Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?

I'm sitting at a desk in the main office of a large ct law firm, and it's simply boring. I've been mulling over whether I'd like to pursure the life of desks and paychecks or freedom and cheap beer. I've bussed tables, lifeguarded, landscaped, and, at 19, I am currently getting paid for doing absolutely nothing societally constructive at a rate of 20 bucks an hour. I thought it'd be sweet. I'd meet all the up-and-ups, get some good connections, cash a fat check. The more I work in this confined space, the more I just want to get free. These lawyers bill out at over $300 an hour, and I've never seen more spirit drained from a person. I swear, there are bums with bigger smiles. There is no correlation between money and happiness, only between money and satisfaction, and it is not useful that what satisfies does not directly make happy. Time is money, and if you have a lot of money, then a lot of time must have been spent getting that money, time that could have been spent skiing, rather than pursuading the next company that their position of legal defense won't impede upon their growth.

I suppose I write this for all those kids out there who have big dreams of being a big person. I write for myself, as we all do, which puts me in the position of that kid. That being said, don't get caught up in money, glamour, status-quo. Whether it's digging at a park until you've run your twenties dry or working the late-night shift to get turns in during the day, the level of total enjoyment has got to be greater than that of any lawyer I know. Society has its current, and I'd recommend letting it take you until it's rested you on its shores, rather than struggling to get a hold miles before the waterfall.

Furthermore, as long as you exercise a bit of frugality, no matter what your rate of pay, wise, patient investing can ensure anyone's financial longevity and security.