Maybe This is Why Some People Settle for “Less”

It is human to want the “good” things, the big things, the things that will make us live above average lives. But, this is not the case for everyone, because we all have different views on life based on the way we acclimated with society.

…

For many of us, we will only live our best lives if we have a million dollars in the bank and a 6000 square foot house by the ocean. While for others they envision their best lives having a farm in the country, feeding Pigs everyday and taking kayaking trips on the small town river.

Does that make them weird?

We are all from different places, different countries, different upbringings. The way I was raised helped tailor my life’s ambitions and goals.

I grew up in a very small, rural farming town in central Jamaica. The biggest events that happened there was the occasional community gossip and when the government commissioned a wind farm basically in my backyard.

I dreaded growing up there. It was small, claustrophobic in a sense and beyond lacked the opportunities I would need to become the person I dreamt of. I needed big, I needed a New York, a London, a Shanghai.

That town just would not have cut it.

My ambitions were bigger than anything else, and for me being successful and living comfortably was having the chance to make an impact around the world while traveling it, having a nice house/s, and having money to do whatever I want.

Fundamentally, me being born in a small town, in a small country, ignited the need to want more, to dream far bigger and think beyond the shores of Jamaica.

However, for some people, their humble upbringing makes them crave the status quo even more, and they get frightened by the thought of even leaving their childhood lives behind.

Hence, they envision success within the confines of what they know. They grew up on a 50 acre farm, so they dream of having a 200 acre farm when they grow up. They had only Cows and Chickens on the farm as a child, so they envision themselves having a 200 acre farm with a zoo of sorts.

Does this mean they are settling for less, selling themselves short?

I do not think so. You see, everyone will not be a millionaire, everyone will not live in a city, everyone will not drive a Tesla.

We all have different aspirations, and because mine is far different from yours, does not make it weird or unfulfilling. Society has led us to believe that living in a concrete jungle and stressing yourself towards a bigger paycheck is the ultimate dream.

But, it is not!

Studies have shown that people who live outside of cities live much happier lives. People who are intertwined with nature and its beauty are much more at peace. I was once shallow minded, in the sense that I envisioned success the way society designed it, but I have since realized that success is what you make it.

Happiness is what you create, what you want, what makes you comfortable.

There is no “success” that is better than another. Just because you have won a million awards and live in a mansion overlooking the Pacific in Malibu does not make what you have achieved any better than someone who’s Pig won “Best Sow” at the farmer’s market in Utah.

Our ultimate happiness is closely related to how much of our dreams and aspirations we accomplish. The closer we get to achieving them, the more rewarded we become, and those dreams will always differ from individual to individual.

For most of us, we work hard to achieve our dreams. We materialize them through hard work, sweat, tears and lots of sacrifice, and whether that dream is to live a comfortable life in Montana or on the Riviera in France, all dreams are equal.

What are your thoughts?

---

One Love,

Dave Anthony

Posted in Opinion and Tagged blogging encouragement happiness inspiration life lifestyle minimalism motivation psychology Self Improvement success travel writing