Some people believe our lives are centered around fate—that our entire lives are already planned out for us and that every event that occurs in life is a result of our destiny. Others believe our lives are ruled by our own decisions, thereby giving us control over the way our lives play out. And there are those that believe in a little bit of both: that you have to put in the work in order to reach your ultimate destiny.

While all of these explanations for the forces that control our lives are valid, our lives, unfortunately, are ruled by little, green pieces of paper: money. Fragile, paper-thin dollars are the force that seems to have taken control over our lives, with each aspect of life revolving around money.

Money, at first glance, seems to cause so much pleasure, but when we take a further look, we discover quite the opposite: that money actually causes so much heartache.

From the moment you start going to school, you are taught to save your money because it will help you one day—it will make you happy. So throughout your life, that is your goal. You’re told to work hard through middle school and high school to get good grades so you can go to the best college (which, mind you, costs a lot of money).

You spend four long and arduous years in college working your ass off to get the best possible GPA. Once you have your degree, you can then start your life as an independent person with no need of help. Except, you thought wrong…

You spent all that time in college taking out loans which need to be paid off by those little green bits of paper, and this is where the fun begins: working eight hours a day, five days a week in your chosen field to earn just enough money to live on while paying all your bills and loans off.

It becomes a nasty cycle of building grand dreams for the future, falling from fantasy land into the real world after realizing there’s simply not enough money to fuel your dreams while life is taunting you with your crushing debt and hefty bills, and ultimately pushing your dreams aside for your electric bill. Goodbye, independence, and hello, debt.

But if there’s anything I’ve learned in the last twenty years of my life, it’s that when there’s a will, there truly is a way. Regardless of the fact that we live our lives based on our paychecks, on tiny, seemingly insignificant pieces of paper, there is always a way to make your dreams a reality.

I truly believe if you work hard enough, if you put away a little bit of that money into your savings every time you receive a paycheck, you will one day be able to cross off something extravagant on your bucket list. It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you achieve that goal. Not only will you be ecstatic that you are able to fulfill a lifelong dream of yours, but you will be proud of yourself for never giving up on what gives your life meaning for meager reasons such as money.

Therefore, what is happiness?

When you make all that important money and you pay off all your debts and you have a nice, big house and a brand new car?

Is that when your life is completed?

Is that what the American dream is all about?

I personally don’t care how big my house is or whether my car is brand new or not; I just care about whether or not I am fulfilling my dreams and achieving the goals I have always dreamt of achieving.

And once you adopt the mindset that money is not the beginning nor the end of your life, a sense of freedom envelops you and you are once again lifted from the harsh truth of reality to the curiosities of your dreams.

I will just leave you with a quote I have heard along my travels thus far: “Don’t live to work. Instead, work to live.”