Summary

The article encourages readers to embrace their uniqueness, question societal norms, and strive for financial independence to live their best lives without regrets.

Abstract

The article "Live your Best Life!" reflects on the conventional educational and career paths that often lead to debt and dissatisfaction. It suggests that the real challenge begins after formal education, as individuals face the burden of student loans and societal expectations. The author uses the vastness of the cosmos, as illustrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," to emphasize the insignificance of personal problems and the importance of recognizing one's uniqueness. The text argues for a shift away from traditional life scripts, encouraging millennials to explore beyond their comfort zones and resist the pressure to conform. It highlights the FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) movement as a path to achieving personal freedom and fulfillment. The article concludes by advocating for continuous learning and self-improvement, suggesting that life's lessons can be learned from books and mentors rather than through personal hardship.

Opinions

The author expresses frustration with the educational system, viewing it as a long-term commitment that may not contribute to personal growth or career satisfaction.
Student debt is criticized as a societal norm that numbs individuals to the reality of financial burden and limits their life choices.
The vastness of space is used as a metaphor to illustrate the triviality of individual concerns and the rarity of life, inspiring readers to appreciate their existence and seek meaningful experiences.
The article challenges the notion of a single career path, suggesting that the diversity of the modern world allows for a multifaceted approach to personal and professional fulfillment.
There is a call for emotional intelligence and self-centeredness in a positive sense, where individuals focus on their own happiness and stop comparing

Live your Best Life!

There is no 2nd chance Part One

You are probably so done right now with school. 12 years of sitting in class, learning calculus you will never use. Then 4 years (or more) of university studies studying history you will never see. Your mind starts doing some crazy math comparisons making you feel like you probably just got out of jail! At 22, you probably have been sitting in studies for the last 16 years of your life. Someone once said these are the best years of your life!

Holy Schmolley!

But this is when the real jail sentence starts though. Americans have never been more in debt. Student debt is almost mandatory these days it seems. It leaves you numb to paying off student loans at insane 8% or more interest rates per year! Numb, because you start to accept debt, and credit card payments as being part of this life. How else is everyone doing it then?

I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson. His work in planetary sciences and astrophysics is far-reaching and spectacular! He uses an innate ability to communicate across audiences and explain to even the most uninterested persons, the relevance of what is happening all around us, and how it impacts our lives. I’ve bet you’ve watched his show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey too. If not, you are really missing something!

The show uses cosmic animations and actual imagery from space telescopes with the latest tech like Hubble’s Deep Field view etc, coupled with Neil’s excellent communication ability to water down even the most far-fetching of truths to almost anyone. It does this to explain and also scale and give us a sense of the insane almost incomprehensible vastness of the Cosmos. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but even if you have, it's worth a second, third, or even more views.

This show always takes me out of my shell. It removes me from this crazy world I call my life. It gives me a “standing on the Empire State Building and naming every ant walking on the street a name” view. Then it zooms me out further to standing on the moon calling the same ant names. Then it zooms me out even further looking at a reflection lost on a fly’s compound eye, of a mirror on the moon giving me the ability to see the same ant on the street of the Empire State building! And then imagine a million Empire State Building, with the same view on the same street. Then imagine the ants! I can go on and on with superlatives here!

Religious beliefs aside; the point here is that space is super super super vast. And you begin to understand the basic recipe for life on a planet is by no coincidence. These conditions appear in millions, if not billions of galaxies in the Cosmos.

We are surely not alone, and with space being so vast, we probably never will encounter extraterrestrial life!

You realize then just how minuscule and how tiny your life, and your problems are. It centers you. It brings you to terms. That you do not deserve to be like others. You begin to realize your uniqueness, that what makes you YOU.

The life you have is all you have. There are no 2nd chances, no 2nd lap. You have just one race to run here.

Are you going to spend it paying student debt to provide for a career you don't even like? Millennials these days are trademarked by the characteristic of not knowing what they want to do in life.

Don’t shoot me for the uncalled-for generalization here, I’m sure there are pretty certain, driven individuals around. But for most of us, it's different. Why should we restrain ourselves to a single domain? The world is a smaller place than ever, and we are working professions and jobs that never existed when we were born! Our eyes are a lot more opened than previous generations, and minorities and racism are no longer excuses to go find what is really making you tick!

Fewer and fewer people are carrying on traditions that my generation embraced. I have not been to a big wedding in a LONG time, and in my culture, the average invitee list runs 500 strong!

More and more people are becoming more self-centered. It is a good thing, follow me here. We are learning not to compare ourselves with the Jones’s. We are realizing we have all it takes to make ourselves happy. This trend is breeding an emotionally intelligent, more resilient culture!

Change like this is organic. It evolves. It's not a hard reset, it's not cold turkey. I personally see it as a saving grace for many. Those who are tied to what is deemed socially mandatory like student debt, and then lifestyle debt; are breaking free.

It resonates with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos TV shows. The movement is now towards a type of acceptance of core values. It pushes for the establishment of a resilient mindset. Less dependency, more YOU.

In a perfect world, you would not subscribe to these social jail sentences. You would work as hard as you can, for as short a time as you can. You will make enough to support all this free time you are going to have. Since you do not work a 9–5, you do not have debt headaches and you don't have to feel compelled to buy a new car because your neighbor just got one!

Go have a look at what the folks over at FIRE ( Financial Independent/Retire Early) are doing. A quick google search for FIRE or just pop over to Mr. Money Moustache’s website.

Happiness will drive you. Extracting every drop of experience and time out of this lifestyle will be your sole vocation. Some of these things happen organically as I said before. You live, and you learn and you evolve. Sometimes I think why didn't someone tell me any of this before. Why are we paying the school fees twice/thrice X what; 6.5Billion people on the planet?

In this journey that makes it seem like you can stand on your own, do not lose sight of the fact that even professional athletes have coaches. So read, explore, pursue the knowledge that will let you learn the lessons in a book instead of in your life.

And if you hang on here with me for a little longer, I can assure you the ride of your life, at a zero cost ticket!

No regrets.