Today was a super slow, meditative day—my first full day in rural Japan, far removed from the chaos and stimulation of the city.
It's almost unsettling to step outside and hear nothing: no cars, no shouting, no buzz of city life—just pure stillness.
And yet, that silence, which should feel normal to us as humans, feels completely foreign.
We're so used to noise and stimulation that calmness almost feels like a void.
I spent two hours in a peaceful onsen today and took the opportunity to reflect.
I wanted to jot down a few tangible things I've learned from this journey. The first one is obvious but still important: quitting your job and traveling to faraway places makes you more comfortable with uncertainty and unfamiliar situations.
I learned how to backflip (shoutout Lieffie), flew in a paramotor, trekked the Himalayas, hunted with tribes in Africa, bought, sold, and rode a motorbike halfway down Vietnam.
Travel forces growth—it pushes you to do things you'd normally never consider. I tried foods I'd never even heard of before—like soursop—and challenged my comfort zone.
A few years ago, when I came to Asia the first time, I often felt out of place, constantly aware of the stares or how different I looked. Now, I don't feel out of place anywhere. The world feels like one giant shared home; we're all just humans.
And surprisingly, most people are incredibly kind and willing to help—well, except maybe the Japanese. Another lesson is the power of clean eating. I felt amazing waking up to fresh fruit smoothies with produce picked from the trees nearby. In the U.S., it's scary how processed and disconnected our food has become. Here, eating naturally and intentionally gave me a different kind of energy—clean and vibrant.
Another takeaway: don't tell white lies. Be authentic. In the beginning, when people criticized America, I'd tiptoe around the topic. But over time, I became unapologetically myself. And finally, I've been reflecting on the modern-day feudal system—and how to live like a 21st-century aristocrat. Traveling exposes you to every type of person: the partygoers, the yogis, the digital nomads, the aimless drifters. If you want to be a high-performing, high-value individual in this noisy world, you have to draw clear lines around your life. You need standards. One of mine has effectively been no drinking. That choice has changed my health, mental clarity, and energy. It's a powerful social and personal signal of self-respect. This trip has helped crystallize so many of these ideas. As I sat today in silence, soaking in the natural hot water, I realized how far I've come—not just in distance, but in clarity.
