Three Hours to Pack and a One-Way Ticket Around the World

A Journey of embracing spontaneity with Yes Theory and uncovering the Magic of Life

Jun 29, 2023

This is an invitation to read this as you would the middle chapter of a book. There’s a lot that came before this and a lot that is happening after. But this is my best attempt at capturing this particular story that doesn’t have a clear beginning or end.

There’s a saying that all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. This one is full of them.

To the bystander it may appear the following events and experiences are pure coincidence. But there’s no such thing as coincidence.

This story is the cumulation of a lifestyle and perspective that is open to spontaneity, genuine connections with strangers, seeking discomfort, seeing the world with childlike wonder, and being led by an insatiable curiosity. Most of all, remember it’s within the autonomy of our choices that we get to shape our lives.

It’s a way of life that sprouted in me a long time ago. But it has also been an oftentimes frustrating and lonely journey. But I’m coming to learn it’s like that for many people until we meet others who share a similar spark.

After all, it’s the people we meet along the way and the experiences we go through, that awaken new dreams within ourselves.

The Choices We Make

In September 2022 Yes Theory announced a premiere of their new film, Project Iceman in New York City next month. Coincidentally I was already going to NYC for work around that time. As an endurance athlete myself, this story of the first Ironman-distance triathlon in Antarctica was something I wanted to see.

But more than that, it was a chance to put myself in the same place as hundreds of other people who live the Yes Theory mindset and way of life. It’s a chance I didn’t want to miss.

As I wrestled with the decision, in my notebook I wrote, “I bought the VIP ticket. I know I should be saving money right now, but something in my gut felt right about it. I want to go in without expectations. Just with pure intention and curiosity. But I also want to manifest the opportunity that something will come out of it.”

Indeed something did come out of it months later… keep reading on…

At the premiere, I briefly met Ammar, Anders, Pedro, and a few others from their team. (Read that story in detail here.)

Then December came around and Seek Discomfort (Yes Theory’s apparel brand) announced a contest. If you purchased clothing that month, you’d be eligible to win an adventure with Yes Theory. I had just bought things from their store a few weeks before so talked myself out of purchasing anything.

On the last day of the sale, I changed my mind and bought a fuzzy hoodie. If there was any chance of “entering” this contest, I’d take it.

Fast forward to February 21st. It was the day after my birthday and I was about to close my computer when an email notification flashed on the corner of my screen from Seek Discomfort. I almost ignored it because I thought it was another marketing email.

I clicked it, saw my picture among the winners, and jumped out of my chair. The giveaway had long been pushed out of my mind until that moment. I ran to the closet because I had a fuzzy hoodie to thank. I hugged it then and danced around my kitchen in celebration.

There was no date, destination, or information. I imagined in Yes Theory style, it would likely be last minute.

Three of us “Seekers” were selected for the adventure. Luke from Australia, Gabriel from Canada, and myself from Austin. We immediately started a group text. For the next three months, we texted every day.

It’s something quite rare and special for three people totally different places in the world, leading completely different lives to share one commonality — be fans of a YouTube channel— and that is the thing that causes them to meet.

Somehow an instant friendship blossomed the minute we all found out we were going on an adventure together. Despite our differences in age, hobbies, and backgrounds, we jumped right into this friendship as if we’d known each other for years.

Spontaneous bonus adventure

My first taste of a little Yes Theory trip came in April when Ammar invited me to join Dez, one of their editors, on a trip to Florida to be part of a video. You can read more of that story here.

But one of my biggest takeaways from it was the confirmation that omens are all around us. Meeting Dez and instantly feeling a bond. A relief that I’m not crazy and that whatever had been unlabeled and alone inside me, wasn’t alone after all.

On that trip, Dez coined the phrase, “The Magic of Life.” It’s not a coincidence, luck, chance, or serendipity. It’s indeed magic. You’ll know what we mean if you recognize the feeling. Now I was even more excited for the big adventure that was yet to come.

Three Hours to Pack and a One-Way Ticket

In May, I was about to head to New York City for a work trip followed by a quick stay in Montreal to visit a friend.

The day before I left for New York, we got a call from Yes Theory. The adventure would be happening next week in Germany.

Thanks to the magic of life, the day they needed me to fly to Germany was the exact day of my original flight home from my other trip. So we canceled my flight home to Austin and booked a one-way flight from Montreal to Germany.

I had just one evening to pack. In addition to New York and Montreal, I was now packing for what would potentially be a 3-week trip to Europe (the adventure + a few weeks of extra travel). I didn’t know what we were doing, where we were going, or how long.

Sometimes in life, the best moments are the unplanned ones where you must practice the art of surrendering. Trust that you are ready for whatever is coming.

It begins

Walking the streets of New York I thought about how the last time I was there had been for Project Iceman. Then the day before my flight to Germany, I found myself walking around McGill University in Montreal which so happens to be where Yes Theory started. Full circle.

My thoughts before the adventure were these: This Yes Theory trip was not an outcome. The outcome is who we have gotten to become on the journey up to this point, and who we will become because of it.

On travel day, Gabriel who lives in Quebec was flying into Montreal and together from there, we’d take a flight to Germany too.

We landed in Frankfurt the following day. At the airport, we finally met Luke who had flown from Australia. Then, at last, pulling up in a rental car and greeting with big hugs were Thomas, Staffan, and videographer, Theo.

We drove and drove. They still didn’t tell us where we were going or what we were doing. Finally, we pulled over in a tiny town.

Thomas looked as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer. With the wide eyes of a kid about to blurt out a secret, he said, “We will be spending four days at the Shaolin Temple!” Then waited for our reaction.

The only reason I somewhat knew what the Shaolin temple was, is because a month earlier Thomas had been teaching a boot camp about creativity and mind mapping. In his mind map, he had included the Shaolin. My curiosity had peaked and I had Googled what Shaolin was. Then here we were, about to go experience it for ourselves.

It Was The Inner Adventure I Didn’t Know I Needed

It wasn’t a traditional Yes Theory adventure of adrenaline and extroversion. The four days at the temple were an inner adventure about the mind, body, and spirit connection. About overcoming physical and mental challenges. About discipline and practice. We went from an hour of silent meditation to four hours of intense physical training.

If you watched the video, you see how much we were physically challenged. What’s difficult to get across through the video is the mental challenge.

As Shi Heng Yi said, that’s the difference between theory and practice. For growth to occur, we have to actually live through the pain and challenges.

The more we put ourselves in situations where we are challenged physically and mentally, the more growth we experience and the stronger we become. If we know we can mentally and physically overcome challenges, then the next time we experience an obstacle or adversity in life, we are better equipped to navigate it.

Just when we think we’ve reached our physical limit, we always have an ace up our sleeve— our mind.

In the late evening, someone pointed out I had been the only one out of everyone to do all the parts of the training. I hadn’t even realized that.

Looking back, I fully believe my past endeavors running 50 kilometers, swimming 10 miles, doing an Ironman 70.3, marathon, century ride, breathing classes, and regular cold exposure — all helped me with the Shaolin training. Especially breath work, which is often the thing we neglect the most.

Lessons from the Training

Like bamboo, it’s important we take time to strengthen our roots. Before you know it, you will grow exponentially and bloom. —Shi Heng Yi

After the training, I felt waves of emotion. The training had surfaced so many inner questions. I questioned my career, friendships, home, goals, dreams, and purpose.

A sudden urgent panic to figure out my life, struck me like a tsunami.

Wanting to be by myself, I went off to the woods near the temple and sat on a tree stump. My forearms throbbed from the hardening and bruises were beginning to appear.

“What am I doing with my life? How did I get here? Why? What does this trip mean? What happens when I go back home? What am I going to change in my life? What comes next?”

I buried my head in my hands and spiraled into my own existential questions.

“Next week this day will be a memory and these bruises will be gone. But these questions will still remain.” I said to myself. “It’s more of a challenge to answer these questions than to go through the hardening.”

Still overwhelmed, I walked back and found Staffan and Thomas in a corner.

I slumped into a chair and tried to explain what was happening in my head.

Staffan reminded me of the story Shi Heng Yi told us a few hours before. Life requires patience. Like bamboo, it’s important we take time to strengthen our roots. Before you know it, you will grow exponentially and bloom.

In the meantime, it’s important you do all you can to grow your strength and build experiences and build strong friendships. It’s all the foundation to sustain your growth that will inevitably come.

Final Reflections

It’s been almost five weeks since the adventure. While my bruises are gone, I still don’t have answers to all those questions that surfaced. In a way, mental challenge of figuring out our lives is more difficult than the physical challenges we did.

But I think the original intention I came into the trip with still remains true. It’s about the becoming.

We are always becoming something. The more we do an action, the more it becomes our identity.

The more we talk with strangers, the more we step out of our comfort zones, the more we explore the edges of our limits, the more we challenge ourselves physically and mentally, the more we treat the world with kindness, the more we open our hearts and minds… it all comes back to us and manifests in ways we can only begin to imagine. Remember, there are no coincidences. It’s the Magic of Life.

P.S.— remember how I thought this trip would last 3 weeks? Well, now it’s been 6 weeks and counting. Stay tuned for a story about how talking with a stranger at a coffee shop led me to live for 3 weeks in a Paris apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Subscribe to make sure you receive this story when it comes out!