How to be happy

I have no idea what makes you happy, but this makes me very, very happy.

I want to be in a happy zone, and when you’re young, you tend to believe that this happy zone is on a yacht tossing dollar bills in the air.

With barely an alternative in place (merely a plan and very big dreams), my husband and I made some major changes to our lives.

We are taking major risks, that could easily blow up in our faces. But we’re in a “short hair don’t care” kind of mindset the past few months.

Research shows that when you’re young your main focus when making decisions is based on money. How much does the job pay, how much does the car cost, what brand are you wearing, what phone do you have. It’s about image and income.

You say ‘whatever’ to everything, but you don’t live up to it at all. You care about EVERYTHING.

And then you enter a real whatever stage, where none of it matters and you just want to be happy. This happy can refer to anything, for some, it’s painting on the streets of Paris, for others it’s merely the realization that a 13 hour work day isn’t worth the six figure salary, and this is exactly what my husband and I realized.

We want time on our hands, we want freedom, we want possibility and opportunity, we want adventure and a legacy. And we made the necessary changes to have these things to our disposal.

Growing up my mom always said: “If you want a change, make a change.”

And we’re making some major, scary changes. We’ve never been more scared and excited at the same time.

Step into this experience with butterflies in your bones; with a nervous feeling so beautiful, you know you’re doing something right.

So here we are. Quitting a job and selling our car. Simplifying our lives to make it possible for us to chase our dreams. We don’t have any dependents, we have big dreams, and we have almost no debt. If there’s ever a time in your life you’re going to take risk, it should be now.

You can’t quit your job when you have children and a mortgage. Well, you CAN, but you probably shouldn’t.

Nonetheless. We are taking this risk, and for now, we’re loving it.

Whatever the outcome, we’re happy, and we are willing to sacrifice everything we have to chase this feeling we have right now.

Reality check: I still have my job, and I love what I do , making these risks “less risky”, and more realistic. So please make sure that you have the necessary contingency plans in place when doing these things.

I’m saying “live a little”, not to be reckless.

I am unable to say whether we are on a successful road, but this wanderlust is exciting, and amazing, and I recommend to everyone to do some self assessment and admit to yourself what you really want.

I’ll be writing on the progress of this adventure soon.

Until then, live a happy life, be happy, and choose your dreams everyday over the obligation of life.

Sincerely

The excited and scared

Writer’s note: This article was not to advise, but more a diary entry to reflect on what the hell we’re doing.