I graduated from the University of Washington on a Sunday. On Monday, I was in a car to Vancouver, BC. On Tuesday, I was in the air, flying to Istanbul. Now, after almost seven weeks since graduation, I’m back in Seattle.

Upon returning, I knew I was going to want to write something; however, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be. What I ended up with is a little bit of a highlight reel of the things I learned during my travels: what I learned, where I learned it, and what it means.

Disclaimer: I’m positive that people have written about these concepts before, but I hope that by providing context of my experiences I’m able to enliven some of these learnings.

Learning 1: Energy is everything

I was hiking on the West Highland Way – a 96 mile trail from Milngavie, Scotland to Fort William, Scotland. The hiking environment couldn’t have been better: I was with my family in the incredible Scottish Highlands and it was a beautiful day. Nonetheless, every once in a while something small would annoy me. My feet would start hurting, my backpack would feel heavy, it would start to drizzle, etc.

I was struggling to understand how I could let these tiny problems bother me until I recognized a developing pattern. The only time these annoyances arose was when I was tired, thirsty, or hungry. They arose when I was low on energy.

Energy is everything. No matter the incredible circumstances you find yourself in, if you don’t have energy, you can’t enjoy them. Without energy, you have less will, patience, optimism and more anger, closed-mindedness, and pessimism. And it’s not just hiking where energy is essential. An energetic employee will not only get the job done, it’s likely that they will have a stronger drive to achieve than any exhausted counterpart.

Remembering the importance of energy also reminded me of why personal health matters. When in poor health, you can kiss your energy goodbye, along with your potential to do the things that you would like.

Learning 2: Acknowledge the unknown

We were visiting the castle in Stirling, Scotland and our tour guide was discussing some of Scotland’s famous historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots, William Wallace, and Robert the Bruce. I was startled by what she was saying. There was just so much information that she knew regarding these individuals that I didn’t previously know, despite thinking I was somewhat knowledgeable in the space.

Then I realized that there was so much that our tour guide didn’t know either! And how could she? None of us were there when these people were living! We weren’t privy to their conversations nor were we fighting alongside them on the battlefield. There are simply so many factors that we either aren’t aware of or don’t have access to that affected and complicated these historical figures’ choices. Despite this fact, humans will always try to paint history into a neat black and white picture. It’s human nature, the puzzle piece needs to fit, because straightforward answers are more comfortable.

But pushing for straightforward answers often isn’t being intellectually honest, we need to acknowledge the unknown. Whether it’s history or any of the complex systems that make up the world today, you need to recognize the unknown so that you don’t jump to incorrect conclusions that rely on faulty assumptions. Believing there is always an easy and logical answer where you will have all the facts is hiding yourself from the truth.

Learning 3: Order your hiking shoes a half-size larger than your normal shoes. You can thank me later.

Learning 4: Obsession is greatness

I was incredibly fortunate to see Novak Djokovic play on Wimbledon’s center court in his third round match again Stanislas Wawrinka. As a lifelong tennis fan and player, this was a pretty special experience. So special in fact, that I was willing to queue (wait in line) for a total of eight hours in the harsh London summer sun just for a chance to see Novak play. If you asked me why I was willing to wait for so long, the simple answer would’ve been: “because he embodies greatness”.

Although Novak ended up losing in the final of Wimbledon this year, some would argue that he’s the greatest tennis player of all time. A slightly less polarizing argument would be that he is absolutely obsessed with the game of tennis. So much of Novak’s life revolves around the game: who he’s with, where he’s living, what he’s eating, and how he’s spending his time.

Why is someone like Novak willing to make so many sacrifices for tennis? Doesn’t he already have enough? Why doesn’t he just retire? Like many athletes who dream of being the best ever, I don’t think Novak has the ability to quit. His obsession preceded his greatness, and he can’t just walk away from the game, that’s not how an obsession works.

When watching Novak play, I was amazed by just how much better he could be than another incredibly elite tennis player like Wawrinka. Obsession is the price he’s paid for that greatness. When Novak steps on most tennis courts, he knows that he wants it more than the other guy, and that’s why he wins the vast majority of the time. During this Wimbledon match it became clear to me that obsession is greatness. Now the only question is… are you willing to pay the price of obsession in return for greatness?

Learning 5: Question honestly, listen intently

We were observing the interior of the New Mosque in Istanbul, Türkiye when two young women approached us. With lanyards around their necks, they quickly introduced themselves as mosque volunteers. They sat with us on the carpet behind the praying section of the mosque and encouraged us to ask them questions about the Islamic faith.

At first, I was a little nervous to ask them questions. What if I came off as ignorant and offended them? But they continued to motivate us to ask questions and I realized that this was nothing to be nervous about, but rather a pretty unique learning opportunity.

When asking my initial questions to the volunteers, I felt like I was putting myself in a word prison where only obviously non-offensive and basic questions were set free. I quickly realized that it was much better to ask honest questions that I was legitimately curious about and then to actually listen intently.

So often in the past I’ve found myself asking questions just because they’re seemingly socially appropriate and because I think they’re what other people want to hear. They’re formality questions, and once I’m done asking them, I realize that I don’t actually care too much about the answer. And since I don’t care about the answer, I use the time when they’re talking to brainstorm what question to ask next rather than listen. When talking to the mosque volunteers, I realized that being willing to ask honest questions is crucial so that you can actually learn from others. Conversational education is so much more important than demonstrating that you can speak by constantly thinking about the next thing to say. As a cherry on top, when you actually care about someone’s answer to your question, you listen. And that listening serves as proof that you are respecting what that person has to say.

Learning 6: Learn rigorously

We had a lot of time to think on the West Highland Way. About fifty miles into the week-long hike, somewhere around Kingshouse, Scotland, I started thinking about some of the better fictional content I’ve consumed in my life. There was more than enough time to get lost in your thoughts on the hike, and my mind wandered to fantasy lands like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones among others. I found myself thinking some pretty simpleminded things like, “if I went to Hogwarts, or lived in Kings Landing, or was a part of some other fantasy world, I would train harder than everyone else and be the best witch, wizard, swordsmen, etc.”

To keep my slightly moronic thoughts at bay, I reminded myself that we don’t live in any of these worlds. But soon after doing so, I started to wonder what the equivalent to a great wizard would be in the world that we do live in. It started to become clear to me that in our contemporary world, the winners aren’t the best at magic, but rather they are the best with their minds. The winners are smart people, with exceptional mental and physical health.

If I was so willing to train harder than everyone else in some fantasy world, why wouldn’t I be willing to do the same in the real world? What would Harry Potter or Hermione Granger or Jon Snow or Arya Stark be up to in our world? Probably something pretty interesting. If winning today is based on intellect, the recipe is obvious: learn rigorously. If you can will yourself to learn and get smarter, the knowledge you gain could be just as powerful as the magic or swordplay is in a fictional world.

Learning 7: Meeting new people enhances life

Our hiking group in Iceland was twelve people strong, eight of whom I didn’t previously know. I was a little nervous to spend days of hiking, camping, and eating in the same proximity with those who I didn’t know very well. What if we didn’t end up getting along?

I quickly realized that I was wrong to worry, because I had forgotten an important truth: meeting new people enhances life. I had failed to remember the excitement and curiosity that surges in interactions with people you have yet to know well. I had spent so much time on the post-graduation trip traveling with those that I was already comfortable with, that I had become ignorant to the elevated energy that comes with expanding your people horizon.

And on top of all that, our hiking group turned out to be amazing company! This experience reminded me to never discount the urge to converse with people I don’t know. I’ve found that there is really nothing to lose in the face of meeting new people, and oftentimes it can even lead to some serendipitously positive results.

This post-graduation trip would not have been possible if not for the support and flexibility of the stellar people in my life. I hope you all enjoyed reading, and I would love to hear your feedback as I continue to experiment with my writing and newsletter. Until next time!