If you’re happy and you know it…

You spend your whole life preparing for your adult life. You go to school to learn valuable tools needed to live daily life and hopefully prosper. There seems to be a general consensus that there is only one way to be happy successful in life, and it is whatever way you are TOLD to live. Notice I did not say “happy” and successful. I did not mention it because it a false hope in our society. If you did what you wanted to do in life, you couldn’t possibly be successful. You wouldn’t end up being happy doing what you love because you will be too stressed over how you are going to survive. However, if you did what you needed to in order to be successful,  you would automatically be “happy” because you would have prospered and made your family proud. If you go against what society desires for YOUR life, then it will make you miserable.

If you did not follow the laid out guidelines for your life as prescribed by society and you fail, you will never hear the end of what a disgrace and disappointment you are. On the same hand, if you DO follow what people said and it led to great prosperity, they will never let you forget that it was THEY who got you there.

There is so much I wish I tell the younger generations preparing for entry into the REAL world and stepping outside of their bubbles for the first time to get their “sea legs.” I guess I would sum it all up into, “follow your own lead.” If you want to be a philosopher and spend all day asking, “why,” then make it work for you. Find exactly what you can do to make money from it, or decide to live less modern, let’s say.

I went to college as an education major. Did I REALLY want to teach? No. I was just led to believe that whatever I actually enjoyed doing, I could end up teaching it and be happy/successful. I would be worth bragging about at family get-togethers. What is my REAL passion? History. I LOVE history. What did I want to do with it? Nothing really, truth be told. My dream was to do what I am actually doing. I am a stay-at-home mom. I get to be here to enjoy and shape my family. I plan on homeschooling my children (ironic). Had I not married when I did, I would have continued my studies into a Library Science degree to be a librarian or Museum Studies to work at, wait for it, a museum. Why? That is simple, so I can continue to learn about history while being paid to do so.

This is America for Pete’s sake. Why is everyone so afraid to follow their dreams and strike out and do something amazing that they love doing? That is an easy one too: judgement. Everyone is so dang judgmental of each other. It’s disgusting. Not everyone is meant to go to college. Not everyone is meant to have a fabulous career. Not every woman is meant to be a “strong independent woman.” Not every man is meant to be the main bread winner. Our society preaches we need to be more tolerant and we need change, but it cannot happen if our basic choices are compromised. Why can’t a family decide to homeschool their kids? Why can’t a young adult decide not to go to college, but move to Los Angeles to act? Why can’t a man quit his job to stay home and take care of his kids? Why is a difference in opinion so taboo? Isn’t that why we came to America? For the sake of freedom of persecution like this? It makes me sick.

What about the few that actually succeed GREATLY doing what they LOVE you may ask? Don’t worry, they will be taxed greatly for the audacity of achieving the American Dream.