It’s Okay To Be Happy With A Simple Life
Every one of us is looking for that next thing. Maybe it’s a relationship, maybe it’s the next big step in our careers, or maybe it’s the next city we want to experience. An integral part of being in your twenties is the search for that thing which will establish us as individuals, and although the twenty centric millennial article has been done thousands of times from every possible direction, there’s one thing that ties them all together. That thing is the inherent ambition that resides in someone of our generation. If it’s not a complaint about the economics of the whole thing, it’s a critique on the changing landscape of the work that’s being done.
Millennials are reaching for something. Although everyone has their dreams of being successful an inherent facet of that idea is the excitement that comes with it. The constant changing social landscapes, the parties, the events, the recognition and certainly not least the incredible new opportunities that present themselves when and if success comes.
At what point does it become too much though. Some people just don’t want that excitement and while it’s good to have ambition, it can be stressful to constantly have to put yourself out there.
Some people will never stop wanting more, some people are comfortable with where they are, and some people want things to a point. I’m of the last camp. I want to be successful enough that I can live a life tucked up in the trees of the Colorado mountains where I don’t have to worry about being broke, but I also don’t have to worry about being recognized.
It’s a weird circumstance to not want to be recognized, but for the introverted slightly paranoid variety, like me, it sounds like a dream.
Like everything else in life I think it’s important to find a balance when it comes to ambition. After all does enormous success really sound all that pleasant? As they say, mo’ money, mo’ problems.
The point I’m trying to make is that it’s ok not to want the excitement of a busy life.
It’s ok to be content with the strides you’ve made or the strides you didn’t make and to accept your place in life as a point of comfort.
It’s important not to confuse this comfort as stagnation though. If you work as a garbage man but haven’t bothered to work for something more, it’s not stagnation if you’re providing for your family or yourself and putting food on the table the best way you know how. You are, in this, ensuring the future of your loved ones and that’s not a bad thing.
If, on the other hand, you work as a garbage man because it’s easy work and it pays for your drug habit, that’s stagnation. It all comes down to whether there’s a future in what you’re doing.
It’s ok to be a low rung as long as you’re working hard for a better future. If comfort is your goal, your ideal future, than there’s no reason not to be happy with your place in life.
Essentially what it all seems to come down to is the fact that it’s ok to be comfortable with a simple life, as long as that life, and the work you do has a future for you and your loved ones.
A simple life can be a beautiful thing. A quiet existence where your impact on the world is minimal aside from your family can be comforting. You know that nobody will scrutinize you, nobody will judge you unfairly, and nobody will tell you that what you’ve chosen to do with your life is worthless. You’ll be free to make the decisions you want to make without fear of judgment and you’ll be free to exist without the constraints of a rigid set of behaviors imposed upon you.
Essentially a simple life is great because it frees you up to make mistakes and everybody, no matter if they’re Miley Cyrus or a simple garbage man, makes mistakes. Nobody’s going to write headlines about you twerking if you’re a garbage man though.
There’s no shame in telling your friends that you’re a garbage man if that’s what feels most comfortable to you. The pride in it comes from the knowledge that you are doing the best you can for you and your family with whatever hand you’ve been dealt. You’re working hard and if you’re comfortable with you’re job your hard work will not go unnoticed.
Even if that’s not your calling, there will always be room for improvement.