I'm leaving Paris.

Summary

The video explores the creator's journey of self-discovery as he grapples with wanting a slower, more introspective life than the busy one he created for himself in Paris. He explains this realization came recently at 26, countering assumptions that this should be a fast-paced phase. Detailing profound goodbyes he didn't fully take in, to his dog and childhood home, he concludes by reciting a poem underscoring the importance of presence - of standing and staring, not rushing through life unaware you're doing something for the last time.

Takeaways

• 😀 He is finding that getting older leads to his priorities and desires shifting over time
• 👴 He feels less rushed now and wants to be more present in whatever he is doing
• 😕 Questioning his current life path has been confusing and turbulent
• 🌄 He wants to spend more time in quiet countryside open spaces
• 🎥 His YouTube channel tells the story of him figuring out life in real time
• 🐶 He regrets not being fully present during final visits with his childhood home and dog
• ⌛ You don't know when you're experiencing something or someone for the last time
• 🚗 Life changes quickly - you have to appreciate each moment
• 🐢 Going slower allows you to get more out of life
• 📖 The poem shares the idea of making time to appreciate life's beauty

Q & A

What realizations has Nathaniel come to recently about his life and desires?

Nathaniel has realized that his priorities and desires have shifted as he has gotten older. He now wants to spend more time in nature, be alone more, and feels less of a rush to constantly be active and busy.

Why was Nathaniel unable to see his family for over a year after moving to Paris?

Nathaniel was unable to see his family for over a year after moving to Paris because the COVID-19 pandemic began right after he moved. This prevented him from traveling back home.

What happened with Nathaniel's family dog Peanut while he was gone?

Peanut unfortunately passed away under unfortunate circumstances while Nathaniel was gone for over a year, which he did not realize would be the last time he saw her.

Why does Nathaniel say his mother was pleading with him before he left home?

Nathaniel's mother could sense he was not fully present and kept asking him to really be with the family in the moment before he left, but he did not fully hear her plea at the time.

Why didn't Nathaniel realize the gravity of his last visit home?

Nathaniel did not realize that his last visit home was the final time he would be in his childhood home, because he did not know his parents would soon sell the house and leave the country.

What has Nathaniel learned from his experiences of big life changes?

Nathaniel has learned that you often don't realize you are doing or seeing something for the last time when going through big life changes. He wants to appreciate each moment more fully going forward.

What poem does Nathaniel share at the end and why?

Nathaniel shares the poem 'Leisure' by William Henry Davies, which emphasizes slowing down to appreciate life, staring at nature's beauty, and taking time to be present. This aligns with his realizations.

How can therapy help with life transitions?

Therapy can provide guidance and perspective when going through major life changes and questioning one's path. It facilitates self-understanding and growth.

What does Nathaniel say is the one consistent thing he aims for?

Nathaniel says the one thing he always aims for despite other changes is his own character development, which he has publicly shared through his YouTube channel over time.

How can going slower help you get more out of life?

Going slower, being more mindful and present lets you appreciate and soak in each moment more fully. Rushing through prevents you from noticing meaning, beauty and connections.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Getting older brings dynamic personal changes

The first paragraph discusses the speaker's experience with getting older and how his sense of identity and desires continue to shift over time. He moved to Paris 4 years ago seeking community and stimulation, but lately has felt the urge to change directions, questioning if he still wants the life he created. This growth and self-discovery can be turbulent yet he trusts it's leading him where he needs to go.

05:01

😢 Saying unknowing goodbyes is a poignant part of change

The second paragraph recounts two painful stories illustrating the speaker's regrets about unknowingly saying final goodbyes. First with his dog Peanut when he left home, and then later with his childhood home when he visited his parents one last time before they moved. He realizes how change is constant and you can't know when you're experiencing something for the last time.

10:02

💡 Slowing down helps you fully live life

The third and final paragraph shares a poem emphasizing the importance of living slowly, standing still and being fully present instead of rushing. The speaker resolves to follow this wisdom himself as a reminder to live as completely as possible without taking things for granted.

Keywords

💡getting older

The main theme of the video is the narrator's experience and perspective on getting older. He talks about how his priorities and desires keep shifting as he gets older, forcing him to constantly re-evaluate his life path. For example, he mentions that at age 26 he is now interested in living a slower, more intentional life rather than constantly rushing to 'squeeze the juice out of life'.

💡life changes

The narrator emphasizes how life is full of changes that you often don't see coming, using the examples of losing his family dog while he was abroad and his parents selling his childhood home. He realizes the importance of being fully present because you never know when you might be experiencing something for the last time.

💡listening to my heart

The narrator credits 'listening to his heart' for getting him this far in life. When he feels his heart tugging him towards major life changes like pursuing more artistic work or living in the countryside, he has learned to have faith in where his inner voice is leading him, even if it goes against societal conventions.

💡character development

The narrator sees his YouTube channel as telling the story of his life and personal growth. He admits he has been inconsistent over the years but says his goal has always been 'character development' - figuring out life in real time through sharing his experiences publicly.

💡being present

The core message the narrator wants to convey is the importance of being present and not rushing through life. He realizes now that you get more out of life by going slower, being intentional, and appreciating each moment rather than constantly chasing the next thing.

💡change

The narrator emphasizes that change is constant and out of our control. His life plans keep getting overturned by unexpected changes, teaching him that it's best not to take anything for granted and to be open to life's twists and turns.

💡questioning assumptions

An important part of the narrator's personal growth is questioning societal assumptions, rather than blindly following conventional paths. He suggests living fully requires being willing to explore new directions, even if they go against what society says you 'should' do at your age.

💡inconsistencies

The narrator admits that he has been highly inconsistent over the years in terms of his interests, goals, location, appearance etc. But he sees this as part of being human and aims to document the ups and downs of his personal 'character development'.

💡life story

The narrator sees his YouTube channel as telling the ongoing story of his life experiences and personal growth for the public. It captures his inconsistencies, questioning, and search for meaning as he tries to figure out life in real time.

💡goodbyes

An important lesson for the narrator is that you often don't realize you're experiencing final 'goodbyes' to people and places until after the fact, due to unexpected changes. This makes him want to appreciate each moment more fully.

Highlights

I don't fully know who I am, I think a more accurate statement would be, I'm getting to know myself

I keep thinking I figured out what I want and how I want it and then I get a little bit older and my priorities and my desires shift

I'm feeling really drawn to spend time, way more time in the countryside in big quiet Open Spaces. I like being alone more than I ever have

What I want is not something you're supposed to do when you're my age. I'm 26 - this is the phase of life that you're supposed to be living fast

I feel like I've lived a very full life so far but I feel that The Art of Living requires us to question the assumptions of society around us

I'm a little bit in that place right now, but I have faith that everything that I've done so far has led me to this point and that things are going to unfold as they naturally should

What I've been doing with this YouTube channel over all these years is I'm I'm telling you the story of my life and it's a story about being human

The one thing I am always aiming for, and this has never changed since the very beginning is character development

When I did return over a year later our family dog peanut had passed away under unfortunate circumstances.

I didn't realize this but I was visiting for the final time the most important House of my upbringing of my childhood. That's it - it belongs to somebody else now

Change is happening, it's always happening. You can't stop it.

It's best to not rush through whatever it is that you're doing because you don't know when you're doing or seeing or interacting with someone or something for the very last time

I am taking all of this as seriously as I can. I don't want to take things for granted

You do not get more out of Life by going faster you get more out of Life by going slower

How do you live fully? Come in the form of a poem by William Henry Davies called Leisure

Transcripts

getting older is something I am finding

to be an endlessly fascinating

experience I don't fully know who I am I

think a more accurate statement would be

I'm getting to know myself I keep

thinking I figured out what I want and

how I want it and then I get a little

bit older and my priorities and my

desires shift it keeps happening what am

I talking about four years ago I moved

to Paris and it's been four really rich

years of everything that I was looking

for at that time creating a sense of

community of belonging of making friends

of stimulating conversations about art

and life I had all of it but I've had

this growing feeling that is becoming

impossible for me to ignore it's like

the universe is nudging me in a new

direction that I'm supposed to go and

let me tell you it is a scary moment

when you come to the realization that

you maybe don't want the life that you

created for yourself or that you don't

want it anymore we make the best

decisions that we can with the

information we've got the only problem

is that that information information can

quickly become outdated because we're

all learning and growing as we go

recently I made a video sharing my

desire to change the kinds of things

that I want to make to make things that

are more artistic more intimate and I'm

calling this new phase of my life

Nathaniel Drew 4.0 what I didn't fully

take into consideration was that to do

work like that that feels more

intentional more connected I have to

live my life like that as well now

here's the hard part I'm feeling really

drunk on to spend time way more time in

the countryside in big quiet Open Spaces

I like being alone more than I ever

have I don't feel such a rush to do a

million things anymore that's how I used

to think that you had to do things to

squeeze the juice out of life and now I

feel like a much better way to do that

is to be as present as I possibly can be

in whatever I'm doing and that actually

means doing less things at once less

things overall cuz you're not cramming

so much into the 24 hours of a day the

challenge here for me is that what I

want is not something you're supposed to

do when you're my age I'm 26 like this

is the phase of life that you're

supposed to be living fast doing as much

as you possibly can look I feel like

I've lived a very full life so far but I

feel that The Art of Living requires us

to question the assumptions of society

around us so obviously this has been a

bit of a confusing and I'll admit a

little a bit of a turbulent period for

me because I'm just I'm doing a lot of

questioning but I've made it as far as I

have by listening to my heart and my

heart is telling me to explore this New

Path this new Avenue and I don't have it

all figured out but I'm working on it

and I know a lot of people panic at this

point where they question everything

right and they want to make a big change

but they don't know exactly what they

want to replace what they currently have

I'm a little bit in that place right now

but I have faith that everything that

I've done so far has led me to this

point and that things are going to

unfold as they naturally should

sometimes it does feel a little bit like

the plot has been written already or

like at least the big plot points you

know what I mean whether it's like how

my personality or my genetics are

playing out how I was raised what I'm

realizing recently is that what I've

been doing with this YouTube channel

over all these years is I'm I'm telling

you the story of my life and it's a

story about being human and what comes

with that is a whole lot of

inconsistency let me tell you

inconsistencies in terms of what I want

to make what I want to talk about what

format that takes what upload schedule

where I want to live what I look like

but the one thing I am always aiming for

and this has never changed since the

very beginning is character development

if you've been around for a while then

you know you've been watching a guy

figure out his life in real time and so

in that spirit and as a form of

encouragement for those of you out there

that are maybe feeling similarly or

trying to navigate your own path I want

to share a story I hope that in some

small shape or form this can help now

before I dive into that story I want to

briefly thank the sponsor of this video

which is betterhelp betterhelp have been

great supporters of my channel for a

long time now and I'm very happy to

support what they're doing because it's

basically making therapy more affordable

and more accessible to people and look

I'm a big fan of therapy I've been doing

it consistently for years now and I'm

very grateful all of the members of my

family do it as well because I think it

contributes significantly to all of us

getting along like I think gets nothing

but a plus for the family Dynamics

better help makes the whole process easy

and flexible you can pick who you're

talking with when and how it's free to

change your therapist if you're not

clicking and you can easily fit when you

get support according to your schedule

since it's all fully remote and you can

even pick how you're communicating with

your therapist whether that's via text

or video call it's super easy to sign up

and get matched with someone immediately

all you have to do if you're interested

is go to the link in the description or

go to better help /el Drew clicking the

link is a great way to support this

Channel and it also gives you 10% off

your first month when you sign up with

better help thank you again better help

for sponsoring this video all right here

comes the story and unfortunately it's a

little bit of a a scary one as many of

you know I moved to Europe just before

the pandemic began around well almost

exactly 4 years ago this resulted in me

being unable to see my family for over a

year and of course when I was leaving I

had no idea that this was going to

happen I don't think any of us did but I

say this because when I did return over

a year later our family dog peanut had

passed away under unfortunate

circumstances she was a sweet loving dog

so good around people totally knew how

to charm you in some ways I'm still

affected by the fact that I didn't know

I was never going to see her again when

I was leaving for the airport all of my

thinking all my thoughts were around

this new life I was going to have in

Europe it gets worse before I left to go

to the airport on this big move into

this new chapter of my new life I spent

a few months living with my parents I

needed that time to get my French Visa

which was a bit more of a process than I

realized and at that time I was so

incredibly focused on maintaining my

weekly uploads I was so busy I was

working so hard and my mom's a very

intuitive person so she picks up on

energy she can tell what's going on and

she kept telling me I don't feel like

you're present here with us right now

and it was almost like she was pleading

with me please be with us right now

you're here right now let's let's take

advantage of this time and I don't think

I really heard her the message wasn't

entering my brain I was so focused on

what I was doing that it didn't click

what she was saying until well

afterwards until I was stuck thousands

and thousands of miles away but here's

the thing I made the mistake again

because when I did return to visit my

parents over a year after having left

and started my life in Europe what I

didn't realize during that visit was

that it was going to be my last visit in

that house I had no idea that my parents

were going to sell that house and leave

the United States as well can I just say

it is so good to see you it is so good

to see you thanks same oh my God I'm

going to cry I didn't realize this but I

was visiting for the final time the most

important House of my upbringing of my

childhood that's it it belongs to

somebody else now so I'm probably never

going back there and when I was there I

had no idea that yet again I was saying

goodbye to something my point here is

very simple change is happening it's

always happening you can't stop it I'm

sorry if you've already heard this

before you probably have doesn't change

the fact that it's a super important

reminder which is that it's best to not

rush through whatever it is that you're

doing because you don't know when you're

doing or seeing or interacting with

someone or something for the very last

time I am taking all of this as

seriously as I can I don't want to take

things for granted every time I enter a

new chapter of my life I'm realizing now

I'm saying goodbye to a whole bunch of

things and I don't even know what those

things are until afterwards you do not

get more out of Life by going faster you

get more out of Life by going slower and

of course I mean this as a reminder to

myself this is these are all reminders

to myself to live as fully as I can and

how do you do that you ask I don't want

to leave you empty-handed here with this

warning I think the best answer that I

can provide you comes in the form of a

poem by William Henry Davies called

Leisure I hope you

enjoy what is this life if full of

care we have no time to stand and

stare no time to

stand beneath the

boughs and stare as long as sheep or

cows no time to see when Woods we

pass where squirrels hide their nuts and

grass no time to see in broad

daylight streams Full of

Stars like skies at

night no time to turn at Beauty's glance

and watch her feet feet how they can

dance no time to wait till her mouth can

enrich that smile her eyes

began a poor life this is if full of

care we have no time to

stand and

stare

[Music]

for