"A few weeks ago I was on an airplane, sitting next to a young woman, maybe 23 years old. Over the course of the flight, talking to her, I discovered that she does this flight a lot.

In the last 2 years, she's taken this same flight 150 times. She didn't like the flying, she did it for her job, and her job, she didn't seem to like that much either. But she got a degree so that she could get a good job, and it had worked, and now she's working at a company where there are opportunities for advancement but not unless you have more than 5 years of experience.

And as miserable as spending this much time in the middle seat in coach sounds to me, she was fine, she was happy. She was working her butt off doing a job that she didn't find that interesting, but she wanted a good life, and she was willing to wait for it." - Hank Green

I was taught at a very young age that patience is not only a virtue, but is essential for success. I was told that people need drive, ambition, and passion in order to meet their goals, but that amounts to nothing if I am not willing to wait for opportunities. As Hank Green describes in this Vlogbrothers video, this is the case for many millennials. We are told that we need to "pay our dues" in the work force in order to gain experience and to be taken seriously. This makes sense. I do not deny that patience leads to many good things, and things that would probably last longer because they have proven over time to be worth while. And with many millennials entering the work force with lots of student debt, a high paying job is very tempting (even if it is not what they intended to do with their lives).

However, I think this mentality leads many people to postpone their happiness. They will accept being miserable now as payment for potential happiness someday. Many people I know accept this as current happiness, because it's comforting to assume that they will be financially secure someday. However, I feel that if someone is willing to accept a job they don't like, they will be willing to postpone a lot of things.

I have discovered that I don't agree with this kind of thinking. I think this mentality assumes life is a list of attainable goals. If you get a good job, get married, have kids, or whatever, you will immediately have a good life. But I refuse to believe that life is a to do list. What exactly happens when you achieve these goals? What happens when you get the house and have kids? You have to continue to work to make sure the house stays clean, and make sure your kids have a good life. It will not be smooth sailing once these "big picture" life goals are achieved.

I think that if you make yourself miserable in the process of attaining these goals, you will have wasted a lot of time. Life is going to be hard, no one can avoid struggle completely. I understand being stuck in predicaments where you have to take the crappy job in order to survive. I understand that setting goals is a good way to build your life in positive direction. I encourage everyone to set high goals and to work hard to achieve them.

However, I do think we have a choice about how to think about our lives. We can think about it as "waiting for it" and postponing happiness so we will have everything someday... or enjoying all the good things we have today and continuing to grow and improve ourselves everyday. I think enjoying the little things in life is a wonderful and fulfilling thing to do. Taking your life a day at a time and not giving everything you are to attain your goals does not mean you are failing.

So I want to ask myself, and all the people who are in predicaments that they believe will bring them happiness someday - what exactly are you waiting for?