4 lessons I learned about happiness (Here are #1 and #2)

In February 2024, I returned home to Los Angeles after the adventure of a lifetime: exploring 18 countries across South America and Asia in 18 months on a trip that cost me $34,000. I had quit my dream job as a video journalist to heal my burnout and find happiness beyond traditional measures of success and prestige.

When it was over, I went from chasing waterfalls in Indonesia and whizzing through the rolling green countryside of Vietnam on a motorbike to staring at my computer screen at home, watching the job rejections roll in. 

But my sabbatical taught me four key lessons about happiness that helped keep me positive, confident, and self-assured despite the challenges.

1. Happiness is not about extremes, but balance

For years, I thought working my dream job would bring me the ultimate happiness. But I couldn’t shake the burnout and anxiety. 

Then I thought going all in on travel — the thing I’m most passionate about — would fulfill me. But eventually, the novelty wore off. Exhausted from constantly being on the go, I longed for the comfort and stability of home. 

I realized that I won’t find lasting happiness unless I’m living a life balanced between adventure, rest, productivity, and learning.    

Now that I’m home, I have new career and financial goals. A few years ago, I would’ve sacrificed everything to achieve those, while applauding myself as a go-getter and a hustler.

But now I pace myself and do my best to maintain a personal life and gym and meditation routine. I’m enjoying the journey instead of racing to a finish line that probably wouldn’t be everything I imagine it is. 

2. Satisfaction is about perspective and gratitude

I never felt like I had enough success or money while living and working in Los Angeles and New York City. But in South America and Southeast Asia, where I encountered mind-boggling levels of poverty, I realized how privileged I am.  

Even many average neighborhoods didn’t come close to my standard of comfort. A lot of the locals I met had never left their country because they couldn’t afford it.

I realized that as an American renting an apartment in LA, I live an unfathomably luxurious life compared to much of the world. 

While freelancing and job hunting in a very difficult market, I was tempted to slip back into feelings of inadequacy. But the perspective I gained while traveling reminded me that I already have — and am — more than enough.