You’ve seen it all over social media: “Quit your job! Buy the flight! Money always comes back!”
It’s the unofficial mantra of our generation: fuck it, you only live once.

And look, I get the sentiment. Life is short. Opportunities come and go. But lately, “YOLO” has become less about living fully and more about living foolishly. It’s the grown-up equivalent of eating cake for breakfast and calling it self-care.

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The Cult of Reckless Optimism

Social media is full of people glamorising impulsivity. One video tells you to quit your job and “follow your heart.” The next assures you that “money comes back,” while carefully skipping over the crippling APR that follows. Somewhere in between, there’s usually someone sipping a €14 coconut latte in Bali while explaining that “you can’t put a price on freedom.”

Except… you can. And most people do, on their credit cards.

I don’t say that to mock anyone. I’ve been there. I once lived with constant money on my credit card because I was terrified of missing out. If a friend said, “Let’s go,” I went, whether I could afford it or not. The funny thing is, those spontaneous moments didn’t feel like freedom; they felt like anxiety with better lighting.

When YOLO Goes Wrong

I once met an Airbnb host in the U.S. He was one of the kindest people I’ve ever encountered. He was $275,000 in credit card debt and about to lose his home. Despite his situation, he was still helping people who had less than he did. One day I had a strange premonition that something was wrong. I called him, and he confessed he was about to take his own life because of the debt.

You can read about my stay with him here.

That’s what no one tells you about YOLO culture, it doesn’t always end with palm trees and enlightenment. Sometimes it ends with unpayable bills and unbearable pressure.

I’ve also met a man in Austin who’d travelled the world until his money ran out. Now he lives on the streets. And I’ve seen Westerners begging in Southeast Asia after their “find yourself” adventures went wrong.

We don’t like to talk about those stories. They don’t fit the narrative. But they’re real.

The Myth of “Money Always Comes Back”

Money doesn’t have feelings. It doesn’t miss you when you’re gone. It won’t come crawling back because you followed your dreams.
And yet we’ve normalised this idea that being financially reckless is a form of bravery.

Yes, life is uncertain. But there’s a big difference between uncertainty and irresponsibility. You can absolutely say yes to adventure, but it’s a whole lot more enjoyable when you can also say yes to paying your bills.

When COVID hit, something changed for me. I cleared all my debt for the first time in years, and suddenly I could breathe. I started saying yes from a place of freedom, not fear. I said yes knowing that yes had the option to make everything greater, not harder.

And funnily enough, I became more spontaneous. I stopped worrying about how I’d pay for things later, and started enjoying them fully in the moment. It also made me more generous, because I wasn’t constantly trying to dig myself out of a hole.

Spontaneity Shouldn’t Equal Stupidity

Saying yes is one of the most beautiful ways to live, but it shouldn’t require financial self-sabotage.
If you can’t afford your “yes,” it’s not empowerment; it’s avoidance dressed up as adventure.

The happiest people I meet on the road aren’t the ones who quit everything overnight. They’re the ones who built their freedom brick by brick, saving, planning, and prioritising the life they wanted.

How to Say Yes Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Money)

If you’ve ever felt torn between responsibility and adventure, here’s the good news: you don’t have to choose. You can say yes… wisely.

Here’s how:

• Create a YOLO fund. Get a bank account that lets you create pots. I use Monzo, it rounds up every purchase and puts the spare change into a “fuck it” fund. You’d be amazed how fast it grows.
• Only say yes to what you can pay off. Credit cards aren’t freedom passes, they’re future you’s problem.
• Big yes? Have a backup plan. If you’re making a major life change, give yourself a safety net. Plan A feeds your dream. Plan B keeps you fed.
• Save intentionally. Don’t just spend less, spend better. Prioritise experiences that make you feel alive, not just seen.

The Privilege Problem

It’s also worth acknowledging that “just quit your job and travel” is advice soaked in privilege.
For many people, debt isn’t a choice, it’s survival. Rent, healthcare, childcare… these aren’t optional line items. So when social media tells everyone to “just take the leap,” it ignores the millions of people who’d love to, but can’t.

Freedom should never be defined by how recklessly you can behave. True freedom is being able to say yes without wondering how you’ll eat next week.

The Real Meaning of YOLO

Yes, you only live once. Which is exactly why you should want that life to be sustainable.
Take the leap, absolutely, but pack a parachute.

Say yes bravely.
Say yes often.
But say yes knowing that your yes will make everything greater, not harder.

Because living fully doesn’t mean living foolishly.