The Birth of Modern Anxiety

Lesson #7: Never take a journey solely for the purpose of making content.

When my wife and I first met, our shared love of travel brought us together. Our relationship was strengthened by a sense of adventure, the feeling of being transported to a different world, and the discovery of something new. Recently, I almost made the mistake of traveling somewhere, not for the sense of the unknown, but primarily in hopes of making content. When I was younger, I wanted to go to Egypt to see the pyramids. As a child, I remember learning about the seven wonders of the world and how the Great Pyramids of Giza were the only original "wonder" that remained in our modern world. This was my only travel dream. Then in the Fall of 2022, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel to and visit the Pyramids (which meant that my childhood travel dream was becoming a reality). Months before this became possible, I had decided that my Halloween costume that year would be related to a movie from 2002 called The Scorpion King. When I made the plan to gather the materials for the Scorpion King Cosplay, I had no idea that I'd be going to Egypt. Before our trip, I wore the Scorpion King outfit at a local Comic-Con, where it went very well. It seemed pretty logical to try to bring that outfit with me to make content in Egypt, which was the location of the actual Scorpion King character. I know this is a bit of an odd story, but I had a really strange experience where it became clear that I felt like I was taking things too far in my pursuit of content creation.

Before our flight took off, I saw a promotional clip from the Season 3 premiere of the show Young Rock, in which Dwayne Johnson said that his Wrestling Gimmick of Rocky Maivia taught him that the key to success was being his authentic self. That clip promoted a show which aired on November 4th, which was the exact same day that our flight to Egypt took off. When we arrived in Cairo, we scheduled a trip to the pyramids. Our tour van dropped us off by the pyramids, and because of security, we were not allowed to bring large bags with us. Even if I chose to wear the cosplay and bring a change of clothes, it was clear that I would not be able to visit the pyramids as take pictures as both the Scorpion King and myself. I decided not to wear the outfit and had no regrets as I saw the great pyramids while holding my wife's hand. I imagined the history as we walked the ancient pathways and rode camels down to the Sphinx. I felt like this moment of being my authentic self spoke to me personally because, after that visit to Egypt, I started writing this book.

As you pursue your dream, find the motivation and purpose behind why you are doing something. Make sure you are honest with yourself and ask if you are making choices because you can't imagine a world without that dream, or are you just seeking evidence of success. In The Dip, Seth Godin writes: "Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority of people who are able to push just a tiny bit longer than most." In the past, I did not believe that my expectations of success matched up with the reality I had created in my head. However, the unexpected result of my various experiences led me to have faith to try again. It's critical that you find your own pathway and don't bind yourself into copying the footsteps of others.

Following in the footsteps of others.
The Gates of Heaven, located in Bali became a very popular location on Instagram, where it appears as if there was a beautiful location with double "gates." However, it was discovered that it wasn't real. It turns out that it was started by a travel blogger who created an illusion by holding a mirror under the phone. Still, "people want the photo, whether it's real or not, and will stand in line for hours to get it." [35]