10 Years Rule: For Tourism, Traveling, And Happiness

The 10 Year Rule states that it becomes too much of a routine if you live longer than 10 years in one place. In contrast, a person stops looking at the positive side of the place where they live. Instead, they focus on the negative side of that environment, eventually leading to dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

Adam And Eve Spent Longer Than 10 years In One Place

Of course, the 10-year rule is my approximation. It can take more or less time for different people to get used to other places. Still, regardless of who we are and where we spend time, we will eventually get bored. 

In this regard, I often say that even Adam and Eve got bored of paradise. They just spent too much time there. Similarly, I believe that London is among the 5 top places I loved to live. Yet, although I loved this place, I start getting bored living after that approximately 10 years for my 10 Years Rule Planning.

The implications of this rule are straight forward to me. Don’t live longer than 10 years in one place. Don’t buy a house where you plan to live all your life. Go traveling regularly. 

People Who Travel Are Better Human Beings

A self-reference bias is responsible for making us believe that we are excellent and perfect, just because we are us. Yet, often, it takes an outside perspective to challenge our beliefs and realize how limited and constrained we are in our way of living, being, and thinking. And this is why I like traveling.

Traveling gives us perspective and challenges our current way of looking at the world. This is why I believe that people who travel regularly are better human beings overall. They become so because they see how other people live and behave, which is often way different from what they are used to.

In turn, it shows how we can live better or worst, which is always possible to find, regardless of where we are from and where we go. For example, in Thailand, I remember people smiled a lot despite having very little economically speaking. In United Kingdom, people could be quite depressed, despite their relatively high abundance. 

Why Change Your Place Of Living Can Change Your Life?

Another observation I have as a long-term expat is that it almost does not matter where you have previously lived before or where you want to go next. If you spent more than 10 years in one place, you are likely to be depressed in that old environment. Respectfully, changing the environment will make you happy. 

Often, especially with the first time expats, it almost does not matter where you have previously lived or where you want to go next. If you go to a new place, you automatically enjoy it regardless of how cool it was in the first place and where is the second place. 

Why Living In Tropical Climate Does Not Make You Happy?

Lastly, people often believe that people who live in warmer, perhaps tropical environments, are happier than their cold environments counterparts. Yet, this is not what we are seeing. 

The warmed environment is are often preferred in the short-term by people who spent too much time in a cold or rainy environment. Yet, in the long-term, people get used to their new circumstances, regardless of where they are. Indeed, I’m not talking about some extreme environments, but I do overall recommend you change your place of living after 10 years and go traveling on a regular basis. 

Enjoy!