WEEK 33

Day 225: On Following Someone Else’s Plan

Ester asked why people are sad.

“That’s simple,” says the old man. “They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people’s ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.”

—Paulo Coelho 225

I like to say that self-discipline can change a lot in your life, but it won’t change much if you’re following someone else’s dreams.

For example, I went to college because my parents wanted me to do it. Graduating from college was, according to them, a necessity to succeed in life. I couldn’t care less about formal education, but they did, and since I was young and inexperienced, I obeyed.

Despite being a self-disciplined and persistent person, I didn’t last even two years. I dropped out, tired of constantly forcing myself to follow a plan that was not created by me. The day I decided to drop out was one of the happiest days of my life. It was also the moment when I finally embarked on my own journey, focused on my own goals .

If no matter what you’re doing, you’re finding it immensely difficult to pursue your goals, ask yourself if they’re really your own goals. Are you studying because you want to study? Are you a lawyer because it was your own choice? Do you want to make money to buy a house in the suburbs because it’s your idea of a perfect life or is it what society expects you to desire?

Don’t forget your dreams. Discard any goal or idea that was forced upon you by somebody else that isn’t aligned with your values and personality. Get to work on your own plans and then follow them instead.