How many decisions do you make on a daily basis? From the simplest trials and tribulations of day-to-day life (what should I wear today? What will I have for breakfast?) to the nitty gritty ones that can haunt you for a life time. Have I chosen the right major? Should I settle for this job? Is this the right person for me? What if something better comes along?
It’s always the way that if you’re single, you desperately want a relationship and if you’re happy in a relationship, you crave the single life. So what is with our generation’s unrelenting need to have what isn’t ours?
In a world of social media comes cut-throat competition, the constant comparison and pressure can result in you feeling inadequate when you stop and take a look at your life so far. Everyone seems to be constantly dumping a perfectly good anything (job, relationship, home) to satisfy this relentless drive to accomplish more. Here’s where the problem lies. With endless opportunities in our day and age, comes endless decision making and the question that plagues our minds… ‘what-if.’
You see, with endless opportunities, a wealth of knowledge and the vast power that comes with technology come dissatisfaction, restlessness and an inability to settle.
The battle that Gen-Y are facing is to accomplish a form of unattainable perfection – in a bid to secure the perfect job, partner and overall instagram-worthy life all before the age of 30. We assume that these people that are guilty of throwing away the good stuff to explore the ‘greener side’ are selfish and greedy. They are insufferable in that they can’t just be content in all that they have and sadly they have been fooled like so many by the notion that the grass COULD be greener on the other side, but really can we blame them? And more importantly, are you one of them?
It is being drilled in to our generation that we must do all of these things and more: love, laugh, live, explore, be adventurous, be spontaneous, be successful, nail down a good job, earn a decent wage, but don’t settle for a job that you don’t enjoy, be stupid, learn lessons, make mistakes… am I driving you crazy yet? If you hadn’t noticed, we are being pulled in a tonne of different directions, so it’s no wonder we are constantly left with the thought of – is this right for me?
Perfection is something we strive for on a daily basis, but it’s something none of us will ever attain. Will we ever be content if we continue comparing our lives with people on social media?  No, because the ‘grass is greener’ syndrome will kick in and you’ll start to think that maybe if you change jobs, moved houses and dumped your boyfriend in search of something more THEN you’ll be doing it right. Wrong. Opportunity is a wonderful thing, but I’m beginning to wonder whether there are simply too many unopened doors for any of us to ever be as content as the generations before us.
Not knowing what is around the corner may be what makes life so exciting, but it can also be torture, if, like most of society, you’re naturally indecisive. Perhaps those that are exploring the other side aren’t so naïve, and in fact it’s those that are settling for what they have that are… but then again, maybe not. Yes, they can say that they tried it all, but throwing everything away to pursue the unknown can often leave people alone and full of regret when they realize how good they had it, before they risked it all.  Too many people are wasting time wondering what else is out there rather than counting their blessings.
The truth is, there is always going to be someone doing something bigger and better than you. You can either be content enough in your life to congratulate them and move on or curious enough to risk it all to go in search of your very own bigger and better happy ending. There will always be the question what if it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, or what if it is. Either way you’ll never know if it was the right decision because we can only live one life. Just proceed with caution and be warned… the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Featured image via Sergei Wing on Unsplash
