I feel like I've sat down and written or attempted to write this post in some form at least a dozen times. Can we get real about life for a minute? I think my generation and those older than me were raised with this preconceived idea of what success is. Its some combination of the "dream job", the mortgage,  the family, the picket fence and new car every few years. All of those things are all based on material things that we can for the most part live without or with a downsized version of. We've been told that working hard will buy you all the things you need in life to be happy. I've been in a constant battle with myself to find happiness the past few years with very little success.


I've realized that a person like me and many of you, will never be satisfied in a life where I spend roughly 1900 hours a year working for someone else just to pay for bills and things that I really don't need. I will be 26 in a couple of weeks and if I retire when I am 60, that is 68,000 hours of my life that I will not be living my life. Do I like my job? Sure. It's not hard, my coworkers are great, and it's incredibly laid back. I'm not making tons of money, but I'm the most "comfortable" I've ever been financially in my life. Does that mean I'm fulfilled? No!

For some of us with the entrepreneur or the wanderlust bug, we will never be satisfied with comfort, no matter how great or convenient it is. We need to travel. We need to be experiencing life. Does that mean that we don't have our shit together? (pardon my french) No! It means we seek more. There is not a day that goes by that I don't sit at my desk at work and yearn for an adventure whether its in business or my personal life.

I've been so inspired by my friend Tamra's story of buying and converting a school bus into a home. They're selling their beautiful home and opting for a life more simple and full of meaning and it gets me so excited and high on life. I've also been reading the heck out of this book The $100 Start Up by Chris Guillebeau. His blog is also full of all kinds of inspiring stories and information on "The Art of Non-Conformity".  One of the most important things I realized in reading his book is that earning a living should be just that. Earn what it takes to allow you to live and in a way that creates the life you want. Guys life is too short to waste absurd amounts of time consuming things.

I want to start my own quest for simple happiness. Happiness for me is not getting up at 6 every morning to go to a job where I'm not satisfied spiritually. Happiness is snuggling in bed an extra 30 minutes and not rushing to get out of it every morning. Happiness is helping people find their own happiness. Happiness is being surrounded by new and old friends. Happiness is creating pretty things and sharing them with the world. Happiness is not having debt weighing over me. If I can get by, I'm happy. I just don't want to waste my time doing something that does not fill my heart with joy. Now some may say, "suck it up, we've all had to pull our own." "Life aint easy" "Get married, have lots of babies"  blah blah blah.  But the truth is, life doesn't have to be lived that way, unless you want to of course. Everyone's version of happiness is different.

So I'm declaring a new beginning for myself.  I'm on a mission to turn my life into my own. A life that is safe, happy and nurturing for myself and my family. A simple life full of adventures and memories, not time cards. Who's with me?!

Happiness may be the stability of an income for you and that's totally great! I'm not hating on anyone who chooses that. We all have a choice though to create a life worth being proud of and that is different for everyone. Happiness may be backpacking through Europe earning money as an English tour guide like Emmadime. Happiness may be teaching surfing lessons in Hawaii until you are old. We are each entitled to our own happiness! What defines happiness to you?

On a side note the lyrics in the graphic I made above are from a song called "Pretty Pimpin" by Kurt Vile and I'm obsessed with his music. Give him a listen!