Backpacking in Southeast Asia quite literarily was a life-changing trip for me. This trip was meaningful not just because of all the things I saw, the food I ate, and the bucket list items I checked off, but rather the lessons I learned during the experience. In fact, after leaving the region, I felt like I had found the secret sauce to a meaningful, purposeful, and happier life. Here are three important lessons I learned and how they created the formula for a better life.