There is a common story that most of us grew up hearing from our parents and they heard it from their parents. Perhaps for a time the story served a purpose. I mean it must’ve because it got us to where we are right now. However times have changed and the story has now become a lie. A lie that makes many people miserable and confused in their life…
The story I am referring to is the one that we have to Go to school, work hard, get a job and save for retirement.
I know a lot of you reading this already understand that this is crazy talk and could never imagine yourself fitting into this mould (me too). However, there are a lot of people out there who still believe this to be true and there are a lot of parents who still preach this to their kids.
Obviously anyone’s parents who have taught them this were just doing the best they could with what they knew because no loving parent would give their innocent child a jail sentence knowingly.
If you are a person who still believes this old school way of slugging through life, then please hear me out. Not all of this old school philosophy is totally bonkers. The story just needs a little dusting off, modernization and retelling so that it supports the times we’re actually living in (right now).
Lets starts with “Go to school”…
When most people hear go to school, they immediately think of joining the public school system. This is ONE great option out of many though and definitely not the only one. My retelling of this story is to say, learn about what you’re passionate about and don’t ever stop educating yourself. Find the best form of education that will support you or your children and be okay if it’s not the traditional route. With this nifty little device called the internet we now have the freedom to learn about ANYTHING we could possibly dream up.
I have met so many kids who are self educated. They love learning and their parents encourage them to learn about whatever they’re most passionate about. I believe that children come into this world with a purpose and if we can just support them to be their best selves, encourage them to follow their interests, curiosity and passions then those kids can become confident, capable, world changers OR just awesome, brilliant, happy humans (which changes the world just as much).
Now lets rethink “working hard”…
This is actually 100% right. It’s just missing a key statement to follow it. The modernized version of this is to encourage our children (and selves) is to work hard doing what we love or are passionate about and what makes us come alive. Alive, passionate people is what this planet needs.
It absolutely takes hard work, dedication and discipline if we want to do great things with our lives. No amount of visualization and positive affirmations will make our dreams come true (and we all have dreams). Only focus, persistent action and unending self education will help us reach the holy destination of being our best selves and a living a life that truly brings us joy.
People want things to come easy, but wake up sunshine, this is life. We’re flying through the Cosmos on Planet Earth. Shit’s wild here and the world needs us to love ourselves enough to love our own life so we can fall in love with everyone we meet. Don’t believe me? I dare you to try it. In fact, I’ll double dare you and do it with you.
What about having to “get a job”?
People trick themselves. They say, “I’ll get a job and eventually do what I’m passionate about,” but unfortunately this doesn’t work. In fact, it does the opposite. It sucks the passion and energy out of you and when you finally get fed up with that job and decide to quit you find yourself in the exact same spot as before and scrambling to find more work.
We all need money. So if you need a job, find one or create one that you enjoy doing. Simplify your life so that you have less needs, or “False Needs” as I call them: Needs that we make up in order to fill the empty hole inside of us because we’re not pursuing what we want most in life. By cleansing your life of all that is out of alignment with your passions and path you’ll find that you have so much more space to focus on those things you love AND your need for money is far less, which means you can work part time instead of full time and with all those hours you just gained you can focus on doing and learning about what you love.
It definitely helps to grow the entrepreneurial spirit within you while you’re at it. That way as you refine your craft and become masterful you also understand how your passion can support your lifestyle — so you can let go of that J.O.B and do more of what you love! What an awesome cycle to create for ourselves, right?
“But I gotta save for retirement”…
A better idea is to live for the moment. Be here now. Love this life. Share your gifts with the world and your community. When we’re present, we are connected to the magic and as we move through life connected we awaken to the truth; life is always supporting us. Rather than scrambling to save a bit of money for when you’re old, build strong, loving relationships and live in community with people who see you and support you on your journey of life. When we turn away from fear and live for love with one another our needs are ALWAYS met.
This idea may take some time to warm up to, so until this feels possible and real for you just focus on everything else I’ve said and squirrel some dollars away for a trip around the world when you’re in your 90’s or hundreds.
To Summarize this NowSchool Philosophy…
- Love the never-ending journey of learning and personal growth.
- Work hard doing the things you love most and are truly interested in.
- Simplify your life so you can have the time and space to do what you enjoy.
- Learn to be entrepreneurial as you grow.
- Live for the moment and grow supportive, loving relationships in your life.
Share at least one thing you’re taking away from this article in the comments below. It will help make it more real if you share your experience. If you love this philosophy for life and learning, then please help it spread by sharing it with everyone you know and love.
