The Mistake Of Living For Success

A thought has crossed my mind. Something I've thought about many times before so I figured maybe it's worth writing about.

I've been thinking about what to do next in my life, and somehow felt completely lost. I've considered going back to school, becoming a traveling nomad, starting my own business, putting all my efforts on music or just simply moving into the middle of a forest and saying goodbye to this messed up society. I'm a tired soul that's just sick of everyone talking about success, goals and 6-figure incomes. It's just not me.

There are so many options in our world these days, and while it's also a blessing, it also feels like a never ending struggle. I am very much about becoming my truest and most authentic self, but I also feel that when you are constantly trying to find your purpose, your passion, your "best self", and leave a long lasting, unique and beautiful mark on this world, you often forget the most important thing, which is just to simply: live.

And by this I don't mean the "live everyday like it's your last" kind of living. Not that that is a bad way to live at all but I mean learning to enjoy the simple and sometimes very mundane everyday life. There is only so much beauty in paying bills and going to work but hey, life is not perfect.
And maybe it is just a way to make a living while you work on your passion. Or maybe you actually have a pretty cool job that you can feel happy and grateful for. I don't know.

As with many other things, we like to take things just a bit too far, and that has happened in this case also. We are so concerned about not wanting to live like our grandparents or maybe even our parents, who just went through life without ever really having the freedom to stop and question if it was what they actually wanted. We, millenials, love our freedom and we are made to believe that anything is possible in this world and that everyone can and SHOULD live their dream. And before this you have to find your dream. And it should be amazing, unique, and preferably change and/or save the world.
You should be able to travel the world constantly, work from anywhere you want, make a great income AND an impact, and do something you feel immensely passionate about. Just like the people in YouTube are doing, right? With their vlogs and 15 million instagram followers.

I can only imagine how messed up the next generation is going to be if we keep going on the same track. I think we need to remind ourselves and our children to take a big chill pill.

We are meant to enjoy this life and take it as it is. Often challenging, frustrating, tough and unfair, but also incredibly beautiful with all its imperfections. We should definitely follow our passions and loves, or maybe just likes if passion is too strong of a word. But don't make the mistake of accidentally killing your passion or like by convincing yourself that it has to become your life and your income. If it does, all the better, but don't take the life and the joy out of it by feeling you are any  less of a person if it doesn't happen.

I often think of what it truly means to be successful. The word comes from a latin word "succedere" and means "come near" or "come close after." And I guess the most authentic definition of it in our world is "getting closer or reaching a goal that one has set for themselves." Then again if there is a person who's only goal is to be happy and he/she is in fact happy but doesn't really live any kind of significant life according to our twisted western world standards, that person is not usually considered a successful person. In everyday use success is usually linked with money, wealth, authority, fame etc. Deep down we might acknowledge that this is not the only definition but it is still planted very deep inside our minds from an early age, and because of that can be hard to ignore.

I honestly wish we would all stop striving for perfection, and trying to make this life a race that nobody will ever get out of alive. And please don't get me wrong, I am always rooting for people working on their dreams and believing in them 100%, even during the times when they seem impossible. And once I find a dream again I will be one of those people. But don't miss life because of all the struggle. Life itself should be the dream. Get outside, take a deep breath, meet friends, work hard and be creative. And when you're stressed just laugh it off. Out loud. Because it really isn't all that serious. Just be a nice person. And a conscious person. Be a person with values and a kind heart. That's enough for me. And that's what I would teach my future kids.

My sister gave me some very wise words yesterday when I was having one of my cynical meltdowns about life and was wondering if anything really matters at all. She said: "Life itself is valuable, and getting closer to your deepest authentic essence is something with meaning and something to reach out for."

So maybe it is just simply that. Maybe we really don't need that much of everything all the time.
Maybe we already have our dream and our goal right in front of us.
And it has nothing to do with a 6-figure income.

Because discovering yourself doesn't cost a dime.