You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing

Time and again, I am sure that we are at these crossroads where it becomes quite difficult to make a choice between various things we want to do in life, the many confusion, fascinations, and diversions, somehow it becomes quite difficult to choose a path for ourselves.

Remind yourself that you don't have to do what everyone else is doing - Oprah Winfrey
Remind yourself that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing – Oprah Winfrey Quotes

What do we do in a situation like that? How do we take a decision when there is so much confusion? Well! One of the simplest ways is to look around us, see what others are doing, and simply follow the same – Easy right? If so many people are doing it, then it must be right!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing

There is no way it can go wrong and also if it does, we have the company of so many others for whom it didn’t work – atleast we have company!

Well! What if those others too took the decision cos they found others doing it? What if those others also did the same? Someone once told me very firmly – “Identify where the herd is going, go the opposite direction”.

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It takes nothing to join the crowd but everything to stand alone – Hans F Hansen

Maybe it makes sense, this way at least I would be getting rid of all the competition. On the plus side, I would not be a part of the rat race! But I guess we can take multiple reasoning for a decision, at some point both the herd mentality and also the mentality of a rebel seems to work best.

But the real answer might be to try and identify what our heart wants the most and go ahead in that direction. The herd may or may not be there to support you but something else turns up, the entire society may be against you, but something turns up, and at times even you may be against yourself but something turns up. After all, it is your life, and your decisions, it pays to live it the way you want!

19 thoughts on “You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing”

  1. Well Preethi, honestly even I did the same, I am an engineer in Electronics and Communication, never liked a bit of it.. It took me 2 more years of job to leave that and 2 more years to realize what I really want in my life :D .
    It is a very valid point, our parents have always got the better of us and the society has always got the better of them! And we realize our life is led by everyone else but us!! :D .. It as though feels like a cruel joke someone is playing on us.

    But like you said taking responsibility for our actions and realizing that we are responsible even if we take someone else’s decision is a thorough moral to live by, it atleast makes us complain less :)

  2. preethiprasan

    well…sad to say…i did exactly that when it came to selecting my degree…go with the group!! and at that time…commerce graduation with an additional CA or CWA or CS!! and ofcourse NIIT was thriving!! And I wanted to do mathematics and psychology…lol…crazy as it sounds my parents choices have been brilliant for me always and i ended up being good at it…out of choice of course and not force :) After that i did study psychology…but “it does pay to make your own decisions” and mold your own future…that way we can take responsibility for our actions and grow from the experience. :) totally agree:)

  3. I agree Shivani, like you said, most times we don’t even feel it and even if we do, sometimes we even push it down and deny to acknowledge it, maybe cos it pushes us out of the comfort zone. I guess no matter what reasons we give ourselves, something we all have to tell ourselves is whether we did something or not. And although we all have very solid reasons for the same, I guess they never matter, all that matters is what we do out of it!

    I like the way you represent your call. And the word Ragaa as well, adds so much to the meaning..

  4. Thank you Seeta, that means so much to me. Perhaps the entire site, every part of it was started with that one and only thought and I am so elated you feel that. Thank you, this comment certainly makes my day :)

  5. What a co incidence. We have the same angst and have spoken about thus the very ‘ Call’. It would be nice if you could come and see how I have dealt with the same. Too bad Vinay mostly we don’t feel the call because either it is drowned in the cacophony or we r blind towards our own. Generally most r happy aping other calls and what’s worse bragging about it. Faking it. Some of it get it though…and then they remain honest and true to it and to themselves. End result no no success comes later first comes happiness…then contentment…then….
    Pls come and have a look at my call too…and I call my call Ragaa. :)

  6. True Alok, I really don’t understand the logic behind one size fits all approach to solving problems in life. Every thing we face is customized to us, no one can feel the same for us. We have to find our own ways..

  7. Very true, you just need to do what you feel you are comfortable doing so. Always know that copy and paste not even works every time.

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