Everyone loves a hero, everyone loves the underdog story. Many want to be the winner, or the person who has what it takes. However what people do not realize is that it takes loads of work and greatness can be attained by anyone. Many people do not pursue their dreams because they are taught from the day they are born they have to live a normal life. The majority of people get a stable job and remain comfortable, while the few who have attained success or happiness once risked stability in order to change their lives.  The most successful people were scoffed and laughed at until they weren’t.

To me personally, success is not the most important thing, happiness is my ultimate goal. As of right now my dreams are not entirely figured out, they are not one set goal right now. Once my path and dreams are figured out, I will chase after them with all the effort I could possibly muster. A 9-5 desk job is not a part of my ultimate goal. I believe the best way to find happiness is to be ready to abandon stability and go after what they want. 

I know I want to be near the beach, in fact I love that atmosphere so much, I am thinking I should find a way to make it my entire life. I honestly do not care too much about money, if money makes me happy then making money will be a principal goal in my life. If I find I do not need money to be happy, then I will not worry about money. My ultimate bottom line is that I want to live an interesting life, something different from the average person.

The American dream is considered to be a family oriented “normal” life. Although many people forget that in the declaration of independence, pursuit of happiness is listed as an unalienable right. So I believe the best way for an American to live is to exercise their unalienable rights given to them in the declaration of independence and do whatever will help them attain these rights.

Another thing that deters several citizens of America and other first world countries from their dreams is society telling them how to live. From the time you graduate high school or college you are expected to get a stable job in which you can support yourself. you are not taught to go after what you really want, and instead just play it safe. Self-made millionaire Gary Vaynerchuck, who heavily encourages people to follow their dreams says that, “There are just so many people sitting here broken inside because they care what their older brother thinks about their behavior or what their husband thinks about their behavior or what their mom said to them growing up.” 

Although it may be a heavy topic many avoid, sometimes death crosses my mind. It makes me think about the legacy I want left behind. When I am close to death I want as few regrets as possible. My funeral should truly be a celebration, because I will have lived a great life. To me death is not sad, it is simply the end. Even though I think of death I live in the moment. I realize that life is limited, which is why my limited experience on earth should not be spent doing something that does not follow the path of my dreams.

Death pushes me to live the life that I want to. Steve Jobs said that “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.” Which just explains my view on death in the best way a person other than myself can explain it. The point is that I have nothing to lose so I should take chances while I can. It makes me realize that I need to chase my dreams while I am here.

All the reasons above are why I can see myself living a life that isn’t considered normal by many people, but perhaps it will be, because all that matters to me is will it make me happy? So if I want something wild I will chase it down because Life is too short to be lived in an unhappy way. So I hope that in the future I will be able to abandon stability to go after what I want.