Every once in a while I come across some’s Blog, Article or book that hits home for me. Today I came across two and though I would share it with my friends.
If you know me well, you know that I have never traveled outside of North America. Never even stepped foot in Mexico and until recently, even Canada was a distant land; yet despite this, I’m a well traveled person. I’ve managed to visit all 50 states using either a motorcycle, old VW Bus or bicycle. I’ve been to many states multiple times and many question if I ever work or perhaps (worse) I won the lottery. Well, if you were able to search all my written words, I’ve probably stated that I have indeed “won the lottery” more than once, but its not the lottery most of you think of. The lottery I won is two part.
- LUCK
- HAPPINESS
Truth be told, I earn less than most when one compares my economic wealth while I live much large than many. In fact, just ask me what I do for a living and I will simply say… I LIVE! Work is simply a means for me to meet my financial obligations, but Living is what I do best. So let me define my lottery winnings.
First there is LUCK.
Unlike many Americans, I do not buy into the myth that Hard Work equals Financial Success. See, I’ve had many jobs – some you might even call careers and I keep my eyes open. I’ve watched Hard Workers not make it simply because there is a system in place to keep them in place. I’ve watched brilliant people forced to work poverty level jobs. I’ve watched successful people fall quickly from grace due to economic changes and I’ve watched bad people succeed repeatedly (think Wolf of Wall Street) despite it being no secret that they are NOT 1) Hard Workers 2) Ethical 3) Smart. They are usually very good at Manipulation. No, they are ALWAYS good at manipulation. Because I have witnessed this first hand, I know that Hard Work does not equal Financial Success and I also know that not everyone who is successful is a crook. That is where sheer LUCK comes in. And yes, I’ve been Lucky in that regard.
Next is HAPPINESS.
Unlike Luck, Happiness is a bit easier to “win” yet happiness eluded me for many years. Mostly because I was trying to buy into the Hard Work = Success theory. When I let that go along with my dreams (LOL) of a Large Mansion, Exotic Cars and Lavish trips, something happened. I became happier. How can one let go of these things and become happier, it simply did not make sense, yet there it was. The more I let go of, the happier I became. Oh, and those Lavish Vacations that were out of reach for decades? I suddenly found myself spending days, weeks, summers living on the beach or hiking in mountains, standing on patches of earth that few other human had ever stood on. I found myself sleeping under the stars in amazing places. How this happened is a post for another day and I’ve probably written about it before, but this post is about paying tribute to two others that have discovered similar happiness along their journey through life.
So without further delay…I’d like you to meet two people whose stories I enjoyed and hope you will to.
Clayton B. Cornell
Clayton writes here about the myths of traveling around the world
Mark Manson
Mark writes here about viewing America as an American from afar.
(you know that song…From a Distance?)