Learn why taking high risks, pursuing passion, and avoiding societal norms can lead to genuine happiness and success. Discover the importance of self-awareness and following your true calling, even if it means going against the grain.
Embracing High-Risk Behavior to Achieve True Happiness
Navigating through life can often feel like walking a tightrope. Society, friends, and family all seem to have their own expectations and definitions of success that they project onto us. Yet, there is a significant and often overlooked aspect to living a fulfilling life: embracing high-risk behavior around what we love. In a world that preaches caution and low-risk maneuvers, taking a high-risk approach can be the most liberating and satisfying path.
The Importance of High-Risk Behavior
Understanding High-Risk Behavior
High-risk behavior refers to taking significant actions that carry the potential for failure but also offer tremendous rewards. This is not about being reckless for the sake of it; it’s about aligning one’s actions with their deepest passions and aspirations, even when the odds seem tough.
In many ways, this period – especially during one’s youth – is the best time to go live in a place like Bali for a year, or to chase a dream as ambitious as becoming the next globally renowned artist like Beyoncé. This is when you should attempt those dreams that light a fire within you, even if they go against the norm or the expectations set by the society or your parents.
Breaking Free From Societal Constraints
Parental and Societal Pressures
One of the most profound sources of unhappiness among young people today is the societal and parental pressure to follow the most secure and risk-averse paths. They are often advised to take a ‘safe’ job, avoid unnecessary risks, and generally fit into the pre-existing molds of what a ‘successful’ career should look like.
But following this prescribed low-risk maneuver often leads to a life of regret and dissatisfaction. Young people end up living someone else’s version of a fulfilling life, which in turn makes them unhappy and resentful. They become burdened by societal expectations and parental dreams, rather than pursuing their own.
Spitting in the Face of Norms
The antidote to this unhappiness is high-risk behavior around what truly makes you happy. This means having the unrestrained self-awareness to pursue what you genuinely love, even if it means defying parental expectations, societal norms, and sometimes, even your own past decisions. It involves looking at the bigger picture of what will make you truly happy in the long run.
Cultivating Self-Awareness
The Evolution of Passion
Without self-awareness, it is almost impossible to know what actions to take. Your love affair with your music, skill, or craft has undoubtedly evolved over time. This is a crucial time to step back and ask yourself: “Do I even love this anymore?” Developing an honest understanding of your passions and dislikes can provide clarity on the direction you should take.
Learning from the Best
Working for Inspiration
One powerful way to embed yourself in your desired field is by working for the very person you aspire to be, even if it means doing it for free or for a minimum wage. Ideally, at ages 23, 24, or 25, you could be working for someone like Barry Wang for free while holding a night shift at Whole Foods, living with eight roommates to cut costs.
Sacrifices for the Bigger Picture
Though this might seem counter-intuitive, it is much more about the long-term gains than immediate financial security. Rather than taking a job that pays more but leaves you feeling unfulfilled, focus on the experiences and mentors that will propel you towards your ultimate goals. The insight and mentorship garnered during this period can be worth more than any amount of short-term salary.
Breaking from the Machine
Avoiding Material Traps
In our commercial world, it is easy to get trapped by consumerist benchmarks of success such as buying the latest pair of trendy sneakers, acquiring luxury handbags, or attending high-priced festivals like Coachella. Such pursuits, while temporarily gratifying, generally contribute to long-term financial constraints and lack of fulfillment.
Focus on True Desires
Focusing on material gains often keeps people shackled to jobs they do not love to meet financial demands. A more liberating alternative involves spending as little as possible and investing time and energy into the things you are truly passionate about, regardless of whether others view them as risky or unorthodox.
Playing Outside The System
Defying Norms
You are hearing this from someone who claims to be ridiculously happy because they have always avoided playing within the system. They have engaged in a pattern of behavior considered unwise by conventional standards, such as being a poor student or working at a family business for no financial gain.
Happiness Beyond Material Wealth
To some, Gary Vaynerchuk’s narrative is nothing short of an enigma. Building up a family business yet leaving with nothing at the age of 34 sounds like a series of unfortunate events. Yet, contrary to this perception, he claims unparalleled happiness. He speaks of indifference to material benchmarks such as a flashy car or an elite apartment, instead deriving joy and fulfillment by working steadfastly on what he was passionate about.
The Role of Self-Esteem
Having a high level of self-esteem greatly impacts the choices you make. When you are confident in your capabilities and grounded in your self-worth, you do not need external validations through material possessions or transient accolades. Self-esteem fuels the courage to follow through on what you are passionate about, despite the risks and opposition you might encounter.
The Formula for Happiness
Embracing Complexity
In essence, the formula for happiness is complex and individualized but heavily dependent on the alignment of one’s actions with one’s passions and self-awareness. The external validation and material gains matter far less when you are doing something you truly care about.
Learning from Mistakes
It is also essential to acknowledge that mistakes are part of the journey. For instance, in Gary’s case, he did “everything wrong” for 13 years, yet these very mistakes paved the way for winning and remaining happy in the long run. It is the continuous alignment with one’s passion and the resilience to keep going that sets the stage for a fulfilling life.
Conclusion
In the grand tapestry of our lives, it becomes crucial to periodically take stock of our goals and the alignment of our daily actions with those long-term aspirations. Whether you choose to spend a year on an adventure in Bali, work for an aspirational mentor, or defy societal norms, it all comes down to a clear understanding of what makes you happy.
Embracing high-risk behavior in alignment with our deepest passions and aspirations, daring to defy societal and parental pressures, focusing on experiential rather than material wealth, and maintaining high self-esteem are imperative for a genuinely happy and fulfilling life. These are the tenets that create not just professional success but, more importantly, deep personal contentment and joy.
In a nutshell, break the chains that bind you to a life of regret and step into the uncertainties of your desires. The sooner you embrace the high-risks around what you love, the closer you will get to a life that feels authentically your own. Through self-awareness, courage, and relentless passion, you can live a life that is not only successful but deeply, irrevocably happy.
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