What did you learn on those trips? Do you think you have more to learn?įor me, the more I have traveled, the more I learn, and the more I realize how big the world really is. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to make a change.Ģ) Think back to the times you have left your home country. Ask yourself, what am I working for? Am I working to make a living or to make a life? If your work supports your goals, that’s great. Your work should not exist merely to provide income for the rest of your life. Instead, go and figure out where you want to travel and do something about it.ġ) Am I satisfied with my work? Does it meet my needs and fulfill my desires? If you have other ideas or ambitions, though, don’t kill yourself as a slave for the future. If you want to play golf all day and take your medication at regular intervals, the 40-year career track plan should work well for you. How many people do you know that actually do the things they say they are going to when they reach arbitrary ages of leaving the jobs they have given their lives to? Far more common is the downsizing of dreams along the way. What is dangerous, however, is when delayed gratification becomes an excuse for not living the life you want. I have an IRA, I look both ways when I cross the street, and it’s reasonable to give up something now in expectation of greater future benefit. I see nothing wrong with the general concept of delayed gratification.
It’s just something that needs to be overcome. This is another way of saying, “I’m afraid of change and different experiences.” Before you write it off, understand that most of us feel this way at one time or another. Intelligent people usually recognize this fear to be somewhat irrational, so as long as you don’t let it keep you home, it’s not worth fighting. The list of amazing places is incredibly long, so get started. Sure, you probably shouldn’t plan a trip to Baghdad or Mogadishu right now, but the list of inhospitable places is really short. The more you travel, the more you realize you are at least as safe in many places around the world as you are at home. “If I leave home, something terrible will go wrong.” Aside from the fact that bad things can happen in your own country just as easily as anywhere else, there are very few places in the world that are outright hostile to visitors. Most people don’t come out and say it that way, but that’s what they mean. I was too shocked to say much of anything in response to that statement. Well, just the two cars… and the student loan… and the credit card… and of course, the mortgage doesn’t count.” She nodded and said, “Yeah, we don’t have any debt either right now. I must have surprised the person making the comment, because I agreed and said that I also believe in living a completely debt-free lifestyle. One time someone told me that she couldn’t give to a charity event because she did not believe in going into debt, and that her husband believed that a pledge to give money was effectively a debt. I’ve chosen to focus my own spending priorities on meaningful experiences.
Many people, young and old, have no problem happily spending their money and even going into debt for luxuries each week. We choose what we value, either consciously or unconsciously. If that sounds a little soapbox to you, read this New York Times article. There really could be a good reason why someone doesn’t travel much, but the responses I hear back is usually variations of these answers:įair enough if it’s true, but for many people who say this, it would be better to say, “I’ve chosen to spend money on a lot of other things, so now I don’t have money to travel.” America is a country of great wealth, and many of us living here throw things away every week that would be prized possessions to lots of other people. I’m not being judgmental I’m just trying to figure out what people’s motivations and priorities are.
My reply is always the same: “What’s keeping you from it?” I talk with people who hear about where I’m going, and they always say the same thing: “That sounds amazing! I wish I could do that.” It happens to me every time I travel overseas.
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