I left Australia for Canada, and I'm extremely happy I did. It's not perfect, but there's a lot more ability here to live the life you want - just work 4 days

I left Australia for Canada, and I'm extremely happy I did. It's not perfect, but there's a lot more ability here to live the life you want - just work 4 days a week, or maybe 6 months a year. Out West it's perfectly acceptable for a 20-something or 30-something or 40-something to say "actually, I'd like to go to work less and live more". People are very accepting of that. So the priority is not simply to work more, but to find a life that is fulfilling and enjoyable for you. I really like that. When I was recently in Australia I had dozens and dozens of people confront me and tell me that I need to "get a real job" and all of that. I also feel strongly that somewhere along the line Australia's lost the plot and now the purpose of life is going to work, getting insurance and saving for retirement. I was once told "Australian's don't know how to live, they just die slowly". I've spent a few thousand hours thinking about that, and the more I saw of Australia the more I found it to be generally true. It was also extremely eye-opening to realize how cut-off from the world Australia is, and how the media & politicians there can basically say whatever they want, and Australian's swallow it down hook and all because they have nothing to easily fact or reality check it against. (I say this as someone who lived 24 years in Australia, studied Engineering at University, etc. etc.) After spending 18 months in Australia last year and driving all over the entire country, I know for 100% certain I will never live there again.