The irony of our life is that we are guided by societal norms. We are often reprimanded if we start thinking out of the box and try to carve out our own niche in life. But the same society criticizes us if we fail to make it in life. And, the very same society, praises those who broke the rules to emerge successful once they are successful.
The point to note is that society looks at things one way and a businessman looks at things in quite a different way. So, the people who go by societal values end up in a particular way and the people who follow the businessman’s advice end up in a very different way.
For instance, society would want you to go to school and get yourself educated properly. Society would want to get a job when you are old enough to work. Society would expect you to get married when you attain the marriageable age. By following societal norms there is every chance that you might end up in debts. Then you would have to pay off those debts. Of course, if you get married, you will have kids in all probability. That goes without saying. Then you provide for their education and try to help them settle down in life. By the time you retire, you would have little or no money to look after yourself. You will live in misery unless you have the good sense to save up some money for your old age in spite of all that you go through in your life. And, one day you will die and that would be the end of your story. This certainly does not look like a success story.
The businessman on the other hand may not be bothered too much if their children choose not to go to school. Their attitude towards their children is: Go to school if you want to. Instead of picking up a job, businessmen may prefer to have you start a business instead. Then you work hard to establish your business. Once your business gets established, you can hire employees to shift your load of work by paying them and you can find more free time for yourself. With the kind of money you would have made by your marriageable age, you may be able to find a spouse of your choice and persuade the person to marry you. Most of the time, your proposal would be accepted because of your financial status and your status in the society. You can plan your family and have your children when you are ready. If you do well in your business you may be able to retire by age 40 or 45 or 50. Then you can travel around the world and enjoy your life. And, you would be able to lead a comfortable life for the rest of your life because of your financial stability. This makes for a success story.
So, don’t follow societal norms blindly. Be bold. Make your own decisions. Because, you enjoy the fruits of your good decisions and you pay for your good decisions. Therefore, there is no reason why you should let others make your life decisions.
At the end of the day, nobody is going to ask you why you didn’t follow societal norms. Because, nothing succeeds like success.
