This article inspired by Prince Ea’s viral video…
Simply put: The only things you’ll regret at the end of your life are the things you didn’t do, the places you didn’t go to, the people you didn’t meet, and the activities that you were “too busy” with work to do.
Americans believe in hard work, which is great. Sometimes, we prioritize work a little too much, though. Work, important as it is, shouldn’t come before the people you love and important life experiences. Friends are more important than money. And sometimes—you learn more from traveling outside of your comfort zone than at your job.
Aussies spend at least a year traveling during their “roundabout”—usually taken after high school and before college. Yes, they travel the world for at least a year. In America, there’s almost a stigma against taking a year off/ a “gap year” before college. The American ideal is to land a great job as soon as possible. The “successful” American mindset screams: why delay getting a job and working?
I’ll tell you why. If we spend our entire lives working a nine to five job with no vacation days-- we’re cheating ourselves. There’s an entire world out there for you to explore—yet you sit in the same spot all day, every day. I have nothing against desk jobs, or any job—to work is a privilege. We should all value good, hard work. Yet, if work is all we do, even as professionals in our fields, we may find ourselves being uneducated in the ways of other cultures, and other people. Even with our dream job, dream house, dream family-- We may find ourselves longing for more. And at the end of our days, if we are lucky enough to live long, we may find ourselves in the same position—regretting working so much, instead of living out our passions, following our dreams, and spending enough time with the people we truly love (even though there is never enough time).
Look at it this way-- not all of us will have the ability or time to finish our bucket lists—but we can start now, and see how much we cross off.
So put your work aside and go hang out with your grandmother. Go travel abroad. Work will be there when you get back (There is always some type of work). Get up, and get out. Of course there will be risks and repercussions to your decisions, but remember: You can’t take money with you when you die. So go make a memory you’ll remember forever. Go do the thing you’ve always wanted to do, because you will never know how much time you have left on this beautiful planet! Don’t wait!
As you read this, I am quite literally following my heart to Italy to see my boyfriend and meet his family. I have never traveled alone internationally before, and I have no idea what’s in store for us in this next month. Yet, I know that my heart longs to be there—So I packed up and went. And for now, I don’t think I could have made a better decision! Ci vediamo!
