Want to Go Your Own Way? Is Social Conditioning Holding You Back?

Go your own way and break free from living the way society dictates.

There are many rules and regulations set by the society that we live in. Some of these are good and necessary. I certainly do not believe that we should live in a lawless state. We should, and most of us do, pay our taxes, follow the road rules when we drive, and live by a basic code of right and wrong. I don’t know many people who disagree with murder being illegal! Many rules exist to protect us and to maintain order in our communities.

However, what I do have a problem with is the pressure that is put on us to conform. There are countless spoken and unspoken regulations on how we ought to live our lives. From major life choices, such as whether or not to get married, through to daily habits like not eating dessert before dinner, we are overwhelmed with ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts.’

If there is no evidence that eating dessert first will cause anyone any harm, and you want to do it, then do it! We have enough real rules and regulations to comply with, without worrying about pointless social conventions.So go your own way- wear blue and green, leave your bed unmade, and sleep til midday.

We may gain approval and admiration as a ‘reward’ for conforming, and be ‘punished’ for going against the crowd. This punishment can take the form of sarcasm, ridicule, criticism, or being outright ignored. While praise can be a pleasant thing to hear, you have to ask yourself whether it is really worth it. Ridicule may hurt, but could it be more painful than a life spent denying your own wishes in order to fit in?

Becoming aware of how much social conditioning affects our lives is the first step in breaking free from it. If you are making choices in your life, either big or small, that don’t feel good to you, ask yourself why. Don’t make yourself miserable by living life in a way that you think will stop the neighbors talking behind your back. They will most likely talk anyway!

People that are overly concerned about how you are living your life are simply taking their focus off their own lives. Someone who criticizes you for making a bold career change probably really wants to criticize themselves for not having the courage to make a similar choice.

If the way that ‘things have always been done around here’ is a way that you feel good about, then great! You can be true to yourself without having to take a stand against the crowd. But if their way is not your way, then take a stand you must!

Your life is simply too valuable to waste another minute trapped by social conditioning. It is time for you to go your own way, break free from how you ‘should’ be living your life, and just live it!

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