One-Way Flight to Costa Rica

Tomorrow I leave on a one-way trip to Costa Rica. I’ve been home for about two and a half months since returning from my ten-month backpacking adventure. The goal of that trip was a second education—to reengineer life from the ground up, to be open and learn, to just exist and flow. Now that I’ve settled back, the real adventure begins. How do I make money? Where do I live? How do I orient my intellect? Since being home, I’ve gone through a swirl of emotions. At first, I was searching for jobs, trying to get back into a routine and reignite my intellectual energy. But as I scrolled through roles on LinkedIn, I felt this deep fear that I was slipping back into the lifestyle I had worked so hard to escape—working at a company, with no passion, no purpose. I tried to disguise it by saying, “Oh, it’ll be in a better city, like San Diego,” or “It’s a startup, so it’ll be different.” But I couldn’t lie to myself for long. I want to build something of my own—to leave a real imprint on the world. Kyle and I have been working hard to figure this out. Even back when I was in Japan, we were tossing around ideas. We went from an AI search engine optimization tool, to a Facebook marketplace project, to even betting on prediction markets. The grind—the search—was brutal. At times, I felt more lost than ever, even more lost than when I was in rural Laos or the suburbs of China. But I’ve learned that you just have to keep searching, keep pointing your nose in the right direction, and trust your intuition. Now, we’ve decided to become consultants for small businesses—helping them integrate AI. To be honest, I think I know more about AI than 99.9% of people in the world—from the chips to the software to the application. If the last 2.5 months have taught me anything, it’s that ideas are worth nothing. Execution is everything. You can have a great idea—it’ll get you 90% of the way—but the last 10% is all that counts. Kyle and I are heading to Costa Rica together to put our heads down, work, and experience what it’s really like to live as digital nomads. We don’t plan to leave until we’ve sold something—until we’ve built a piece of software that someone is willing to pay for because it genuinely improves their life and work. That’s what it’s all about: improving the lives of others. The past two and a half months at home have been good. I’ve grown closer to my parents and appreciate our connection more than ever. But, as I knew before my first trip, I can’t stay still for long. It’s always onward and upward—constantly asking, how do I best ascend? In mind, body, spirit, and intellect. As I get ready to head into another country with my backpack on my back, I think of the person who did this a year ago. I’m proud of him—and proud of where I am now. This is the continuation of the journey—the natural next step. I’ll be back on my blog grind, back on the road, with next-level devotion, focus, and upward orientation.