Lessons From Quitting My Job To Travel The World

Hello steemit friends! I am new to the community and this is my first story. Thanks for reading :)

“When a bird sings, it doesn't sing for the advancement of music. But if somebody stops to listen and is delighted, well that's fine. And so I talk in the same spirit.” -Alan W. Watts

In January 2016 I left for a trip around the world with no end date. It wasn’t entirely clear what drove me to this experience. I wasn’t particularly passionate about my job and the answer to what was missing in my life seemed to lie somewhere far away from home. If only I could break away and get lost I would be able to find myself.

I returned home after about two years when I felt the time was right for a new journey. Reflecting on this experience, I wanted to share what I did learn in hopes that others can use this information to decide if such an experience is right for them too.

As with any shared knowledge, we should be open to those who are seeking the truth and doubt those who say they have found it. So take my words with a grain of salt; I have found nothing.

My former self would argue that I knew all of what I am about to share before the trip, but I have come to appreciate that there are many different levels of understanding. There is “knowing it” level one vs. knowing it level two ... and three, and four ad infinitum. Knowledge is a progressive experience and never an end point with a definitive answer.

(1) Travel: You don’t need to travel the world to find the answers to any of your questions. Along the way, I met travelers whose eyes were metaphorically shut and less privileged locals who had never left the small village where they were born but who understood the vast reaches of the universe. Awareness comes from within and the journey of life is equal parts external and internal. This involves getting to know your “self” in the spirit of self = other, they are one in the same.

(2) Enemies & Virtues: The biggest enemy in life is ego and the biggest virtue is cognitive harmony, or acting in agreement with your values. The more your life is driven by your ego, the less happiness you will find. Happiness comes from escaping the ego and living a life consistent with your values. Not your values as defined by others, by society, or by your ego’s attempt to meet those definitions. I mean dig deep down inside yourself and reconnect with what you actually want out of life. Those are the values that should drive your actions every day.

(3) The Past, Present & Future: Altering the path of your life allows you to form an unbiased opinion of your former sacrifices and understand what was worthwhile. For me, this was closely connected to my former job. I had sacrificed so much in order to be successful as defined by others but not by myself. I was driven by money and not my core values. Reflecting on this made me realize that I would never make this mistake again. Ideas like working hard and saving money to then do something I wanted with my life (retirement, etc.) no longer made any sense. I had tasted that illusion of freedom and it wasn’t all I had imagined it would be. I would never again sacrifice the now for the future. Pursuing your aspirations allows you to understand what you think you want and to live a life that is uninhibited by false ideas about the future. Which brings me to …

(4) Desire: To master the allure of desire you should not avoid it but instead embrace it. Everything I learned from this experience is the result of this experience. Something was driving me to take this trip. In the end, I realized I never needed the trip. But I never would have known that had I not taken the trip. Had I denied that drive I always would have wondered about the experience. It was only by embracing my desire that I could begin to understand it. This is true across all aspects of life. So much of escaping your ego involves mastering your desires. But you cannot master your desires by denying them because then you are simply desiring not to desire. You can only master your desires by embracing them.

(5) Harmony: Despite our different languages, cultures, and histories, people all around the world are remarkably similar. The vast majority of people have good intentions and would rather help you than take advantage of you, give to you than take from you, and learn about you as much as they would like you to learn about them. You look at the world differently when you come to understand this.

So while I ultimately realized that I did not need the trip, I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to take it. The trip shaped my views of the world and just as important, helped me to understand my self.