Our parents tell us to work hard, our friends tell us to party hard… but what’s the best way to have a great life?

Many people work themselves into bitter old age, never getting the big break they wanted. Many others party themselves into depression and poor life choices, never finding what they were looking for either.Only you can define what can make your life great. To help you on your search, here are a few common myths people tell you are required to have a great life.

Some people spend their whole life chasing these meaningless things, but you don’t have to!

College is a MUST

Forbes.com places student loan debt in the United States at an enormous 1.56 trillion. Of the 44.7 million debtors, 11.4% default on their loans. That’s 5.1 million people who are unable to pay their student loans.This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to college, but it does mean you should be careful. Only take on debt if you absolutely need to. Consider other options such as trade schools or starting your own business. College can be a great way to open some doors, but the price tag these days is just too high.

Work and Play Need to be Separate

Let’s talk about rock stars. Do you think they got where they are complaining about how they don’t want to get up and play music? No, they love playing music. We can feel that when we see them perform.What about tamer types of rock stars? Let’s talk about CEO’s and Entrepreneurs. Do you think Elon Musk hits the snooze on his alarm clock? Do you think he dreads going in to his day of meetings? No. The man is trying to colonize Mars and the thrill of that compares to little else.You don’t have to love your job as much as Musk or a rock star, but you shouldn’t hate it. Work is an important part of life and even if you didn’t have to do it, you would become bored and depressed.

Find something you enjoy doing and be good at it! It doesn’t have to be boring. Mondays don’t have to be awful.

It’s All About Goals

Everyone thinks that if they just achieved one or two goals, their life and their soul would be complete. The reality, however, is that achieving a goal gives only a short hit of endorphin before we need another. Once the excitement wears off, many find themselves feeling empty after its all over.Focus on the journey, not the goal. Goals are extremely important to keep us going, but they are not the end. We need to continually achieve while being content with our life right now.

We don’t need a new car, a prestigious award, or to master some difficult skill. We need to be content with who we are while aiming to improve the world around us.

Happiness Comes from External Things

They say that money can’t buy happiness. That’s not entirely true because money provides for our five basic needs. Once we have those covered, however, nothing external is required to have a great life. What we need is confidence, self-respect, and strong personal relationships.So, stop chasing money, likes, and follows. No one will be impressed if you post a picture of a Ferrari you test drove. It doesn’t matter if you went to college or not, it doesn’t matter what you have or have not done. It matters how you feel about yourself and how you feel about the world.

Life is what you make it, and you get to choose. So, make it great!