There was Phase One during which you grew up and finished school. In Phase Two you finished university, got a part time job, fell in love and bought a car. Moving on to Phase Three one must get married, buy a house (with a mortgage, which you pay off), have kids and have "a career". Finally, in Phase Four you retire, grow old and die. You're broke in Phase Two, so you can save up for Phase Three, although ultimately, you can only really indulge your passions in Phase Four.
It didn't take long to realise that this model sucked, it took longer to dawn on me that it wasn't even true. We can choose how we want to live- whether to buy a house or take a holiday, whether to spend money on new shoes or dinner with friends. Life is a series of choices based on the concept of unlimited possibilities and limited resources- and I've suddenly realised that this is an amazing thing.
Maybe the uni students eating at the trendy cafe aren't entitled millennials still living at home, perhaps they'd rather eat out with friends, instead of saving for a car. Maybe I don't have to be rich to do lots of traveling or buy a lot of art, just perhaps it means I won't own a big house in an upmarket area. It's liberating to realise that I have so many choices in life- and it's also a perfect reminder for me to stop judging other people's situation based on their actions... because ultimately, lifestyles are based on beliefs- and I don't really think I have the right to tell other people that their beliefs are wrong.
xx
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