Taking Chances

Hey all! Thanks for coming to The Wrong Advice Newsletter. If you want to join along (I'd love you for that) please subscribe below! And as always check out this week’s episode of The Wrong Advice Podcast

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine who had just celebrated their 34th birthday. This friend of mine had a great job, a great relationship, and basically was making their way checking their boxes across life. And that’s why the feelings of being stuck that crept in dismayed them so much.

Is there just a certain point in our 30’s when we want more? Do we all inevitably end up feeling that way? Even if we have the perfect job, perhaps perfect marriage, perfect family etc? At some point is it inevitable that we all end up wanting more? At what point in your life is it ok to start questioning everything about it?

The question I often ask people when I have these conversations is how much is money motivating the decisions you make? Are you tied to a comfortable career earning a good salary because you’re in debt? Or worse are you tied to a comfortable career earning a salary and you just don’t want to risk leaving the “golden handcuffs” of the known. 

I ask this question a lot because to me the fear of the unknown, the fear of taking a risk like quitting your job to travel the world for a month or two is what keeps people from taking chances. There’s of course understandable risks when you start making these sort of decisions. But again, if you’re in a position financially to be able to spend a month or more in the prime of your life to travel the world what is holding you back?

I think by now my feelings on life are pretty known. It’s short. I don’t ascribe to the notion that we should be waiting until we’re in our 60’s to retire from working. If you make the right sort of financial decision in your 20’s and 30’s taking a leave of absence from your job or quitting altogether is a very possible scenario. But what happens is we are paralyzed by the fear of what may happen if we take that chance. And I say go for it.

If you have a company that doesn’t support you taking a leave of absence for an extended period of time maybe you don’t want to be there at all. If you don’t think you’ll be able to find another worthwhile form of employment after taking this sort of break then by all means don’t do it. But what if the exact opposite happens? What if your current employer says go for it? What if you quit and immediately come back rejuvenated a month or two later and find an even better possible career? 

Worry for the wreckage of the future paralyzes people’s ability to take risks. My gut tells me that if you are having these feelings at 30 they’re not going to go away at 40, 50, 60. These are core feelings that you need to work with and understand. There is one simple truth in life, it’s yours to live. And you have to live it in a way that makes you happy. Risks abound but usually the best things in life don’t come easy and are worth taking chances for.