Gabriella Bastin, a 29-year-old from Illinois, shares her journey of finding true happiness by breaking free from societal expectations and embracing a life of adventure and travel.
Amid rising rates of unhappiness, Gabriella Bastin, a 29-year-old from Illinois, says that she found true happiness by rejecting the societal expectations that once defined her life. After getting married at 24, purchasing an enviable property, and building a thriving career in dentistry—all the milestones that hold up the promise of the American Dream —Bastin now travels the world, embracing a life filled with adventure and freedom.
Her story, which she shared on TikTok, has resonated with many millennials seeking fulfillment outside conventional norms. Bastin's journey, documented under @gabbiebastin, highlights a growing trend among younger millennials who are keen to prioritize their personal happiness over 'settling down.' From a young age, Bastin had followed the path laid out by societal expectations—studying dental hygiene right out of high school, graduating before 21, and diving into a lucrative career in healthcare. \'But I always had this obsession with islands, surfing, the ocean, however, I was surrounded by cornfields and big cities,' Bastin told Newsweek. By 24, she had married, bought a house, and remodeled it with her then partner. 'I always thought that this was success,' Bastin said. 'That this was the American dream. What I always 'dreamed of' as a child, but still, I felt so empty.'\Despite achieving what many would consider a perfect life, Bastin felt unfulfilled and trapped by the conventional path she had followed. The turning point came when her marriage ended. Seizing the opportunity to reinvent herself, she participated in a volunteer program in South Africa, where she learned to surf. 'The life I was living there felt so right. So I took that as my sign to keep traveling,' she said. In 2022, she traveled to six of the seven continents, documenting her solo adventures on social media. Today, Bastin resides in Far North Queensland, Australia, where she continues to explore and take on adventurous hobbies such as diving in the Great Barrier Reef
Happiness Travel Millennials Societal Expectations American Dream
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