The Right Way To Live

By Jessie Martin

I've noticed with the rise of social media and technology in general, that everyone seems to be either posting a countdown of how long they have to wait until their next trip or holiday OR post-trip depression and withdrawal photos saying things like "wish I was back here" and "Throw back Thursday" OR photos of them having the time of their lives ON the trip "from where you'd rather be".

It's all focused around the fact that our lives almost revolve around getaways because our daily routine lives are so draining that we would just much rather be anywhere else- and sure, everyone loves a good holiday and a nice getaway, but you can't do it all the time because you would run out of money and you have to get back to reality, right?

But... is that right...? Why can't we live like we're on holiday all the time? I would love to know what we would look forward to and how different some of us would be if we were constantly in holiday mode, and didn't have this dream trip to look forward to- if it was just a constant reality.

Shouldn't life be like that...? Shouldn't we be able to live wherever we want to live? And do whatever we want to do? Sure we need money to live luxuriously, and if we're being realistic then yes, we all have to work to get what we want, but why can't we have the best of both worlds?

Our lives have become so centred around our jobs and our careers that simple things like love, and friendships, and nature, and the world, and even the planet, are so much less important to us. 

We would rather spend money on fake tans, and teeth whitening, and expensive clothes and shoes and bags to try and impress people and look good, but for what? What are you actually gaining from spending money on that skirt that you will probably never wear, and those earrings that will probably just sit on your shelf? A very brief feeling of what you assume will be happiness, but will actually just be an illusion, and by the end of the week all you will have is the same empty feeling and a rapidly decreasing bank account to match.

Life just seems to have become such a vicious & endless cycle- you study, study, study at school, and work hard at your exams, just to go on and study more and do more exams at university, so you can get a "good" job and work even more, so that eventually when you turn 70 you can sit in a rocking chair and look out the window at some pretty trees swaying in the wind, trying to remember what it felt like to climb them... 

It is so ingrained into us that we need to create these foundations for our future when we are young and start this career and path for ourselves that can help us earn lots of money, but we have so long to figure all of that out, whats the rush? Why do we need to worry about the money we're going to want to spend in the future? People can be just as happy without a big fancy house and an equally large mortgage. People can be happy debtlessly frolicking through life, from place to place.

We don't live in the present enough, we spend so much time either stressing about the future, and what might or might not happen, or we're reminiscing on the past and "the good old days" when we had "more time" and less responsibilities. 

Whenever someone is going on a trip or holiday people are always "so jealous" and call you "lucky" but there is absolutely no reason why they can't do it too.

You may have won a trip or gotten one as a gift, in which case you are lucky! 

But usually, it's a trip that you've worked your ass off to save for so that you could have an escape and a break from your daily life, and there is nothing "lucky" about that, and they are jealous; they are jealous of the fact that you have the guts to leave it all behind for a while and spend your hard earned cash on a well deserved trip to somewhere they would kill to be.

But it really comes down to what you want out of life and what you think will make you happy. 

If you love your job, your friends, your family and your life just the way it is and the way it's going, then continue on, congrats! But if you don't, don't feel like you're trapped in some endless cycle of expectations that society has created for you to fulfil, because you definitely aren't.

If you hate your job as it is, then why not pick up something simple like bartending or barista-ing and be able to travel with it and just work in place to place as you go? 

Everyone feels like they are trapped and they have to decide what career they want to work towards, or that they have kids to look after and bills to pay- but seriously, you only live once... and I know that sounds cliche' and simple... but not enough people seem to realise it and make the most of it!

There is ALWAYS going to be plenty of time to go to university, get that degree that you think you might like but is really just your parent's idea of financial stability. 

There is always going to be time to work in a job that you hate, to get a mortgage, get married, have kids, get loans, pay bills, settle down, etc. 

But I don't understand why young people are expected to worry so much about creating their futures so early on... why aren't we encouraged to make the most of our youth and live like there's no tomorrow and seize the fucking day! CARPE FUCKING DIEM!

It takes balls, it takes boldness and it takes a shit tonne of bravery- but I IMPLORE you to drop all of it! All the materialist, consumerist and unfulfilling ways of life that you are so used to- your 9-5 desk job, your crappy on/off relationship, your superficial and expensive social life, your financially depleting cramped apartment, and even your family- who will definitely still be there when you get back- or even better- take them with you.. but if no one is willing to take the leap with you, then leap on your own... and GO! 

Stop waiting for "the right time", stop waiting for "the right person" and live your life like you have nothing to tie you down, no expectations, responsibilities and no one to look out for but yourself and those people who are truly worth it.

Take the world by storm, see everything you possibly can and just do what makes you happy- there's no time to waste on anything else.