Are You Lying To Yourself For The Sake Of Others?

“Why can’t you be more like… “

You have probably heard of this line at one time or another in your lives– young or adult. Your parents pushed you to be more like the person whom they deem the model of what you should be like? Or maybe it was your spouse.

You know– your cousin who has a PhD, your brother is a fortune 500 company’s vice president, your neighbour just bought a flashy new car and so on– their successes being constantly drummed into your head like a bulldozer. And all of these are pushing you to be like them in one way or the other.

So you go into stock trading when your real talent lies in photography. You start on a path not necessarily doing what you love, but doing what you “should” be doing because, it fits the model, the storyboard that has been drawn for you since you were young.

You basically live your life becoming someone you are not, doing something you hate, simply because it pays the bill or everyone expects it – mainly because you BELIEVE that is the right path.

Get this – “EVERYONE” is irrelevant and your belief system could be wrong in the first place.

End of the day, you are the one who will be doing all those things, whether you like it or not. Everyone will never know what it’s like and they’re ‘free’ to give their suggestions. There’s saying, “the most expensive advice is a free advice”.

Maybe it’s time for you to step back and take stock if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life?

A lot of us spend our time living up to someone else’s ideals, whether it is our parents, friends or society in general. It’s not their fault, whether it’s self preservation, or just wanting the best for you.

This has led to people setting themselves up for failure because, at the back of their minds, they are not happy with what they are doing, they feel the pressure to achieve that goal when they would rather do something else, or simply they don’t have the ability to do it!

I can understand if you say this to me:

“Well Patric, it’s kinda too late to change for me. I might not live the life that I want, but THIS IS IT. It’s not possible for me to quit my job or start doing the things I want.”

And I’ll agree with you 100%. Who am I to kid, saying that everything can be changed overnight. That’s absurd.

But realistically, you can find time to do what you want to do right?

If you’re a lawyer, I’m sure you can’t quit being one now and turned to become a fireman just to follow your dream.

Think carefully- why you want to become a fireman when you were young? Is it because you want to be a hero? If that’s the case, I’m sure there are many other ways how you can become a hero. Don’t give me the crap saying that you can’t, because deep in your heart, you know you can- the question is, whether you want or not, or willing to do it.

As humans, we constantly act according to what we imagine to be true about ourselves. So if something that we deem to be true is making us unhappy, maybe we should be evaluating it to see if it has substance.

So your parents tell you that the only way to make money and have a comfortable life is to go to university, get a degree and set your sights on a corporate job. Is that true? Look at your life right now and you’ll know the truth. I’m not surprise it turns out to be the truth FOR YOU but unfortunately, that doesn’t happen to most people.

For instance, history has shown us that people can be successful without ever going to a university. Heck, it’s common to see the A students working for the C students when they all are grown up. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying schools are bad- I’m saying that they don’t guarantee you anything, especially good fortune.

At the same time, a “comfortable” life is very subjective. If their definition is a 5-figure monthly income, then yes, the easiest place to get that would be in the corporate world. But are there other options that will give you the same results that you have not explored yet? Who knows– maybe your deep desire of owning and running a hairdressing business can make twice that amount.

So the next time someone asks you why can’t be like so and so, hold your head up high and be glad that you’re not. Maybe, you can even answer, “Yes, I am not” and smile.

If you like what you read, it’ll be cool if you can leave a Comment as well. I’ll definitely appreciate it very much because I read every single Comment posted here personally.

You “Chan” Do It!

Patric Chan

P.S: I’ve created 2-hour video, sharing the system that I use to achieve success in my life. It’s free at www.ycdisuccessoutcome.com

—

Similar Posts:

• There Are Two Types Of Time
• 7 lessons from the skool of Life that an MBA won’t teach you
• The First Principle in The Science of Getting Rich