Having Hope

Hello,

My latest story on vocal media earned top story in July. I had many comments relating to how I've been feeling as a millennial who cannot afford to live. If you have not read it yet, here it is:

Anyways, this was a pretty negative, but realistic post. Now, I want to try and give you all that little glimmer of hope that we will maybe one day find. We have the Canadian election coming up and the US election coming up and maybe there will be some changes happening soon. However, while we are still with the current government, I feel like I can give you something to hold on to just for a minute longer. I mentioned in the above post that we can only afford one of the three things: children, retirement or a house. There are three steps to follow in order to find hope those things are count your blessings, live in the moment, and lastly you will be okay.

I know it sounds very cliche: "count your blessings" but honestly every day does count, think about the little things that make you happy for me it's I have a job I enjoy; I have fun rose gold paper clips to make me happy, I enjoy using my stapler, I enjoy using my various stamps for my administrative duties, I like having a loving husband to come home to at the end of every day. Now, there was a time in my life where I was living at home, and I had an okay job I wrote down a list of things that made me happy and every day when I woke up, I would read that list out loud, and it made my days much better. It can be little things like having a pillow to sleep on, having a phone to take awesome pictures, having wonderful parents, having so many nieces and nephews (11), seeing each day and taking it all in.

I went camping recently, paid 15$ a day to camp out in a tent and live like I have no home, but it really shifted my perspective, yes, I grew up camping, but it's been years since I last went. I got home the first thing I did was shower, and I was so grateful for having hot water and shampoo. However, I got to wake up to the most incredible landscape, I was surrounded by nature, I had a lake view, mountains, tall trees and the light would reflect off the calm lake every day.

This is a picture that I took of the sunset. I am so happy to be living in a wonderful country where I have the opportunities to see things like this and be in awe. Good experiences do not have to be expensive. Remember, count your blessings.

Live in the moment is possibly the best advice to give to anyone who is struggling. You can worry about saving for retirement, saving for a house and having children, but as soon as you start living in the moment life changes. Have your paycheck split between different accounts: fun money, daily needs, retirement savings/anything you are saving for. This will lessen your stress levels. Your fun money is your money that you can spend on whatever you want maybe you want a new purse, or maybe you want to go with your friends. It will allow you just live in the moment without having to worry about your spending too much. I have a fun money account where 150$ gets put in from each paycheck and it provides me with enough freedom that I want for myself. I find taking things day by day makes me much more happier. So, live in each moment and regret nothing (other than maybe a regrettable tattoo).

Accepting that everything will work out, I can't tell you how, but one day everything will be where it is supposed to be. I always believe that everything happens for a reason, there is maybe a good reason that you are not buying a house right now, it maybe that your car needs to a repair or that your work is relocating. There might be a reason as to why you aren't having children, it could be because you still have to mature a bit or that you are meant to do something else with that money. There might be reason why you are not retiring it could be that you might find retirement boring. Everything one day will work out given that you are actually doing something about your problems and not sitting around waiting for life to happen to you.

Don't worry be happy. You can find a positive in any negative circumstance.