Earth Day Isn’t About the Planet. It’s About You
Freedom was never somewhere else: the way you experience the world matters more than where you go
Earth Day is coming up, and every year it tends to bring the same conversation back into focus: Be more mindful, consume less, take better care of the planet. Instead, this year, I challenge you to do something good for yourself. Because if we take care of ourselves, maybe the planet would also be a little happier.
The more I travel, the more I notice that how I move through the world has very little to do with the destination and everything to do with how present I am while I’m there. No matter which exotic destination you pick next, it’s just another place to go. Nothing wrong with that, but if you’re not in it, then it doesn’t matter so much where on the planet you are. The same type of trip can feel different, depending on what’s going on in my head.
When the Same Trip Feels Completely Different
I’ve had trips that looked incredible on paper but felt strangely flat while I was there, and I’ve had simple, almost unplanned days that ended up being some of the most memorable experiences I’ve had.
The difference wasn’t the itinerary or the hotel. It was whether I was actually there or just running some kind of mental background process the whole time, and couldn’t fully disconnect. I was thinking about what’s next, comparing it to something else. Trying to “get the most out of it” instead of just letting it be what it is.
That’s something I’ve become a lot more aware of over time, especially after reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. One idea stuck with me in a way that feels very relevant to travel:
The ego doesn’t stay at home when you leave for a trip.
You may leave everything familiar behind, but you take yourself with you no matter where you go, quietly shaping how you experience everything.
The Subtle Ways We Miss the Moment
The problem with “mindfulness” is that it doesn’t work that way. The point this Earth Day is to empty the clutter, and focus on what matters. You could call it “mindlessness” instead. It’s a subtle shift from full, to less.
Instead, our minds are full and always engaged. It’s that low-level feeling that you should be doing something more, seeing something else, making better use of your time. You may notice it from the urge to capture something instead of experience it. Don’t look with your camera phone, look with your eyes, and experience where you are.
Look around and describe all the little details you notice, without mentally jumping ahead to the next thing on the itinerary.
The Difference Between Outer and Inner Purpose
None of this is a travel problem, but an awareness problem for a busy mind. It doesn’t get solved by booking a better trip, or building a better life. It may help to notice the distinction between your outer purpose and inner purpose.
Outer purpose is everything we usually focus on when we plan a trip. The destination, the logistics, the upgrades, the experiences. It’s the part I’ve spent years optimizing, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I still love finding a great hotel or figuring out how to make a trip smoother and more enjoyable.
Inner purpose is how present you are while all of that external “stuff” is happening around you. This is similar to what I wrote in The Freedom Project: Happiness. For a long time, travel felt like an escape. A way to step out of a life that didn’t fully feel like mine.
The problem with that approach is that you always have to come home to the life you left behind in the first place. When you do, everything you were trying to get away from is still there, waiting for you to bring yourself back to that context.
At some point, I realized that if I didn’t change how I experienced my everyday life, I would just keep chasing the next trip to feel okay again. That’s not freedom, but just a more expensive version of avoidance.
Acceptance, Enjoyment, or Let It Go
If you can’t enjoy what you’re doing, or at least accept it, stop doing it.
How many times have I stuck with something on a trip because it was “on the list,” even though it didn’t feel right? Or stayed in an environment that looked great online but didn’t match how I actually wanted to feel while I was there?
This is not just about travel. It shows up in everyday life too. I’ve written about toxic workplaces more than once. The difference is that travel tends to highlight it more because the contrast to everyday life is so obvious. You’re somewhere new, surrounded by all the ingredients for a great experience, and yet something still feels slightly off.
Some of my best travel days have come from letting go of the plan a little. Walking without a destination, sitting somewhere longer than expected, not trying to optimize every hour of the day.
What This Has to Do with Earth Day
So where does Earth Day fit into all of this? For me, it comes down to awareness.
When you’re present, you naturally consume differently. You’re not constantly looking for the next thing to fill a gap. You don’t need as much stimulation, and you’re less driven by that restless feeling that something better might be just around the corner. It’s about mindlessness, and starting to appreciate what’s already there.
Mindlessness changes how you travel, how you spend, and how you move through the world in general. It’s a quieter shift, but it’s a meaningful one. Not because you’re forcing yourself to do better, but because you’re actually experiencing what’s in front of you.
The moment you’re in is already complete in a way we tend to overlook. Whether you’re halfway across the world or at home, there’s a version of that moment that doesn’t need to be improved or optimized. That’s where travel stops being an escape and starts becoming something that actually adds to your life in a sustainable way.
Get Into Action
If you’re starting to see travel differently and you want to go deeper into that idea of building a life you don’t feel the need to escape from, that’s exactly what I focus on in my Break Free Experience course. It’s about designing a lifestyle where travel fits naturally instead of feeling like a temporary reset. You can check it out here when you’re ready:
