Why I didn’t learn how to play piano (yet)?
Since I left for Australia – in the now distant September 2015 – more and more people I knew (and others that I met later) told me “Eh, lucky you. How badly I would like to leave and travel!“.
To date only three old friends have actually changed their lives in recent years. I’m not saying they did it because of my “example”, but probably some ideas came from that. Two friends, started their working holidays, like me; another has quit his permanent job to start an independent and completely different work activity, following his main passion.
The result is that all of them are happier than before, according to them.
Then, to mention, there are also those who are super-happy with their lives made as school-work-home-family-retirement-death (until death makes no jokes anticipating some positions), and would not change it for anything in the world. And good for them, they have everything already there, ready and easy, without even having to think that there may be something else out there!
All the others – and the fingers of my two hands were not enough to count them – who wanted to leave, or change their lives, or who knows what, did not change anything or almost anything. And I still hear them complain about their actuality, or again (after three years): “Eh, lucky you. How badly I would like to leave and travel!”.
Now, the point is not to leave. You do not have to go to the opposite side of the world for one, two or three years. You can “update” the actuality-that-does not-make-you-happy even staying at home, perhaps changing work, or keeping it, but changing shifts or ask for a part-time, to have more free time for the rest or for other hobbies (another positive example that fits in this case is my brother who did it). Because actually it is the time that matters most of all.
Think about it: why is gold worth so much? Not because it is few, but because it is difficult to get it.
But if there’s one thing anyone ever – not even the bald CEO of Amazon, which seems to be the richest in the world – can ever buy, it’s time.
So its value is simply invaluable, despite all of us (me too) insist on accepting being paid 8-9 €/hour, or 20 Australian dollars/hour, or 18 New Zealand dollars/hour, or 6000 Indian Rupees/month (120 €/month).
President Mujica talk about Time (English subtitles)
Returning to the gist of the article – and the title – even today I wonder why anyone who complains about their current situation doesn’t do anything to change it? Then, to be honest, I already know the answer.
Except the problems due to force majeure (the serious ones, I accept only those really serious), which don’t allow you to change jobs (or leave for Sydney) from one day to another, usually people don’t leave because it is not their priority. Easy. They don’t change their current situation cause they’re happy and content with that.
They will submerge you with excuses (excuses they firstly make for themselves), like “Yes but how can I do it?; Yes but I do not know any other languages; Yes but what about the job; Yes but what can I do when I get back then?; Yes but if it goes wrong?; Yes but I don’t have enough money (sooner or later I’ll write an article dedicated only to this topic); Yes but – any excuse“. But eventually they do not leave only because it is not their priority, because nothing pushes them (or attracts them) to do so, except for the two weeks of standard holidays in summer, which are basic in the safeness created and falsely imposed from above.
The fear of leaving on your own, or not knowing the language, goes straight into the toilet when you can’t see and think of anything else but traveling the world (if we keep focusing in the example of the travels).
I know what I mean because I did it, and around the world I met dozens of people (from all over the world, different ages, different cultural level and different budget) who did it, some even much longer and far than myself.
I love music, I play guitar, and I love to watch and listen to the piano, or the drums, when they’re playing. But why then did I not learn how to play the piano (yet)? Well, because I do not care so much! It is not my priority! Playing the guitar was my priority when I was a teenager, and I’ve learned it. And yes, I really like the piano, but it is not a priority and I don’t care enough about it to sacrifice money, time and nerves to learn it. Maybe one day it will get higher in my ranking of priorities and I will get there, I do not exclude it, but now I simply do not care enough. So, to conclude, the definitive and unquestionable answer to “why those who say they would like to leave and travel, or change their lives, then they don’t do it?” Is the same as the one about my lack of study of the piano: “It is not their priority, they don’t really care so much about it (although they seem to don’t know it)“.
P.S. Actually I’ve learned the main chords on the piano, and I know how to play Let It Be, but this worth like the two-weeks holidays worth for those who would really love to travel around the world for a year.
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