Hello Friends.
This is my favorite subreddit, and I really love the likeminded positivity and the freedom of the simple living philosophy. I have been contemplating posting on here for months, but I never thought I had anything of value to say. I decided to post a short story about my journey over the past year and share my thoughts with others to see if anyone has any advice, anecdotes, or really anything they would like to say. I would be grateful if anyone were to take the time to read this, but even having my thoughts out there is good enough for me :)
One year ago I was an egotistical college student who was motivated by the pursuit of image and money. I had aspirations of becoming an Academic or getting MD to make lots of cash or to earn great respect from people. During the first two years of undergraduate, I took about 19 credits a semester and worked several internships and jobs a week, killing myself for straight A's and things to put on my resume. This was the polar opposite of who I was in high school.
I was raised in one of the richest towns in the USA, where everyone was a Lawyer, Doctor, or some high profile individual in society. My highschool self hated this and did everything in my power to rebel against this. I suppose it was my Sophomore year when I could no longer take the inferiority of those at my school thinking they were better than me, so I tried my hardest to get top grades and turn around my academic performance. I did this and was able to gain acceptance to a really good, if not pricy, college. I got a great scholarship though, and sort of forgot my old rebellious tendencies.
Following the second year of my super intensive undergraduate experience, I began looking in the mirror and recalling the simple life I had once yearned for as a teenager. I tried to suppress these emotions, but could not hide my true self. The stress was becoming too much for me.
The week of my Junior year of college, I had a complete mental breakdown going back and went home to take the semester off from school. I realized that I was no longer interested in image or money.
I needed a break. I took a few classes at community college to keep me busy, but spent most of this semester in therapy, exercising, and taking long walks to reflect on what was important.
After much reflection, I realized that money or acclaim would not make me happy. I realized what made me happy was the little things. I love savoring every last sip of green tea on a cold day. Or I love the feeling of sacking out on the sofa with some nachos after a long hike in the woods. I love reading and going on long walks and talking with people I love.
It became clear that I needed to change my life trajectory. My girlfriend took me to her parent's Rural cabin for our five year anniversary weekend, and our plan was hatched on a cozy November night earlier this year. We both decided that we need a simple life, but how to get it is the problem.
I no longer wanted to spend the next however many years in school, racking up debt and stressing myself out constantly. I had to make a choice but ultimately decided that having lots of money was not important to me anymore. Maybe it was never important to me. But I realized that it didn't take a lot to make me happy. Everything I have right now is all I need. I made a large leap, but I found a low paying career that was my dream job. Mental health therapists don't often make very much money, but everything about the profession is appealing to me. And this gives me the opportunity to strip away all the materialistic things and focus on spending time with my girlfriend, my good friends, and pursuing al the things that make me content.
We started formulating a five-year plan, and soon we knew what we wanted to do. Our current plan is to finish undergrad with as little debt as possible, and I have started this venture by switching to a state school that is so cheap that My parents can almost pay fully out of pocket, and I have started working less stressful jobs to support myself while taking a more moderate an enjoyable courseload. Luckily my girlfriend is a total finance wiz and got so many scholarships at a state school that she is practically given a stipend as an undergraduate.
My next step is to complete a master's degree at the cheapest institution possible (the places I am looking at offer in-state tuition but little to no funding) and get one of the degrees that give you a dual license for mental health and rehabilitation counseling. It will be two to three years before I can be licensed as a therapist, but during that time I hope to work in rehabilitation and pay off my debt with a hammer.
Our next step is for me to get my license, and for the two of us to save up for cheap property in a low cost of living area, most likely in the less expensive areas of the pacific northwest (Not year Seattle or Portland or any expensive city). I also hope to find a mental health desert and provide therapy and counseling for individuals living in Rural America.
My girlfriend has worked on her family friend's organic farm since she was in her early teens, and it is her dream to run her very own hobby farm so we can eat fresh produce grown in our own yard. We want to initially start with a low-cost yurt, and slowly construct our dream house as we save money.
I hope to spend lots of time outdoors, help her out on the farm, and raise a small family away from the big cities.
That is all I wanted to say. There is really nothing special about this post, other than it is what has been on my mind and this is how I hope to pursue a simple life. I have got several years before I can get away from the university rat race, but I have been able to find happiness even in a big city amongst the beautiful moments that happen in day to day life.
If you made it this far, thank you for listening to my story so far. I wish you well and I hope that you stay safe during these times.
Submitted June 01, 2020 at 10:40PM by PeterthePhilosopher https://ift.tt/2XoTyaU
