trick.

We wind up in space, but not alone. Instead we are tapped into an unquenchable, undepletable, inexhaustible source of wisdom, consciousness, companionship.

Yeah, we lose friends. But we find friends too, in places we never thought to look. And they’re better friends, truer friends. And we’re better and truer to them.

Do you believe me?”

The War of Art
Steven Pressfield

Learning From The Downs.

Life is incredible, if you allow yourself to learn from the downs.

They're inevitable.

Dreams are on the other side, I promise, and they will actually feel like dreams because of what you had to do to get there. Because of how you had to forge yourself to get through to the other side.

And I'll tell you something even more interesting - You don't want those dreams to come true until you have to earn them. Because if you have to fight for them, they will actually strangely feel like you might deserve them. Which is important because let me tell you, imposter syndrome is a very real thing.

By fighting for them, you will forge your perspective to find the silver lining in even the dimmest circumstances... Which is essential to making it through a crazy world these days.

You will be okay with rejection because you know what you have inside of you. You will have love for yourself that no one can ever take from you.

When you can improve your perspective, anything is possible.

Why I try to inspire others to leave their phones at home more often.

When people ask me why I am so against phones, my reason is this:

The greatest tragedy to happen since the invention of phones, social media and overall, just too much technology is what it did to personal communication.

And I really mean that word - Tragedy.

Relationships are marginalized because of a lack of communication. People struggle more than ever with being human - With being vulnerable - With just saying what they truly mean.

Friendships fall apart because of a lack of communication. There is absolutely no replacement for the depth that comes from spending time with friends or family in person - And truly having conversations of substance. With really listening to one another.

But, because people are constantly stimulated, their brains rarely have the time to figure out how to articulate what they mean to. What they need to. So what ends up happening is lots of passive aggression.

And make no mistake - There are very few things more dangerous to relationships than passive aggression.

You're trying to tell someone something that's actually important to you - But you wait and wait and wait until all that emotion builds up to the moment you finally just explode. And when you explode, you're not speaking with logic anymore - It's pure emotion. And that's okay but what any genuine friend or family member will say is - Why did you wait so long to tell me this? I would've gladly done things differently or treated you differently and tried to help if you just... Told me.

Lack of communication minimizes the true connection possible in friendships and family. And especially in relationships.

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What I've noticed is - The more people are on their phones, the less they interact with the phones themselves. So this leads to people not responding to texts - Even though they see them right away. And the more people are on phones, the less they are comfortable with in person interaction. Their heads are busier. They're spending time with people but they're not actually there because they're thinking of all the things they need to do, the emails they forgot to respond to, the texts they ignored, etc.

And when you're not genuinely there for someone in an in-person conversation, they can see it. They can feel it. I promise.

And when this happens, people stop opening up as much to you. Conversations become much more topical. Less depth. Less emotion. Less true connection.

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We KNOW this. So I implore you to please do your part is being there for your friends and family. Leave your phone at home when you go out to dinner or at least leave it in your car before you go inside. Truly listen.

When you're upset or angry with someone, that's okay. But please communicate that and give them the information possible to make a change. You might shake while you're telling them. You might feel it's confrontational. But if you tell them before you've stewed in the emotions for weeks before - You'll probably be able to articulate it with compassion. And by doing it, that person will probably truly appreciate you and your honesty (And if they don't, please find more genuine friendships). And with that information, you at least give them the opportunity to be a better friend - A better family member - A better lover or partner to you. And if they choose not to change with the information given, that's okay too - Because you at least know where you stand and can make your own decision from there.

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Please. Put your phones down more. Leave them at home when you go on walks or hikes. Leave them in your car every dinner conversation you can. And just watch the quality of relationships that start to build around you.

There's still time. I promise.

I've always broken a lot of rules.

I think it’s important to question rules. Always.

But one of the most important rules I’ve broken - Is what people said is possible. I’ve always questioned it. To the point, that I actually ended up proving myself and making my dreams come true in the process.

I challenge you to walk around with no phone for one day.

See the world around you.

Almost every single person around you will be staring at a phone or computer. Everyone has their head down.

If your head is up and you’re paying attention, you will walk through situations where you’re the only one that even sees whats happening.

It’s like you have the whole world to yourself.

The airBNB project and one of the most important memories that came from it.

I didn’t even know where I was going 5 days before leaving. I didn’t even have a place to stay 48 hours before. 

I didn’t know anything about Jamaica and just booked a flight to Montego Bay as a branch off point. I made a post on Reddit, asking people about relationships or recommendations there to visit… And got a bunch of wonderful replies. One of these, led me into a town in the mountains, having a day I will never forget, with a place that tourists never go. It was like I was the Pope visiting this small town. 

I found a place on airBNB and reached out to them, and asked if they would like to trade for photographs. One of these is to be able to leave the locals with a place that attract more visitors, so they can make more money and live an easier life. But, the main reason is that, when I do a trade, I have to interact with the owner of the listing. I don’t just check-in, close my doors and connect to Wi-Fi. We have a long conversation when I arrive, and we almost always hit it off and become friends right away. Then, I see them everyday and many of them introduce me to family, or invite me to their homes for dinner. Or tell me special places to go, that only the locals know about. Or friends to visit in beautiful place. It always makes it a much richer experience. 

Now, it’s like I’m staying at a friends house, rather than in a distant country where I don’t know anyone.

My first place in Jamaica was owned by a guy named Winston, that I know absolutely nothing about. When I arrived, he quickly greeted me and apologized - He would have to show me to my place quickly because he was in a meeting. I figured this experience my not be too special.

But the next day, he introduced me to his niece and her husband, and they asked me if I needed anything. I told them what I was doing there and they quickly offered to connect me with the tourism board. I said yes, please and I thanked them for the stay. Jennifer (the niece) told me a little about Winston and his story, which was absolutely awe-inspiring. 

Jennifer took me to pick up my rental car, waited to make sure everything was okay, then drove in front of me as I learned how to drive in Jamaica (on the opposite of the road and opposite side of the car!). This helped a tremendous amount.

The next day, Jennifer told me Winston would like to have me up to his home for lunch in the mountains. I said I would love to go, and we all went up to an absolutely gorgeous home in one of the highest spots in Montego Bay, looking down over the entire city. Winston showed me around his property, where he had lived since the 60’s with his wife, even during some very tense moments in Jamaica. As we walked through his property, he showed me a different fruit tree every 5-6 feet and told me about the history and what they use it for. He told me stories about famous parties they’ve hosted there. He told me proudly about a wedding they had just had.

After the walk, he asked his wife to prepare a lunch for us all. I watched as she instinctually just walked through her property, where every tree and plant is burned into her memory, and brought back fruit and vegetables to cook. Winston went and got us rum to drink. We all sat and the conversation started flowing.

When he was younger, Winston a sailer. He would help other captains charter their boats and one day, he came back into Montego Bay and heard music playing at the Yacht Club. Him and the captain decided to go check it out and saw there was ska music playing, and lots of people dancing. Winston walked in, saw a beautiful girl he wanted to dance with and asked her partner if he could butt in. Begrudgingly, he let him and Winston danced so long with her that the partner eventually came up and said ‘If you’re going to keep dancing with her, you have to pay me back for her admission fee.’ 

He didn’t hesitate. He pulled the money out and gave it to the guy. This year, they will have been married for 45 years. 

As a couple, they both have literally and figuratively fought vigilantly to keep Jamaica as great as it is. In the 70’s, under threat of communism, many Jamaicans fled the country out of fear. Winston recalls going to work on a Friday with some of his best friends and, on Monday, none of them showed up. They had all fled and didn’t say a word. Some of them he didn’t hear back from for years, since they were scared to tell anyone were they were. 

Because he was involved in politics, many people advised Winston and his wife to flee the country also. He was getting death threats and they had to move him back and forth between his home and the mountains, to keep them both alive. He recalls having the paperwork for his Canadian visa sitting in front of him, where all he had to do was sign the papers, and he tore them up instead. 

He said ‘If I die, I will go down with the Jamaican flag on my back.’

They never left and never will, he strongly says as we walk around his property, overlooking the city he helped build. 

Since then, he has remained heavily involved into politics and make sure they stay a democracy. When drugs became a threat in the 90’s, he quickly had the government install checkpoints at each Parish, to stop the flow of trafficking before it got to the coast. He said ‘We will never become another Mexico.’ To this day, the checkpoints still exist.

Now in his 80’s, Winston is making sure Jamaica will be left in good hands when he is gone. He is helping build parks instead of businesses, in places where commercial endeavors would make a lot of money. In his legacy, this country will never forget the impact he has made.

Sometimes, you have to step away from what you think is the real world - To realize it's not at all.

We have life too good. We’re too comfortable. In that boredom and comfort, we create drama. We hurt the ones that love us. And we love the ones that hurt us.

People fill up their brains with the news everyday, from the moment they wake up. An incredible biased media that makes money off of perpetuating negativity and creating fear.

We smoke cigarettes to make the suffering go quicker. We drink alcohol to numb the pain, and to dull our beautiful minds overflowing with unique thoughts.

People can never be single, and allow themselves the time to work through what it takes to find out who they truly are. What they truly deserve. To find love for themselves, in their hearts, that no one else can ever take from them. Because they can’t stand even the smallest bit of emotional discomfort. As soon as it’s felt, we pull out our phones and distract ourselves, never growing through these important moments.

They dump their fears on their children, and anyone else around them. They tell their children to be afraid of the world, of strangers, of getting hurt… Because they themselves are. Because they never left their comfort zone. So they don’t give them the ability to be an individual.

People don’t say what they mean. And they don’t mean what they say. They’re afraid of expressing love when they feel it - For the fear that it might not be reciprocated. Which is not love at all.

We try to live with as little risk as possible, even if we lose all fulfillment in the process. People are so afraid of so many things - Many of which will not even hurt us, and allow us to grow strength and confidence.

You get offended by things you really just disagree with. You talk over people who are trying to teach you something. You are so quick to tell people what you know and so slow to listen to what they have to show you.

Guys are sending dick pictures, and thinking much more with their dick than with their brains. And girls take their gorgeous, natural beauty and spend hours covering it with makeup before they show themselves to the world. But then they tell others that they’re beautiful, just like they are.

Both sides are accepting much less than what they are worth. What they deserve.

You think money will actually bring joy. You think theres more value in having rather than in giving.

Please, for all of us, wake up. The world needs you.

-

It's a very thin line.

You need to understand that very thin line between pride/ego and confidence.

The difference is only one thing - intention behind why you do what you do.

Why I always remember how to live when I travel spontaneously:

It is hard for me to explain but I guess here is my best. The world is my home. We understand each other. It’s where I feel safe, emotionally and physically, and most alive.

Being home is difficult for me because relationships and people confuse me in America. There is a lot of strange things - Passive aggression, miscommunication, people not asking for what they want/need, resentment without communicating it, fears that people won’t try to understand but let it guide their every moment.

I feel so comfortable in the world - Spontaneously floating through each new situation. I adapt so quickly because I am fully aware, fully awake. I don’t have the endless comfort that numbs my intelligence. The comfort that gives me too much freedom to be in my thoughts, not in the world. When I am in the world, I am just reacting, just observing, just living. When I am home, I am playing a chess game with people who don’t even know why they’re playing it. I am surrounded by people not living the life that they should be, even though they know what they should be doing. I am surrounded by distraction, by complaining, by victims to circumstances out of their control or things that happened in their past that they will not work through. I am surrounded by people that think that money will solve their problems or give them the happiness they cannot otherwise find on their own. I am surrounded by people that think being busy means you are being productive, or doing the right thing in that manner. People that don’t have the attention span to listen to poetry, to read long letters, to create unique art, to share long conversations, to truly be there for people. 

It’s strange to me - I feel so much more at home in situations that probably look to others to be so complex. To be dangerous. But, in those situations, I have found the true honesty and genuine nature of all humans. When comfort is stripped away, people must be intentional and straight forward with their words and their actions. And when people are straight forward with what they mean, you at least know where you stand and how to react.

Then people judge you on who you truly are, not just who they think you are.

A desperate plea for the entire world.

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.