Happiness

I am a firm believer that the most important thing in life is happiness. You can have all of the money, fame, and power that the world has to offer, but all of that means nothing if you are not happy. It took me a long time to realize this. When I was younger, I remember arguing with my Mom that money can buy happiness. She would plead with me saying that there is so much more to life than being rich, and that she hoped one day I would understand this. Luckily for me, that day came. I attribute two things to my realization that happiness is the true key to living a meaningful life. The first, is to find something that you are passionate about and pursue it with everything that you have. And I mean everything. The second, is to surround yourself with people who you love, and who would do anything for you. I am talking about those true friends who without a doubt would drop everything to help you because they know you would do the same for them.

Ever since I was a little boy, I have looked up to the sky in wonder. Whether it was the stars of the Milky Way glistening in the crisp Colorado night sky, or seeing huge puffy clouds form thousands of miles above me, I was hooked. I wanted to be up there. Unfortunately, humans don’t have wings. And as much as I wish I could just jump off of a roof, flap my arms, and soar with the birds, I can’t. I would just end up falling two stories onto the concrete, break my legs, and watch as the birds mocked me. Thankfully, I am left with the next best thing. Airplanes. And by association, my first passion, flight. I wanted to learn everything I could about flight, and this magical thing called lift that can bring a massive 800,000 lb behemoth of an aircraft up among the clouds. So, I worked my ass off. I got a degree in Aeronautical engineering, and after graduation I went to pilot training. After years of school, and training, and long nights, and failures, I finally became a pilot. And even though it was by far the most challenging and difficult thing I had ever done; it was also the most rewarding. I put everything I had into my passion to fly, and boy was I rewarded. And I am not just talking about my pilot wings I wear on my chest, but about the experience. The feeling you get when you truly give 100% of yourself to a goal, and finally achieve it, is unparallel. Even if it’s the hardest thing you have ever done, if you are truly passionate about it, go for it. Confucius said it the best, ”If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So, I challenge you to find your passion and give it everything you’ve got.

Finally, and even more importantly, surround yourself with true friends. Humans have an innate characteristic to be social, and to want to be around people. Sure, it is nice to be by yourself every once and awhile, but could you imagine living life completely alone? Not a chance. I can guarantee that your fondest memories involve other people. Some of you are probably thinking, but Alex, what about cases like Michael Phelps setting the record for most gold medals won at a single Olympics? That was all by himself, and he looked pretty happy to me! You’re right, he was happy. But I would bet you that the true joy of that moment is getting to share it with his friends and family. Could you imagine if he didn’t have anyone close to him to share that with? It would not have meant half as much as it did. Friends are there to celebrate in your achievements, and true friends are there to help pick you up when you fall. True friends will push you to be better, question you when you’re doing something you shouldn’t, and always be there for you whenever you need them. It is impossible to live a life of happiness without friends by your side to share it with.

Life is to short to pursue something you don’t truly love, and too short to surround yourself with negative people. Time is the most valuable resource and it is always fleeing. So, if you want to get the most out of this life, I challenge you to find your passion and surround yourself with true friends. If you are able to accomplish this, then happiness is sure to follow.

It’s quite simple. If you are happy, keep doing what you are doing. If you are not, then change until you are. I know this is supposed to be a travel blog, but this is important to me and I wanted to share it. Don’t worry all of my crazy travel adventures will be soon to follow.

I will leave you with this quote from the great John Lennon. “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy‘. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”