Boundaries and Boundless… Oxymoron you might say but I would beg to differ and let me tell you why. Growing up boundaries are very important. Do not talk to strangers, be home before the sun sets and always do your homework. Boundaries help people create safe spaces around themselves to allow development and growth in a safe environment that promotes sustainability. While this is very important it also has the ability to be detrimental to one’s imagination and their ability to push beyond.
The course of life is fairly laid out for most people. School, job, family … life! And while these boundaries all increase the potential to live a safe and satisfying life they also represent a potential roadblock to new and unique experiences or potentially amazing opportunities. With today’s new technology and different generational cultures a lot of individuals have embraced the concept of a boundless life. Living in vans, traveling non stop and irresponsibly pursuing what others perceive to be an unsustainable lifestyle. Obviously from a distance this too has the potential to be damaging to their growth as well. While the concept of living a boundless lifestyle seems amazing, without boundaries, structure, goals and momentum the growth of an individual will be limited.
So if living a life full of boundaries is harmful and living a boundless life is harmful that poses the question … “what is the right answer?” Rather than adopting the boundaries that society places on groups at mass or completely avoiding the norm and going off the beaten path, creating a balance in your life will allow you to find the best parts of both and optimise them for your own success.
Every individual’s situation is different so it is important to keep in mind that these questions need to be internally reflected upon rather than seen and adopted by people around you. First off, what do you want your life to look like in 20-30-40 years and what are the key steps that you need to pursue to make sure you stay on track to reach those goals? Next, what oats do you need to sow, so that rather than working yourself into a soulless autobot, maybe you can create the perfect balance in your life to achieve both? Does this look like graduating University but wanting to travel? Perhaps doing an exchange is what you should look into. Does this look like pursuing your career aspirations and being a stay at home mom? Perhaps working from home part time needs to be your main priority in a job search. Does this look like living in a van and traveling? Sounds like temporary/seasonal jobs in different locations should be what you are looking for.
Riding two horses with one butt is not easy, but if you harness the horses and build a wagon for them to pull together, and you know the destination you are headed for there is no reason why you can’t benefit from the power of both horses and live the life you have always dreamed of.
