Picture Credits: Rodrigo Gonzalez (Unsplash)

Usually, it is said that one should work hard in the 20s, 30s, and 40s to enjoy their retirement. It is also said that work hard enough to make the life of your dreams.

This was the same lie that was told you when you were kids, and now this materialistic world is manipulating with your brains again.

This all starts from the time of your birth. When someone takes birth, they are new to this world, and have to gain experiences, so time flies too slowly. This is usually because our brain is trying to figure out what is happening around us and trying to adjust to a new environment.

But as we grow up, time seems to fly by. This is because now most of the things we have already learned and now most of our activities are on the subconscious mind.

Having said that, its the childhood, when we are asked to work hard and study so that we can make a career. It is a good thing because when we are kids, we don't have a clear idea of what is right or wrong or which stream might have better prospects. But as we start completing our teenage and enter adolescence, and start working as Doctors, Engineers, or in any other field, we keep on burning the midnight oil to ensure job security and retirement.

Most of the time it is because of the Social Pressure that we have to work hard and make higher amounts of money. We have to maintain the standards of living that are as per the market demands or else we might be looked down upon.

And when we reach the pinnacle of success, we usually have all the wealth and time, but we are left with drained energy levels.

It is during that time when we realize that, we should have;

• Spent some more time with our family when we were young and had that energy.
• Explored this world a bit more.
• Taken risks and pursued our passion.
• Taken care of our relationships.
• Made memories.
• Tried new things.
• Exercised a bit more.

This is because in the end, every one of us makes money, and dies rich. 

But as a human, we never live our dreams. 

Live your life when you are young and may have less money, because when you retire although you have time, you may not have the energy to do so.
This is important to understand because it doesn't mean that you should not save for your future or retirement, but what I am trying to say is that you should spend more on;

1. Experiences
2. Learning, and 
3. Memories

ELM model is great to prioritize your life when you are young and have some years before you will retire. When you start spending on your Experiences, you automatically start Learning new things, which help you in creating new Memories.

As a growing adult, you should be working on gaining as much experience as you can, and this doesn't mean only getting your work experience, but experience with regards to living your life. You should travel more often because when you are old, you don't have that much energy to travel, and at that time even traveling to your children may feel hectic.

This is a universal truth because when you are young, you have the energy and passion to travel. You want to explore new and untouched areas to make memories and explore the world.

You may have less money or resources to do so, but when you are young and passionate, you adjust to the situation and take it as an adventure. You can travel the world on your bicycle or spend time in a tent when you are young. But when you grow up, your health only may not permit you to carry your luggage.

It is always better to understand the fact that in this life you will always make money for your retirement, and that is for everyone. I am not talking only about people with high-paying corporate jobs. In the end, our needs are less, and good medical insurance and our determination to live a healthy life are all we need.

What are our needs when we grow old?
When we grow old, our kids are married, and we get to retire, our needs are pretty less. This may include;

• good medical insurance,
• daily exercise,
• healthy eating habits,
• working for the community or our passion, and
• spending time with family and friends

Although the list may have some basic plus or minus, but most of the time, these are the requirement of old age. But when you are young and filled with energy, there are a lot of things that you can add to your list.

Many will also include traveling in their old age, but most of the people whom I have seen traveling are doing so because of emergencies or visiting their relatives, and not to make memories.

Most of the experiences, learnings, and memories that you gain are at the time of your working years because that is the time for most of us when we are healthy and have the energy and understanding of the world around us. 

Should we leave our jobs and leave for an adventure?
Well, here is the catch, although you can do it, but it is never advisable.

Having a stable source of income is as important in young years as pursuing ELM Model. There is a balance that you need to have when you are in this age group. You should spend on your experiences that will give you life-long learnings and help you make memories.

I still remember, recently when I had taken a long vacation from my work because in Covid19 we had to work double shifts, and when these 2 years of hard work were over, I took a break of around 2 months. Although I had leaves, many of my days were unpaid leaves as well.

This was the time, I visited Kashmir my hometown, and explored its beauty as well. 

Although my holiday cost me my emergency funds, the experiences that I made helped me learn a lot about my culture, society, and relations as a whole, which helped me make beautiful memories.

I may not have taken this vacation if I would have thought about my income and the money I can make during this time. But leaving the comfort zone was a better decision overall. 

You can create your wealth, but the relations that you have should not suffer because of that. You can always start fresh, but your priorities should be about being in sync with your energy levels. I know as I will grow old, I may not be able to travel more because of the responsibilities at home, but right now, when I have enough time and energy to do so, I should take advantage of this opportunity.

At last, these are the memories that you cherish.

I remember when my parents used to tell me about their adventures in Kashmir. How they lived their lives and how they used to plan their trips!

If they would have lived their life thinking about enjoying when they retire, they would have regretted the same, because they didn't get much time to spend in Kashmir (our motherland), and today we are far away from it. Today, they can't even think of settling back there or traveling to India to explore their hometown, and perhaps this is because of the energy levels that they always blame.

As a human, we all face tough situations, and it is on us, if we want to live happily or sadly because life is a journey, you will have to live your life with a smile or with sorrow, and I will prefer choosing to complete this journey with a smile.

Thanks for reading this article. These articles are a part of my experiences and would like to know yours as well. You can comment with your point of view or stories.