Wanderlust, “a strong and innate desire to rove or travel about”. I bet you just rolled your eyes and questioned how one individual could have the audacity to be so cliché. But don’t worry, your opinions do not surprise me nor do they change what I am about to say, because I too was once of the same opinion.
What changed this opinion for me was the dread I felt when confronted with the realization that social norms were going to dictate the shape that my life formed for the rest of my life. University. Graduation. First Job. Blossoming of a career. The new fling turning into something more. Engagement. Marriage. Children. A white picket fence. Etc. This was what I saw when I tried to picture what my future might look like if I stayed on the straight and narrow. “Not too bad”, probably not enough to make my first line a non cliché many of you might be thinking; and you are right, this future alone was not the deal breaker for me.
The deal breaker for me was when I realized that this future resembles the future of most other 20 something year olds just like me, not one inch of my true being was implemented in that “ideal” future. Not only was this future so non illustrative of my true self, but it also helped me realize that, like most other 20 something year olds, I had no real idea what made up my true self.
This was the deal breaker. This maddening thought that I would follow the path that had been trodden by millions of other 20-something year olds just to live a life that didn’t illustrate to the world who I truly was.
This is why the need to give into the wanderlust in your 20’s is so vitally important.
Wanderlust is the breaking of the mould, it is the recognition that your life is your own to shape. When I speak of wanderlust I am not limiting It to the traveling of the world, wanderlust is an encompassment of following every innate desire that you as an individual have.
Whether that be traveling the world and getting lost in the bliss of other cultures and foreign pleasures, quitting that horrible first job and pursuing a career in your hobby, falling in love with the guy that won’t necessarily lead you to that white picket fence, studying abroad, moving to a new city with only yourself, indulging in anything that catches your interest and breeds desire within your soul.
This is how you find yourself. These experiences are the ones that build you up to be stronger, enlighten you of what your values are, and ultimately reveal to you what you want from your own life. YES, it is scary, yes there will be heartbreak, and yes you may not end up where you initially wanted to be. BUT, you will end up where you should be, being who you truly are, and living a life that illustrates that to the rest of the world.
SO live your life, allow yourself to indulge in your wanderlust while in your twenties. This world has so much to offer every individual, if only they would allow themselves taste test it’s selection.