10 Life Lessons From 2 Years of Travelling.
This month has been one big life lesson, and as I mark two years of the plunge to quit my corporate job in August, I want to share 10 important lessons that the road has taught me:
1) We take life too seriously.
Most of us have been brought up and set in such moulds of what our life should look like by the time we’re thirty, that we forget it’s okay to mess up and live a little. Meeting people both in my own backyard and halfway across the world made me realize that you don’t always have to be running and aspiring for something more. That more than a steady job, a posh apartment, a promotion, a life partner, or even a to-do list, it’s more fulfilling to have a life that you’ve thoroughly enjoyed.
2) Money can buy happiness.
For all my talk about how money isn’t the end goal, this might sound contradictory. But it’s true. I remember the time I was in Mauritius last year, and could fork up enough money for an unplanned flight to Rodrigues Island. I remember the numerous times that a few extra pennies have bought me a unique experience, a little more comfort, or the chance to go somewhere off the beaten path.
3) But not if you don’t spend the money.
You know when people talk about investments and making your money work for you? I’ve learnt that it’s bull shit. If I hadn’t, for instance, emptied by bank account to spend a month in Turkey, I would never have known how humbling it was to watch the sun set on the Black Sea with my newfound Turkish friends, even without a common language. It’s good to have a fall back fund, but saving all your money for a rainy day is not going to buy you any happiness.
