Let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as being 100 percent ‘Worry Free,’ but there’s lots that we can do in our daily lives to reduce stress, live more comfortable, and truly live the life that we want to live.Can we all strive to live a worry free life? Absolutely. Let me ask you this: What are your goals? Your desires? Do you want to travel the world, but are often burdened by the cost or by your fears of going out there and experiencing the unexpected? Well, that’s problem number one, so let’s start there.
Life will always have its ups and downs, and although it may never be worry free, the key is to strive for greatness.
Believe it or not, traveling is not nearly as expensive as you would imagine. Usually the most expensive part is the airfare to your destination, but depending on where it is that you’re going, you can actually travel and explore quite inexpensively. The first thing you need to do is pick up one of those credit cards that offers miles or points and use it for everything you purchase. However, that does not mean that you should leave a balance on the card. Use it for gas, groceries, going out, whatever it is that you spend money on, and then pay it off at the end of the month. Trust me, you will get nowhere near the worry free life if you start racking up hundreds, and thousands of dollars in credit card debt. Look for cards like a Capital One Venture Card or other similar cards that offer double the miles. What you will discover is that over time, those points start adding up, and before you know it, you’ll have a nice chunk of change that can be used to book a plane ticket.
Next, you just need to get better at cutting the crap out of your life and spending money on stuff that does not matter. Is it good to treat yourself to a good dinner or a brand new pair of shoes every now and then? Sure. But don’t go overboard. You don’t have to be ‘cheap’ to save money, but you must learn to put some money away each month and have a little bit of discipline when it comes to how you spend your money. You can even try the old ‘piggy bank’ trick, and every now and then throw a few bucks in there. Again, though, this requires discipline because you don’t want to start pulling the money out of the jar to go buy yourself some ice cream, or something that serves no real purpose. As with the credit cards, you’ll notice that the jar begins to fill up sooner than you would expect.
Let’s say your dream is to travel. Choosing a destination that is relatively inexpensive like some of the countries in Central and South America can take your money pretty far. Also, European destinations that are further east than the more expensive destinations like London, Rome, and Paris can allow you to live quite comfortably for quite some time. For example, I was recently in Budapest and booked a room through Airbnb for less than $50 per night. This was a nice spot, right in the center of the city. Learning to pick up food at markets, and checking out menus outside of cafes are ways to stay in a city on a budget. It’s time to get over the spend, spend, spend philosophy. There’s so many things that you can do that cost absolutely zero dollars. Visit parks, explore the streets and view the architecture, and then when you want to rest, stop into a cafe and order a coffee or tea and spend a couple hour watching the world go around. Trust me, it’s not as hard as you would think. Again, it starts on how you are at home, and how much self control you have. Is your dream vacation worth trading in for that brand new video game, or an extra night out on the town? That’s for you to decide.
Life will always have its ups and downs, and although it may never be worry free, the key is to strive for greatness. Seek the worry free life, and see how close you can come to it. Life’s a challenge, so treat it like one. See how far you can go, and see how much you can surprise yourself. Have fun with it. Get out there…explore…save…spend…save…and explore some more!
