Why You Should Take That Trip

Have you ever thought to yourself there’s more out there than a job? More than money? More than working hard for little gain, frustrated by sitting in the same place for hours on end? I have.

Lately I’ve been getting pretty restless. When I say lately I mean for like the last two years. It frustrates me that the life I have been working towards isn’t what I want. Sure, college is fun and making money is good, but what is the point? Life is about a journey, not a goal. I don’t necessarily want some boring office job even if the pay is good, and I don’t want to waste time killing myself over achieving things I don’t really want. I want to get out there and enjoy life in full. I keep thinking that this is the time to grab life by the plums and go do something radical.

Maybe at the moment I’m feeling a little extra inspired. I just watched a great documentary called Maidentrip (check out the trailer below). It’s about a 16-year-old Dutch girl named Laura Dekker who sailed around the globe by herself. Despite the fact that Laura said she didn’t love the documentary, I took a lot of inspiration from it. The fact that she had the courage to turn away from everything she knew and go out on her own, literally into the great unknown, speaks volumes to me. I had to ask, “What am I doing?” My answer made me sad.

It obviously takes a lot to face the unknown like Laura did. Yet, I’d rather push myself and fight my fears than sit here, doing the same things every day, just waiting and waiting for a vacation or some fleeting moment of freedom. I need adventure and new experiences. That’s what life is really about to me: experience. If your whole life is aimed at one goal, like getting a job, house, paycheck, or car, you will never be truly happy even if you get all those things. What comes next? Making more money? Buying more stuff? Sure, money is necessary in this life, but it can only get you so far. It’s not about what you get, it’s about what you do. That’s what will have lasting impact on your life.

Maybe I’m just impatient. Maybe I’m just ambitious. Either way, this is to say that you should go, no matter how or where, you should go. Take a trip, take a risk, just make sure you don’t regret anything. It’s your life, and you only get one, so why let society or other people tell you how you should go through it?