Buenos díasssss familia! Coming to you live from my homestay in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala after a wild commute: one Tuk Tuk, three buses, sprinting across highways, locals helping me out.

There’s some damn good people in the world.

Haven’t seen another tourist since I left Lake Atitlán eight hours ago.

And wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s been just over a week, and life has been FULL.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

🌋 Climbing volcanoes (Fuego + Acatenango, 13,000+ feet)
🌋 Watching those same volcanoes erupt every 20 minutes
🌅 Sunrise hikes with new friends (Indian Nose, Lake Atitlán)
🌴 Going to the BALLIN Hotel Atitlán (s/o Sarah & Jen for hookin’ a brotha up 😎)
😌 Then proceeding to stay there for the next 6 hours
🪂 Running off a cliff to catch the sunset (paragliding Lake Atitlán)
🧘 Yoga at one of the most epic spots in the world (Eagle’s Nest)
🌮 Crushing local cuisine (pupusas, tacos, Mayan huevos)
🏃🏻‍♂️ Day 1: 6.5 mile exploration run around Antigua

And now - Spanish school in the heart of Quetzaltenango, starting at 8am tomorrow.

Four hours per day.
1:1 tutor.
Staying with a host family.
For the next two weeks.

The best part:
I had no idea any of this was going to happen.

(I was supposed to be on a bus to El Salvador this morning, but I kept hearing about Spanish school, so I changed my plans and decided, “I’m right here, right now, let’s do it”)

Take this how you will, but I operate with the mindset that things will work out. 

Stepping off the plane, I had no idea how I was going to get to Antigua (an hour and a half away).

“I’ll just get there and figure it out” (classic travel, classic me)

So after stepping out the airport and not seeing any taxis or rideshares like I was expecting,

I noticed a fellow backpacker getting a ride and asked if she was going to Antigua.

She was.

So I asked if I could hop in and split the cost with her.

She said yes.

Two days later I’m climbing the famous Acatenango, watching Volcán de Fuego erupt every 20 minutes, with molten lava literally blasting out the top.

Stargazing, sleeping in tiny cabins, waking up at 3:40am for the sunrise summit, and sprinting around the Acatenango crater rim for the OX Expeditions summit race.

Can’t make this shit up.

No plan. No itinerary. Just out in the world following the flow of what makes me feel alive. Free. Me.

I find that when I put myself out there, engage with the world, and interact with humans, life becomes more expansive. 

Inevitably you learn things to do, see, explore, and experience.

You learn more about the world, others, and yourself in the process.

While the big experiences are full of excitement and adrenaline,
the small moments are equally powerful:

And conversations. Connection. Relationships that form that make you feel like you’ve known each other for years.

Literally couldn’t craft a better itinerary. 

Life is beautiful and full of surprises when we let go of expectations and allow ourselves to stay open. 

Lastly, and this one may sound simple… but yesterday I received cash from a bank with no transaction fee. 

For my fellow travelers, you know that’s a big deal. 

A lot of these ATMs gouge you with fees (anywhere from 6-25%),

But I learned about an app called Remitly (through a conversation with a backpacker, of course).

So I downloaded the app, walked into a local bank, and went for it.

Used my Spanish to ask the lady if this would work.

To my surprise, she said yes,
and somehow, 30 minutes later, I walked out with 1500 quetzales in hand.

I felt pretty damn proud.

So proud, in fact, that I took a selfie with the bank teller ⬇️

Figuring things out, on your own, in a foreign country, is powerful.

Yielding a tremendous amount of self-confidence.

Forcing me out of my comfort zones.

And providing an opportunity to become someone completely different at any given moment.

Anyway, it’s 11:52pm on Sunday night, I’m exhausted, and going to wrap things here.

Pushing the boundaries on the weekly publish, but we got it done.

Engage with life. Engage with humans. Have conversations. Ask for help. Then help and serve others in the same way. It’s a beautiful cyclical process. 

You don’t need to buy a one-way ticket to Guatemala.

Maybe it’s as simple as going to the gym instead of working out at home.

Or going to the coffee shop instead of working from home.

Taking a left when you usually go right.

Or calling someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Conversations…. Can truly change your life forever. 

P.S. - yes, I speak Spanish. Most of you know that. But I have SO much room for growth.

And one of my goals this year was to become substantially more fluent.

Once and for all.

So here we are, doing the thing.

P.P.S. - Thank you to my Airbnb host, Santos, for putting me on this wild commute adventure. He recommended taking a bus from the next town over.

So I grabbed a Tuk Tuk, hit the road, asked for help, and six hours later stepped foot in my new home.

Could have very easily taken an Uber.

But what fun is that when I could explore a new town, be the only tourist, taste local cuisine, engage with locals, and run after buses to cram into the back of local transportation absolutely ripping through the mountains?

No-brainer.

Action: Daily Reflection

Tip: Y’all know I write. Every day. In my journal. Pen and paper. Thoughts, ideas, insights, feelings, emotions, experiences.

For the last 70 days, I’ve also been using my friend Mario’s Evening Reflection Journal.

Here’s the breakdown:

Simple. To the point. Done in less than 5 minutes.

And powerful.

Give it a shot - maybe you just start with three wins.

Either way - there’s power in the pen.

Use: Reflect on the day, extract insights, let go of anything not serving you, and look forward to tomorrow.

I listened to absolutely ZERO podcasts this week. And it feels amazing.

Instead, I listened to:

🌊 Waves crashing along the beach
🦜 Birds chirping in the morning
🛵 Tuk Tuks flying by
🌋 Volcanoes erupting
🎇 Fireworks exploding
🇬🇹 Commotion between tourists and locals
🩵 Babies laughing
🙏 Prayers being sung

And silence - one of the most powerful ways to actually listen.

That being said, here’s a shameless plug from my most recent podcast with Global Public Speaker, Bestselling Author, and Mindset Coach, Chris Cullen:

🎙️Change Your Words. Change Your Life. The Power of “I Get To”

He just submitted to the NY Times…

💻 Recent Newsletter Posts

🎙️Seeds of Success Podcast (Spotify)

🎙️Seeds of Success Podcast (Apple Podcasts)

🎬 YouTube | 📸 Instagram | 📱TikTok | ✍️ LinkedIn

✍️ Goal 1: Write 49 Newsletters
Realized: 7/49

🌎 Goal 2: Travel to 34 countries by age 34
Realized: 18/34

💰Goal 3: Earn $50k in self-generated revenue
Realized: $1,105

Got this far? Reply and let me know your biggest insight, takeaway, or idea.

I always respond.

And as always - thank you.

Many of you continue to share the newsletter on social or forward via email/text.

This is meaningful work to me. And I hope you continue to find value, inspiration, and take action.

If you know someone who might enjoy it, any forwards are greatly appreciated 🙏

See you next week 🚀

Who knows what’s in store…

Cheers to the adventure ✈️