Today's topic of discussion is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.
I personally have always been a country boy at heart so my own bias will play a factor in the contents of this post.
While I prefer the country lifestyle, I have had experience living in a city so I feel as if I may be able to bridge a gap when giving this discussion.
Living in a city like Las Vegas compared to living in the middle of nowhere is nothing short of complete and utter difference in terms of lifestyle, values, and morals.
In my experience living in Las Vegas, I saw and experienced what I would consider to see the worst in people - everything from homeless crack heads living on a street corner, to the lack of morality people have for making a living for themselves.
Now, before I jump the gun here, I myself have done things I am not necessarily proud of in order to put a roof over my head but I can at least say that I experienced what is and what isn't for me.
I realize that sacrificing my basic morals and life principles were not worth the stress and anxiety doing things that aren't suitable to my spirit as a human or as a man.
I have experienced the attention driven lifestyle, I have experienced watching people throw all of the morals completely out of the window when it comes to relationships, and I have seen the true damage that can be caused by chasing short-term gratification.
When living in a city, everyone is trying to fit in with everyone else.
Everyone is trying to be a part of what everyone else around them is doing and trying to get their piece of the pie.
Everyone is living a life of trying to see what benefit the people around them can offer them, instead of being able to find peace within themselves.
I have seen what it is like being a man that is being chased by women, both single and married.
I have seen what men that value pleasure and short-term gratification do behind closed doors.
The city life simply is not an environment for a man like myself.
I have never been one to value going out to drink, party, gamble, and have sex with as many women as possible through all hours of the night.
I have never been one to take drugs on a regular basis to numb myself and chase pleasure.
In fact, when I lived in Vegas, I spent a majority of the four years that I lived there alone.
I would go to work, go to the gym, and come home to spend the rest of the day/night with my two dogs.
I always found more comfort in my own solitude with my animals then being out and about in the chaos of all of the noise.
I am aware that some people do readily like the fast-paced city lifestyle.
There are people that enjoy being around a shit ton of people all at one time on a regular basis.
However, this has never been me and who I am as a person.
I realize that some people are wired to chase pleasure and surround themselves with other people that enjoy chasing pleasure.
I realize that people that are money hungry will all flock together and thrive off of figuring out new ways to exploit others so that they can continue on with living their lifestyle.
None of these things have ever been of any interest to me.
I have always felt that I was meant for something more than living as a degenerate in a city of other degenerates.
I believe that I can make my own money doing something that feels authentic and not fabricated for the benefit of my ego.
This is why I naturally gravitate to the country boy lifestyle.
Doing what I do now is the only thing I have ever done that truly makes me feel like a man.
Being able to be useful, use my hands, sweat, get dirty, and bond with other living creatures is something that feels holistic and pure.
While I had natural talent as a performer and entertaining people, doing something that doesn't feel true and authentic to me is not something that truly suits me.
I am grateful for my experiences living in a city like Vegas because I have been able to experience things and a quality of life that many people can honestly say they never did.
This is partially why I write about a lot of the things that I write about here at Playboy Ranchin'.
I have seen sides of people that the outside world knows exists, but never truly experiences to the magnitude of which I have seen.
Granted, there are levels to everything because there are levels in which I have not yet achieved where the game changes even more.
But I have been smack dab in the middle of situations that is not necessarily something to be proud of.
I am grateful for every experience and every opportunity that I have received up to this point in my life because it has allowed me to think with great clarity on exactly how I want to live my life and the things I am going to accomplish.
Living the country life is extremely different than living in a city with a bunch of noise and chaos all around you.
There are always problems that need to be solved, especially working on a ranch with animals, but it is peaceful work.
Something like working on a ranch has taught me the true value of just being able to work and solve problems.
This fence needs fixing - go and fix it.
The entire piping system to the automatic wateries for the horses has gone to shit - find the problem and repair it.
This horse nearly got its leg torn off from a downed fence in the pasture - wrap the horses leg, call the vet, and repair the fence.
These are all things that truly make life worth living to a man like myself.
On top of just being able to bond with the animals - animals that have no ego, no ulterior motives, and just plain black and white.
Working with horses has taught me some of my greatest life lessons such as just being able to appreciate being in the moment.
Feeling the heart beat and the breath of another living creature, while being outside the way God intended us to be.
These are the moments I find to be the most appreciative of doing what I do now.
With all of that being said, my life experience is exactly what brought me here, creating Playboy Ranchin', to share what I have learned and experienced in my short 28 years of life on this planet.
I find great joy in just being able to sit here and write to you all and just know that somebody is going to read it, even if it isn't thousands of people.
If I can help anyone want to become a stronger version of themselves and be able to think for themselves, then I consider that a win.
Granted, there is still a lot of work to be done and my foot is never going to come off of the gas pedal because that is the way that I am wired.
I value hard work, I value my time with my family and friends, and I value the things in life that bring me the most peace.
To me, there is no comparison in terms of what lifestyle feels right - I choose the country lifestyle eight days a week and twice on Sunday's.
I do not value things such as pleasure and short-term gratification because I have learned that anything worth having takes time, work, and patience.
Continuing to build my self-confidence and who I am as a man and the impact that I can make on the world is what I value - not trying to exploit other people for my own benefit.
I believe everyone has something in which they naturally find peace in and it is just a matter of being able to diversify yourself, learn new things, and experience different ways of life to truly be able to find what brings them the most peace.
I was fortunate enough to find my purpose, which has led me here and I never plan on giving up on the things that I truly value and what make me who I am.
If I can do it, then I have all of the confidence in the world that you can too is you are willing to open up your mind and see what else is out there.