Joy Is An Inside Job: My Year of Travel In One Lesson (June 23, 2026)
When I want to experience more joy and happiness in my life, I ask myself a simple question, “What generous act of love and kindness have I done for someone else today?”
Today is my last full day in Santiago, Chile and the very last day of my 52-week trip around the world!
As I ride the bus from Valparaíso, Chile back to Santiago where I will catch my flight home tomorrow, I’m reading a most profound book given to me by my newly acquainted brother, Daniel called Inner Treasures by Swami Chidvilasananda (better known as Gurumayi). A most profound read.
If I were to give this book a subtitle, it would be “A Treasure Map to Your Inner Bliss.” Between my most recent experiences in Uruguay and Chile and this book, I’m returning home shimmering with joy and happiness and feeling a level of emotions I never knew possible. My armor is off and I’m overflowing with peace, love, joy and happiness. In short, I’m BEING LOVE.
Just because I’m playing the guitar, doesn’t mean you want to hear it.
One of my favorite quotes from this book is, “Depression is the rent you pay for living in desire.” Boom. Mic Drop. Enough said. My cravings kill my joy. Paradoxically, the more I seek external validation and satisfaction, the more elusive joy is in my life. She goes on to say:
“…if you plant a desire and give it plenty of nourishment, don’t expect to harvest fulfillment. Depression is the fruit you’ll reap. And don’t feel sorry for yourself, either. You did it. That’s what you asked for. There is no one else to blame.”
I realize this may sound harsh without the full context of reading the pure loving kindness words of the author, Gurumayi. Nearly all of her words land as a kind and loving mother giving a warm and gentle embrace. This is the part of the book when she unwraps some precious wisdom gifts with words that cut right to the heart of the matter. This is the “sword of truth” that cuts out ignorance. Without it, the “yeah, buts” attempt to blur the meaning and create ambiguity where none exists.
So why do I focus here on my last day of my yearlong travel adventure?
Each act of kindness I’ve done for another human fills my heart with joy at the time I’m doing the act and then comes crashing back on me like a title wave of gratitude I never asked for. This whole year has been this way. And I’m a changed man today from where I began a year ago.
When I agreed to join Shirzad Chamine at Positive Intelligence in 2019, it was an act of love for my fellow coaches. “Being love” in that moment meant saying yes to a path different than the one I had mapped out and had created for myself.
For the next 6 years, I would send out ripples of love into the coaching industry with a deep intention to support the creation of their own financial freedom. That was my gift with zero expectation of a return. When I ended my time at Positive Intelligence in May 2025, I continued that gift with AskBill.us – my totally free artificial intelligence engine to continue this work in my absence as I travel the world.
The joy was in the heart-felt giving with no expectations of a “return” on that giving. I gave because I had something valuable I wished to give to coaches all over the world. That’s it. Each time I led a virtual meeting on zoom, responded to a request from a coach, answered a question, clarified a point, or even danced with Shirzad in any number of ways, the joy was in the giving. My heart was full and rich simply to be of service. My service leadership was its own reward. I felt fully fulfilled by my acts of service.
When I declared that I would be traveling the world and put up my virtual map of everywhere I would go week-by-week, the waves of joy began to increase as more and more coaches reached out to invite me to stay in their homes, meet their families and spend some quality time together. Once there, invariably, casual “how’s life” conversations would turn toward their coaching business and I would be given the opportunity to be of service in the moment.
These one-on-one and one-to-many conversations with hundreds of coaches across the world are what I treasure most.
In each conversation, I was given the opportunity to be of service and I loved it. I felt such joy and deep appreciation. The waves of joy became more and more clear throughout my journey. What started in a virtual way manifested in a physical way. Sometimes one-on-one, sometimes with a small group and other times in a large conference room with many people in the audience.
And it wasn’t always talking about building a coaching business.
Sometimes it was about repairing a relationship or addressing a marriage either pre-separation, during the time of a separation, or recovery post-divorce. Other times it was talking about parenting and the many challenges working with the Anxious Generation (a really great resource). And all of this included the ongoing work with my own family during our time together. “Hard conversations, easy life,” as T. Harv Eker would say. Those seemingly hard conversations were rich and fulfilling.
Deep Work of a Daily Practice
The deep work comes from my daily practices. Joy is an inside job. That means making the time to look deep inside myself every day. Recently, InsightTimer acknowledged my 650th day meditating for at least 30 minutes (and sometimes several hours) a day. I take this time for myself as my daily practice to continue my commitment to my joy. As Gurumayi says in her book, Inner Treasures:
There is perfect joy within the heart,
a love like nectar –
Go there and find it.
“Turn within … That’s where you’ve got everything. Look inside.”
Perfect Joy
She goes on to say: “Perfect joy. Joy without dependency. Joy that is whole. Joy that is everlasting. Joy that never decays. Joy that is free from likes and dislikes. Joy that places itself in the service of God, that never leaves His presence for a second. Joy that is contagious, that is giving. Such perfect joy really does exist in everyone’s heart.”
And so, I repeat the words, “I am perfect, I am pure, I am bless, I am love.” Why? Because perfect joy arises from perfect joy. In other words, “BE LOVE.” Being love begins from within. Loving myself enables me to share my love with the rest of the world.
Three Perfect Examples of Joy Made Perfect
Example #1: I will share the following the perfectly illustrate what is meant. As I’m standing outside of my hotel already checked out, my dear friend Keely Cormier called me out of the blue. I haven’t talked to her in far too long. How perfect! I was thrilled to hear her voice and receive her call. After a brief catch up, she got right to the point as she knew my time was short as I was about to be picked up and driven to the bus station by my new friend, Loreto from Valparaíso, Chile. She made a request. What the request was is not important. In this moment, I was being called into service. This is what I love. The opportunity to support the people I love is the greatest gift. She admitted she knew I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes.
I spent several years of my life being supported by Keely. I love her. She’s an incredible human being. I can and will do anything for her. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? If I could have anticipated her request, I would have done it without her asking. Thankfully, she knew I could be counted on and didn’t hesitate to ask. I am the better for it. THIS. This is perfect joy. To be invited into the service of another person.
Example #2: Then, when I arrived at my airport hotel, I received a few texts from my cousin, Elaine Carmody. She knows the rules. If it’s more than a 3-text exchange, it means a phone call is needed ;-) So I called her to see how I could help. What began as a simple request beautifully mushroomed into a a heart-warming call that included everything from the “woo-woo” of spirits sending chills with messages from beyond the grave to brainstorming how to break through a job opportunity she’s interested in to celebrating my last day of my 52-week journey around the world. The call was less than an hour, and yet our hearts were full as we said goodbye. Being there for a family member is yet another generous act of love and kindness.
Example #3: It’s impossible to perfectly anticipate how much money (cash) you’ll need especially when only being in country for a few days. I had more than I needed, so when I saw a woman digging through the trash for scraps I tapped her on the shoulder and gave her what I had. She was surprised and delighted. She thanked me profusely. But here’s what she didn’t know, I left that exchange will less money, but significantly more joy in my heart. Which is more valuable? Money comes and money goes. I’ve learned how to encourage this flow of money to my benefit. What I’m now doing is learning to tap into my own inner joy and take the actions that place me in a high vibration of loving kindness, answering the call wherever I am aware of it.
Are these examples hubris? I don’t think so. I share them not to convince you that I’m a good person (like my ego might want to do), but rather as bread crumbs to follow in your own life. I am the most joyful I’ve felt in as long as I can remember. The point of this post is to share what I’ve learned in my year abroad in the hopes that you too have or will establish a daily practice of loving kindness, put down your armor, and experience entirely new levels of joy, love and kindness. As the title of this blog post says, “Joy is an inside job.” Now you know the work to have as much joy as you desire for all the days of your life.
As Stephen Covey famously said, “To know and not to do it not to know.” Before this trip around the world, I might have said, “I know joy is an inside job,” but I’d be lying to you. Because I didn’t live this principle every day for a year. Now I have. Now I truly know. My wish for you is to live this way so that you, too, truly know love, joy and peace. Amen!
