There is something that just boggles my mind, and it is this — so many people are completely and undeniably miserable.
I’ve always kind of known this, but it wasn’t until recently — after having watched Interstellar — that I just started looking at everything and everyone from a different perspective. What I see is so many damn people just going through the motions. Wake up, go to work, come home and hangout for 3 or 4 hours, go to bed wishing you had more time for the things you actually care about. Repeat.
As I have begun to analyze my own life, there is a quote by Jim Carrey that comes to mind, “so many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality.” This quote just hits me like a ton of bricks every single time. I find myself constantly daydreaming about the things I would love to do if I only had the money and perfect strategy. Then, my “rational mind” takes over and I think to myself that it is better to take the safer route, which is to get a degree, get a solid internship, and ultimately land a decent job with stability.
This mentality is just so sickening when you really think about it. You know it. I know it. We are constantly being told to be responsible and to settle for a decent job with benefits. That’s great and all — if you have a family. What about those of us who are young, single, and don’t want all the fucking baggage that “normally” comes with adult life?
I want you to think of your life through a different lens. Let’s say you’re working a corporate 9–5 job that pays you $75k/year. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume that you will be working this job from age 25 to age 65. Over the course of those 40 years you will have made approximately $3 million. Now don’t get me wrong, $3 million is a lot of money. However, you just traded the best 40 years of your life for $3 million. I say the best years because your 20’s and 30’s are typically when you’re in good health, have high energy, and the natural course of life hasn’t worn you down too much. Your best years are now behind you. You can’t ever get that time back. You’re not as young and energetic as you once were. You’re most likely having to take at least one or two medications due to natural causes.
At the end of your life, will that $3 million have mattered as much as you once thought? Will you have any regrets about how you spent your time? In your head, does a $3 million payout justify having given up the best years of your life? I don’t know about you, but for myself, no way in hell. I wouldn’t sell my soul for $50 million if given the chance.
My message isn’t to tear you down. My message is that you will take inventory of your life and what it is that truly sets your soul on fire. If you haven’t noticed yet, life will inevitably bring you suffering like you’ve never known. You may lose a loved one or your time on this earth may come to an end way before you even imagined. The suffering is guaranteed. So go out and find something that gives your life meaning. It will get you through the darkest of times. I promise you won’t find it working yourself into the ground for some Fortune 500 corporation. Or who knows — that might just be your cup of tea.
