{"id":440,"date":"2019-07-29T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=176941"},"modified":"2019-07-29T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T13:00:33","slug":"are-you-happy-with-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourfunjourney.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/29\/are-you-happy-with-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Happy With Your Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nPosted:<\/strong> 7\/29\/2019 | July 29th, 2019<\/p>\n

I was recently gifted the sci-fi thriller Dark Matter<\/a><\/em>. Without giving too much away, the book revolves around the idea of a multiverse, where every possible outcome of a decision plays out \u2014 and each decision thereafter creates another split and so forth and so forth. It\u2019s an infinite multiverse of all the possible outcomes of every decision you could ever make. <\/p>\n

But, to me, it\u2019s really a book about regret<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s about wondering what would have happened if you had followed the road not taken. <\/p>\n

Where would you be if you had stayed with that girl, taken that job, or moved to that new city? Would you be happier as a result?<\/p>\n

We map out how we hope our life will unfold.<\/p>\n

First this, then that, then this, then that.<\/p>\n

But life never unfolds the way we imagine it will. Life isn\u2019t like writing a novel where you can plot out how things will end and ensure the characters behave as you want. Every decision you \u2014 and those around \u2014 make throughout the day shifts the direction of your life. <\/p>\n

Life is what happens when you are busy making plans.<\/p>\n

One day, we wake up and find we\u2019re far off from the path we had hoped to traverse. We took a different job; broke up with that girl; suffered a health issue, family death, or financial disaster; moved somewhere new; decided to go back to school; or met someone who inspired us to travel the world<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A million and one things can pull us off the path we envisioned. <\/p>\n

When you look back on the whole of your life, it\u2019s easy to see where you deviated from the path you laid out for yourself. You can see the pivotal choices and moments that changed your life for good or ill. <\/p>\n

What would have happened if my friend Scott had never convinced me to go to Thailand<\/a> all those years ago? <\/p>\n

Or if I had missed that bus in Chiang Mai<\/a> where I met those backpackers who ended up inspiring my trip around the world? <\/p>\n

What if I had never started this blog? <\/p>\n

What would have happened if I had stayed in Taiwan<\/a> with my girlfriend all those years ago? <\/p>\n

Humans are really good at wondering about what might have been. We tend to look at our life in retrospect and judge our past actions by where we are now. <\/p>\n

But when we\u2019re in our life, you don\u2019t see the grand vision. We\u2019re just trying to get through the day as best we can. We\u2019re thinking about the tasks at hand \u2014 the meeting in an hour, the laundry that needs to be picked up later, what we\u2019re going to make for dinner \u2014 not the big picture. <\/p>\n

Our brains aren\u2019t hardwired for that kind of thinking.<\/p>\n

For all our big talk about how humanity is different because we can think about the future, we\u2019re often just like other animals: only seeing the moment right in front of us. <\/p>\n

***<\/center><\/p>\n

When I moved to Paris<\/a>, I had big goals. I was going to meet people, attend influencer and tourism events, sightsee every day, and live that #bestlife. <\/p>\n

Yet through long lunches and bottles of wine with friends and long days writing my new book<\/a>, and by catching up on sleep and hosting a lot of friends, I strayed far from those original plans. Looking back, I did little of what I originally planned to do. <\/p>\n

In a sense, I failed.<\/p>\n

And I could easily look back with regret and wonder what would have happened if I had done what I had planned to do. What would I have learned about the city? Who would I have met? <\/p>\n

But then I think back to Dark Matters<\/em> and the question that sets the whole book in motion:<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you happy with your life?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a simple but powerful question. <\/p>\n

Beyond all the daily complaints and frustrations and minor annoyances, how often do we really ask such a deep and fundamental question?<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you happy with your life?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Day to day, it\u2019s easy to lose sight of the big picture. To never see the forest through the trees. To look back and think of the goals we made that we never reached. <\/p>\n

But what we do every day is a reflection of our values and our goals.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve lived your values every day, haven\u2019t you really reached those goals? <\/p>\n

When you zoom out and ask yourself if you\u2019re happy with your life, what do you say? <\/p>\n

We get twenty-four hours to make the right choice. <\/p>\n

And if we fail, we get to wake up and try again. <\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t trade those long meals and writing sessions or those quiet nights in for anything. They helped create a sense of balance in my life the first time in a long time. <\/p>\n

When I look back at the what-ifs and see the choices I made, I can\u2019t really regret them \u2014 because they brought me to where I am today. <\/p>\n

And, when you\u2019re happy with your life, how can you really regret the path that brought you there \u2013 even if it\u2019s not the exact one you planned?<\/p>\n

P.S.<\/strong> – I just released a new book! It’s called “Ten Years a Nomad” and it’s about my ten years backpacking the world and the lessons I learned from it. It features tons of stories I\u2019ve never told on this blog and is a book that delves into the why of travel! Click here to learn more, grab your copy today, and meet me on my book tour!<\/a><\/em> <\/p>\n

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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n

Book Your Flight<\/strong>
\nFind a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a> or Momondo<\/a>. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.<\/p>\n

Book Your Accommodation<\/strong>
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a>. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. <\/p>\n

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong>
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads<\/a> for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n