Why I don’t just leave and travel the world or start my own company.
Shut Up and Go
Seek Discomfort
I love YouTube and I watch a lot of YouTubers like Damon and Jo or YesTheory - a lot of people who took a huge risk to follow their passion. And it worked out great for them. Even though their videos are very inspirational for me - and many others, I sometimes get really annoyed while watching them.
Because life isn’t that easy. Following your passion doesn’t guarantee success. Risking everything doesn’t always play out.
I am not at all trying to hate or criticize these people. I am also not saying that anything I am doing is unique or hasn’t been done before. I am just trying to get my point of view across. And writing it down is a great way to sort my thoughts and feelings on this topic.
I am 21. I don’t know what my passion is. I am interested in a lot of stuff - literature, art, medicine, philosophy and psychology. But nothing does fulfill me. I don’t know what I want to do with my life.
So I try to create possibilities for me.
I already finished an apprenticeship as an Occupational Therapist (that’s possible because some parts of the German educational system are stuck in the Stone Age). I have a good job and I know how lucky I am for that.
But even during the apprenticeship I knew, that this job won’t make me happy. After the apprenticeship I wanted to do a lot of things - travel, get some job experience and go to university. Even though I am still not 100% sure.
So here is what I’ve doing to make these things possible for me without throwing caution out of the window:
I am currently doing my “Abitur” via distance learning (a degree which will allow me to go to university - the one I currently have “Realschulabschluss” isn’t enough - but was enough to be an OT)
I work part time as an OT
I try to travel at least 2 times are year - while putting some money to the side to support me when I will go to university and go on a larger backpacking trip
I rent a really small apartment - to safe money for the future
None of these things are endgame for me or my passion. But they guarantee that I will be able to do whatever I want to do.
I will have my Abitur in 1.5 - 2.5 years. I will have lived this “working for the future - even though I don’t know what kind of future I want to have” lifestyle for about 4 years. That’s a long time. It’s hard to motivate yourself, when you don’t have a specific goal to work towards. But it’s also a fun time. I don’t have to commit to a passion or a job or a country. I have time to learn to look after my self, to improve my mental health and trying to figure out what will make me happy. Or just spend time doing things I like.
And when I know what I want to do, I will be able to do it
There can be fun in trying to figure it out, too.
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What’s your view on this topic?
