What is the most popular saying among a lot of parents? Come on, say it with me, "DON'T BE LIKE ME, BE BETTER THAN ME". I heard this so much from my mother growing up. At first, I thought it was just a little joke she wanted to say. I mean, why wouldn't she want me to be like her? Wouldn't that be an insult to herself? The older I got, the more I realized why she said that. And to be completely honest, I actually do not want to be like her.
First of all, she never really caters to herself. She works all day, recently added school to the list, but never does anything for herself. Her life is centered around constantly giving, giving, and more giving. That's nice, but if you are not careful, you could burn yourself out. Being generous is nice and rare, but I don't want to end up giving to those who never lift a finger for me.
I have a BUNCH of traveling to do in my lifetime and I cannot wait. My mom, on the other hand, hasn't done much traveling at all... and she's in her 40's. I will be embarking on my first plane trip in a few months; she has never been on a plane. I crave after the idea of experiencing new things and meeting new people. She, however, is content with remaining in her small bubble.
Additionally, one thing A LOT of us struggle with is money; she is no stranger to this. Even I have had countless moments of penny-pinching and desperately waiting for more money to be deposited into my bank account. However, I strongly despise the idea of having to experience this throughout my entire life. I want to live comfortably. Well... don't we all?
She has always spoken about owning her own businesses but never explored it deeper. I actually plan to see that vision through to the end. She has dreamed of having multiple incomes, I don't want that to be a dream in my world, I want it to be REALITY. I want to DO things that she WISHED to do, and never got a chance to.
I'm tired of people being stuck and not pursuing exactly what they want. It won't be me.