I have had SO many conversations with friends recently about the topic of following your own path that I was compelled to write a post on it.
It is HARD in any stage of life to find your own way, to forge your own path, to be true to your beliefs. As a kid, all you want to do is fit in (at least I did). I didn’t want to stand out at all (even though the Leo inside me was dying for everyone’s attention). I never wanted to be the “new kid” or thought of differently because I wasn’t wearing the “it” clothes at the time (North Face fleeces aka basic bitch vibes). And BTW- most of those “popular” kids peak in high school & end up being losers as adults- so just keep that in mind!
Even now as an adult, most of my friends are married, own their own homes & have children. And I’m over here like: spending most of this year on unemployment, not married & I don’t own shit. But guess what, that doesn’t mean that I’m less than. It just means that my journey is different & that’s ok.
Deep down I always knew fitting in & following the crowd wasn’t for me- but I feel like you are conditioned to think that way sometimes by society.
You’re taught to go to school, get good grades, go to college, find a great job, marry someone, have 2.5 kids & a white picket fence, stay at your job for 30+ years then retire. Then at that point you can start living the life you want.
Well I call bullshit on that.
There is no right or wrong way to live your life. There is no specific blueprint you need to follow in order to obtain the life you want. And there is absolutely no reason that you need to fit in & keep up with “the Joneses”.
It’s taken me a long time to come to this conclusion- about 30 years to be exact. And what’s more frustrating is that I feel like I need to keep justifying my decisions & choices to people. Bottom line- you don’t. If people in your life do not agree with your life’s path or your version of your dream life- then fuck ’em.
I decided a while ago that I wanted to start my own business & live the laptop lifestyle.
Creating an online business (including my blogging, web services & consulting) where I could work when I wanted & where I wanted. It’s not your typical 9-5 job (thank God- been there, done that) & that’s what I love about it. I got a lot of pushback & people just didn’t understand.
Don’t get discourage by all the haters. Just keep moving forward with your plan & work towards your goal. At the end of the day, you know what’s best for you. Shut out all the noise & keep doing you.
So basically the moral of this story is: believe in yourself & work hard to live the life you want to live. Do not succumb to society’s pressures to “keep up” with others & change your lifestyle in order to fit in. Living above your means to fit into society’s portrayal of the “dream” lifestyle is also just bullshit. Don’t fall into that trap.
Do you! Stay true to yourself. Align yourself with people who share the same values & beliefs. Find your tribe (your real tribe, not some fake bitches on Instagram).
