Millennials Choose Meaning Over Money in Pursuit of Van Life
Live a life filled with meaning, not things.
When I tell people I want to live in a van, I am met with confused faces and endless questions.
“You want to live in a van?”
“Where are you going to shower?”
“Don’t you want to live comfortably in a house that you own?”
While I do want to live comfortably, I don’t want it to be at the expense of my well-being. When we start to confuse comfortability with happiness, that is the moment we stop moving forward. It may be easy to stay in our comfort zone than to take risks and go after the unknown. But growth comes from going after something even if it scares you.
Even though van life may look like a sea of unknowns, I am focused on what I will be gaining and not on what others think I’d be giving up. I won’t be able to take long, hot showers every day. However, the financial and physical freedom I will gain living in a van is worth the small sacrifices I may have to make.
Life Is Not How It Used to Be
With different generations arises different struggles. This creates an inevitable lack of understanding towards each other, making it harder to realize what the other generation has gone through in their time period.
Back in the day, purchasing a house was second nature. If you wanted a spouse and children, it was practically expected of you.
The dilemma now is if the average income can afford a mortgage on top of other monthly bills, while still having some money set aside for leisure activities.
Nowadays, we have to think more carefully about what we put our money into.
Millennials feel stuck having to choose between living a good life or owning a house. This is the unfortunate reality. Times are changing and we have to adapt to the new circumstances. We have to push through the pressure we feel from those around us that we have to buy a house to feel fulfilled.
Change Your Mindset About Money
Since money is one of the inevitable necessities of life, it is important to start looking at it differently. One way I make sure to handle my money responsibly is by applying this quote to any significant purchases I might make.
“If you can’t buy it twice, you can’t afford it.” — Jay Z
If we looked at buying a house or car this way, many of us technically can’t “afford” it. Yes, houses and cars are paid off over time but that comes with interest and a long-term commitment — one many of us are not capable or willing to make.
So what option are Millennials left with?
In comes van life.
A Lifestyle for Those in Search of More
So what is van life? It’s a movement for those who want to live a more simple, fulfilled life. Living in a van is a gateway into this lifestyle, making it attainable for the average working individual in search of a meaningful life.
A converted camper van can have everything from a shower to a TV or just be a bed on the floor. In theory, you can have anything you want in it. That’s one of the perks of converting your own van to live in — you can customize it to your heart’s desire.
Lately, it has been romanticized as the perfect nomadic life — portrayed as something Millennials do to become social media famous or to travel to hidden gems that you only see in the movies.
You probably imagine a young couple drinking coffee on their bed as they watch the sunrise on a beach.
However, van life is not perfect and not what is portrayed on social media. But it’s not about perfection, it’s about going after what you want without waiting for the perfect moment to start living.
Times Are Changing
Millennials are mistaken for not working as hard as past generations, often labeled as “lazy.” It’s not that we don’t want to work hard, it’s that we want to work hard doing meaningful work.
We are rethinking the expectations society puts on us about how we should live our lives. We want to allow ourselves to be happy now. Having a stable income working a job we aren’t passionate about is no longer of value to us.
It’s disheartening to hear parents put pressure on their children to not follow their passion because it will not bring them a stable income. But life is about more than this.
Sometimes it is only until we are in near-death situations that we are honest with ourselves and our feelings. It makes me think back to reading about the common regrets documented by Bronnie Ware. She asked those she cared for in palliative care what they regret the most as they neared death due to life-threatening illnesses. The following is what she discovered.
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
“I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
“I wish I had let myself be happier.”
— Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing
Although I read this years ago, I think back to these regrets often. Whenever I let fear stop me from going against the norm, I remind myself that I don’t want to wait to pursue something I am passionate about.
Generational Challenges
It doesn’t matter which generation we are categorized in, we all want the same thing. We want to live a good life. One thing we have no choice in is the constant change in our lives.
With each generation comes new challenges. We are making endless technological advancements which means jobs are constantly changing. It is no longer necessary to work for someone else when you can work for yourself, making it easier to work remotely or on the road. This makes van life the ideal choice.
As the generation that is dealing with the repercussions of the economic crash, raised college tuition (leading to more debt), impossible to reach job qualifications, and the consequences of climate change, there is no better time than now to go for what we want and leave the expectations of past generations behind.
Technology has given us the chance to adapt to the changes and also build a life for ourselves regardless of these circumstances.
As these changes in the job industry continue to progress, technological skills will become more valuable than a degree. Working Millennials and the generations after will experience this change the most and will have to adapt significantly.
It gives us the chance to establish our own business and create it based on our own terms and interests. It is slowly becoming the norm to go after what we want rather than depending on a big corporation to make ends meet.
Van life gives those who choose to live this lifestyle the opportunity to build their own business, travel, live minimally, and save money while reassessing what life is really about.
You Can Make Anything Work
There will always be an alternative, albeit unconventional ways to work with a “lower” income. As long as you are pursuing something you are passionate about, you will be unstoppable and happier than working a job you hate — regardless of the money you are making.
Just imagine all the people we see as successful. They didn’t become successful by giving up their dreams. If you admire someone and think “I can’t reach their level,” the only thing that is stopping you from that is your mindset.
Once you find your passion and figure out a way to make an income out of it, don’t let someone tell you that you shouldn’t do it. Always put your sanity and fulfillment over money.
Freedom
“Live a life you don’t need to take a vacation from.”
— Jill Liberman
Living in a van, whether it is the last option or by choice, gives you physical and financial freedom. It doesn’t allow space in life for unnecessary things and emphasizes enjoying life in the now rather than delaying gratification.
It almost becomes expected. Get the degree, get the job, get the family, house, and car.
It’s like our life has been planned out before we’ve even allowed ourselves to live it.
While van lifers compromise the comfort of unlimited showers and thousands of square feet, this is not as important as living the life they want to live. Imagine only being surrounded by the things you need and want in life and to not have to choose between paying a mortgage that month or enjoying life.
People Fear What They Don’t Know
It’s time to question the norm and embrace the nonconformists. The old way of approaching things isn’t working. We need to start questioning what society says is “essential” and “important.”
People will tell you to not pursue something because it requires taking risks. But knowing exactly where we are headed would make life boring and predictable.
If we knew what was going to happen at the end of a movie, would we still watch until the end? “At least I tried” is a better feeling than the constant lingering feeling of “what if.”
It’s Never Too Late
Van life is not so much about living in a van itself. It’s about the lifestyle you are adapting because you live in a van.
It’s time to stop watching other people live their lives and to live our own. Be yourself relentlessly. If you live the way other people tell you to, will they help you back up if you fall?
Take a moment right now to think about what you truly want. Then go for it. Life is too short to work 5 days a week paying for things you don’t need to be content.
I know many may not understand this lifestyle and that’s ok. A lot of the times we think of what we will be missing instead of what we’d be gaining. Once you change your mindset, the world is yours. There is no need to wait for everything to be perfect to start doing the things you enjoy.
Sometimes you have to stop thinking about the future and give into what you want now. That’s what van life is all about.
