This is My Story: Comfortable vs. Happiness
Does Being Comfortable Make You Happy?
When I talk to people about my “Van Lifestyle”, being a van lifer, living nowhere and going everywhere, I get a mixed bag reactions!
1/Excitement: There are those who get excited, knowing that I’m living my wildest dream on the road by traveling here and there in a mini campervan.
2/Pity: Since, I live in a mini campervan people think I’m homeless! Well, I would never put anyone down who is homeless, because couple of decades ago, I was!
The difference between homeless and houseless, is a houseless person makes a conscious decision to not live in a traditional housing.
I made a conscious decision to buck society norms. While in college, I was forced to read Walden Pond by Henry David Thoreau, as a part of Majoring in English Literature.
I did not have an appreciation for a rich man, who chose to live like a poor man in a home without electricity and who wrote gibberish, at least that’s the way the writing appeared at the time.
Years later, I appreciate the choices Thoreau made. I know firsthand that when you live a life on your own terms, it’s a transforming and life-changing.
3/Curiosity: People wonder is this really a happy lifestyle.
4/ Comfort: I gave up a stable paycheck and relying solely on income from freelancing and creating and selling digital products.
I had been bringing in additional income while working — fully aware that side income fluctuates.
The reason why I was able to do it though, is because I stopped paying rent. Since I no longer had that bill, I no longer needed to make as much money.
I get that everyone’s wildest dream is not living in a small mini campervan. As such, I don’t really live in a van, I live “out” of it. I use it for sleeping. I try to spend every possible moment doing things that I love, out of the van, like camping and spending time with Nature.
COMFORT VS. HAPPINESS
Being comfortable brings you comfort. It’s comfortable for some of you to know that you have a traditional roof above your head and other things that keep you safe in your bubble.
Despite my oft exaggerated YouTube videos, having a van roof above my head is comforting. It’s comforting and it makes me happy because I don’t have to work myself in the ground or stress over bills or the things I want but can’t get, because all of my money is diverted to housing.
Your routine is comfortable too, and you probably think it’s more comfortable than mine. You pick up a cup of coffee on your way to work in the morning, spend an inordinate amount of time at work, grab dinner after work and plop in front of a device and watch content that others are being paid to create!
EYE OPENING
You stay comfortable because even though your job or life does not make you happy, you are comfortable! Comfortable and happiness aren’t the same thing necessarily, but comfort is a feeling you can live with.
What if…what if….what if!
You could lay off consuming so much content from the television, your smart phone or whatever electronic device you use, and start creating the content that propels you into your dream life?
Creating and selling a digital product will generate an additional income stream, that you can turn into an income river and live the life you want.
Life is short, start making changes today to live the life you want!!!!
Why don’t ya?!
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