A great man once told me that life is all backwards "we should be rich when we're young and we can explore the world and it's possibilities and poorer when we're old and we're content to sit back and admire life and our creations reminiscing on our younger crazier days".
Wouldn't it be nice?
It really makes you stop and think about the pursuit for happiness and creating a better future for ourselves through hard work, determination and finding means and ways to create a comfortable life that we re proud of.
How many times have you caught yourself and others saying we'll be happier when....
Or things will get easier when....
Can you count how many times you've said no to things you've really wanted to do and buy because you're saving for that dream house or car or building a nest egg just incase anything goes wrong?
When was the last time you took holidays?
When was the last time you did something spontaneous and on the spur of the moment?
Have you ever splurged a whole paycheck just because you can?
Too many times we live for the future and we forget to enjoy the here and now.
We're so focused on creating a life that we think will make us happier in the future forgetting about the things we love investing our time and money on in the now.
Generation Y's appear to be much better at grabbing life by the balls and giving it a good shake up. If they aren't happy in a job they will quit. If they are exposed to discrimination, poor conditions and pay they'll speak up. They aren't afraid of dropping everything secure in search for an adventure. Many will delay marriage and starting a family to achieve their personal individual goals and dreams first. They'll splurge whole paychecks on a weekend bender of food, fun and experiences. They'll take all of their paid holidays and happily take unpaid too. When long weekends come around they'll go adventuring. They won't easily settle for anything less then what they deserve.
They live in the Now.
Is this attitude and lifestyle such a bad thing? Older generations may view them as being careless, irresponsible, unable to commit to anything, reckless and untrustworthy with a poor work ethic. Maybe on the outset their lives do appear this way but i think they'd disagree saying that they know what they want and they are willing to break the moulds and patterns of the generations before them who married, had children, worked their guts out, retired nearly broken down from tiredness and then started enjoying life and reaping the rewards of their hard work at 60.
Generation Y's aren't prepared to wait until retirement to start splurging money and experiencing life.
Yes, as a result, many wouldn't have a great deal of savings for a rainy day, nor are many ready to settle down before 30, but what they are doing is enjoying life and the opportunities presented before them right from the get go.
The work ethic is still there. The determination to have a family and home full of love and laughter is still there. The appreciation for life, health happiness and opportunities created through hard work is still there but something new has happened; people live more and more in the present.
It's a beautiful thing.
You never know what's around the corner. You never know if you'll be any happier in the future. You never know when your time might be up.
Enjoy the present.
Live like you're rich when you're young and don't be afraid to grab those opportunities that arise; you're older self will thank you of you do it within your means.
Who knows what the future will look like for these gen Y's. Who knows if they'll have a retirement when the age will be 70 but we do know that they'll have plenty of memories and experiences to look back on.
What do you think?
Look after yourself and those around you,
Kirsty xxx
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