We all have a range of opportunities in life. Opportunities to manifest ourselves under different shades of colour. Different environments and lifestyles we can choose. Where we are born, what set of genes we are made of, our parents, early experiences, growing up environment, culture and many other uncontrollable variables will have provided the first set of opportunities available to us. What we perceive this range to be and what it actually is are two very different things.
If you are born in an average place, with an average set of genes, skills and abilities, in an average family, the range of lifestyles available to you is huge. My definition of lifestyle is the manifestation of you in your current form. This includes all elements of your life, starting with the people you spend time with, your partner if you choose to have one, the place where you spend most of your time, the activities you do and what you think defines you the most. In a broader sense, lifestyle includes all possible elements of your life, your culture, beliefs and way of thinking.
I was born in a Western European country, in an average place (very beautiful and special to me of course, but pretty average to everyone else). My father worked for a local company all his life and my mum staid at home with my brother and me. I could have also written my dad held local political roles beside his full time job and my mum is an excellent cook. Or my father is very outdoory, loves trekking, running and skying and my mum is very warm and affectionate. Interesting how people define themselves and others, but that’s a topic for another post, maybe in the future.
So my range of opportunities at birth was pretty large and included living in London and travelling across the world every-time I have a chance. I didn’t know that as a child but my opportunities range obviously included it, as that’s what happened. And your choice of occupation, partner, place where you live and what mostly defines you is huge too. Yet many people settle for what’s well known to them, they broadly follow the script set by their parents (mine wanted me to be a public servant and live next door!), get a job in a local company, marry a local girl, save for retirement.
That is nice. There are no general rules as for how you choose to live your life and happiness doesn’t need to be chased to the other side of the world. We don’t all want to experience the buzz of Hong Kong or New York city, climb mount Everest, be rock-stars, astronauts or archaeologists in Peru. If you are a satisfied happy bunny then that’s great for you, and please share your lifestyle choice below here and give us all a tip or two on how it worked for you. But if you think your current life is no longer fitting and are unsure what your next level of evolution might entail, look up! The continuum of opportunities is pretty big really.
I could go out with or marry the girl next door, or the guy next door. Or, particularly if I live in a cosmopolitan city, someone from any country, with any ethnic background, cultural traits and sense of humour (well, I am not saying I am going to prove irresistible to such a large group of girls but I could still try :-). Not everywhere in the world people have the opportunity to be with whom they fall in love with so that’s amazing.
I can convert to Hinduism, be a Christian, Buddhist or Muslim. I could join Scientology or the Moonies. I could try the Hare Krishna, or the Communist Party of Britain.
Career wise you could join the organised crime or work in the A&E ward of an hospital saving people’s lives. I am not saying you should join the local mafia, but if you wanted to do it I am sure there’s a way, accessible to most, to become a criminal. Or you could spend all your life in a convent praying for humanity’s sins.
Most average people can choose to work as clerks in a local company, firefighters, shop assistants, yoga teachers, accountants, computer programmers, estate agents, financial analysts or marketing executives. And the choices here can extend to stand-up comedian, footballer, violinist and motorcycle racer. And much more! Sure, some jobs will have a higher barrier to entry, will require more specific skills etc but if they resonate with you, you can still give it a go. There are so many things an average person, from an average family, with an average early life story can do. And that includes setting up your own lifestyle business of course.
I can choose to live in over 100 countries, from South and North America to Africa and Asia. It’s very easy for me to live in any European country of course, but with a little bit more sense of adventure I can decide to live in Ethiopia or Cambodia. If that’s what I chose, I am sure I could reasonably work a way round finding a semi-permanent or an easily renewable temporary visa in most countries.
I met people who legally started a new lifestyle in faraway places for years and all they had to do was to go over the border every 3 months, get a new stamp on the passport and go back into their chosen, treasured foreign home again. Some others teach English abroad or get involved with local charities. Some even spend 6 months abroad each year on a beach or learning the local language/local musical instruments/martial art/meditation practice and work when they return to their native countries. Some get relocated with work. Others marry someone from a foreign nation and move there with their partner.
With a very limited amount of money, I can certainly fly anywhere and take a look at what opportunities are available there, what kind of lifestyle. Obviously, without going too far, I can still decide to move to the biggest city or the smallest village on the highest mountain of my country and start afresh. I can if I choose to.
Yet most people don’t even consider how many lifestyle models are out there. They are stuck with what was easily available to them, or what they were expected to do to please their mum and dad, teacher or partner.
We are extremely lucky to have such a range of possible lifestyles, many people on Earth have much fewer opportunities than me and you. Feudalism, slavery and totalitarian rule do not apply to us anymore. We are free, FREE! All constrictions are self-imposed, we are conditioned to believe getting a job, buying a house and having a family is what we all have to do but lifestyle choices are so varied these days. And that traditional model can be coloured of blue, purple or pink, it doesn’t have to be beige or grey for everyone.
In the middle age our ancestors couldn’t just pack up and move to Canada or Mexico. My cousin did just that, he quit his unfulfilling job and now runs an organic juice bar in the Yucatan. Because he chose to. Because we can. So what’s the best possible path for you? Ah, that’s hard to establish right, so the mixture of parents script, society conditioning and peer pressure limits what you think it’s available to you.
Get to know yourself, meet different people, read many books, and develop a passion or 10. Or try Yoga. The world is your oyster!