Sharing/Reproducing the article found on the internet.
Welcome to the rat race
We go to high school, trying to get good grades so that we make our parents proud and are able to go to a good college and university. In university it gets even more serious, now we need to get good grades to get hired by a big company that has a good reputation and will, hopefully, pay a decent salary so that, within a few years, we are able to repay our student loans. When we land that job, we are trying hard to climb up that corporate ladder and do everything not to stand out, so that there is no danger of getting laid off. We work extra hours, come home late to our families, miss birthday parties, family dinners and that school play of our youngest daughter. And of course we don’t take our few days of holidays per year because we are scared our colleague could outwork us and get the outstanding promotion instead. Some brave people do take a short holiday but don’t dare to go far away from their phone because their boss might call any second. And how happy does it make your spouse when you are constantly checking e-mails while being on holidays?!
But life goes on and in the meantime we got some children, buy a house, the old car needs to be replaced, our kids need new clothes to ‘fit in’ and we have to save money for our children’s education. Now we have to even work harder. And then, there is retirement. And by retirement I mean the few years, after leaving the office at the age of 67(?!), where we can finally ‘enjoy’ the rest of our life in freedom and do the things we ever wanted. But more often than not the costs of a stressful and long working life are severe. Most people start experiencing different stages of sicknesses, unable to do the things they dreamed of when they were in university or just started their new job (“soon, when I make a lot of money, I have the time and the money to do the things I always wanted. Now is the time to work hard!”). Then our story ends and what did we accomplish? How many of our dreams, that weren’t even that hard to make come true, did we realize? What are we leaving behind? What will people remember about us?
What I want to say with this, black and melodramatic story, is that the life that society lays out for us, is, more often than not, not satisfying and will not get you where you want to go. The only time to do the things you ever wanted to do is ‘NOW’ (I know this sounds cheesy and you have heard this phrase so often, but it’s so damn true). How many people do you know who constantly say: “I wish I’d done this and that when I had the chance”. And believe me, almost everyone, when I still used to work at an office job and told people that I am quitting to travel the world, told me that they wished they had taken more ‘risks’ in life. Life is short and we only get this one time here, so you better start living the life that you always dreamed about and start doing the things you like, instead of doing the things that society expects from you. And yes, it might be tough to make a drastic change in your current life and it will be uncomfortable at some point but I guarantee that it will be worth it. Right now there are people living the live you always dreamed about – they are not smarter or better educate than you. They just took a chance and went that path less traveled.
