How to Succeed in 2024 Without Chasing Someone Else’s Dreams
When we talk about success, we often think about what we want to achieve. But there’s another side to this: our values. There’s always a gap between what we think we want and what truly matters to us. Sometimes, we chase goals simply because we’re influenced by others or afraid of missing out. The fear of being left behind is real. We want to belong, to be part of a group, and that’s normal. But too often, we end up following the crowd without even realizing that what we’re doing doesn’t excite us at all. It doesn’t belong to us. It doesn’t make us feel alive.
This is the real danger: waking up 10, 20, or 30 years later and asking yourself, “What have I done with my life?” Living a life just to please others, to fit in with your country, your culture, or your family, instead of living a life that truly excites you. If you want a life that makes you feel alive, you have to make choices that are yours.
Take education, for example. If you come from a family where everyone has a PhD, you might feel you have to get one too, without even questioning it. The same goes for a master’s degree. In many European countries, especially France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, having a master’s is almost a given. It’s just what people do. But travel a bit, and you’ll see it’s not the same everywhere. In Australia, for example, most people don’t have a master’s. It’s mostly foreigners who get one, often to make it easier to get a visa or permanent residency. The same goes for Canada.
So why do we blindly follow what everyone else is doing, just because it’s the norm in our small circle? It’s a kind of brainwashing. We’re told from a young age that this is the way things are done. But if you look around, you’ll see that things are different everywhere. Just because something is common in your country or family doesn’t mean it’s right for you. In a few years, things might change anyway.
The truth is, the majority is often wrong. Don’t make your decisions by default, just because most people do. It’s tough, because we don’t want to be left out. We want to be part of the tribe. But there are other ways to belong. You can prove your worth by doing your own thing, by starting your own projects. That has much more value than following the crowd and doing something that doesn’t excite you. If you’re not passionate, you’ll be average. And average is, by definition, mediocre.
It’s better to excel in your own unique path than to follow the highway and feel out of place. I’m writing this from a café I like, a place where people talk and share ideas. Even here, it’s easy to get distracted by people coming and going. It’s a reminder that you need to be 100% with yourself, 100% sure of what you want to achieve.
The first step is to be honest with yourself about what you want. The second is to do it for yourself. That’s what will let you succeed and excel. At least then, you’ll have the life you wanted, not the life someone else chose for you. That makes all the difference. When you live your own life, there are no regrets.
Often, at the end of life, people regret the things they didn’t do, or the things they did just to please others. Of course, if you genuinely love what you’re doing, that’s great. Sometimes, it’s about status or recognition, and that’s fine too. But you have to know what you really want. That’s the key.
It’s not always easy to know what you want. Sometimes you question yourself, sometimes you hesitate. Try this exercise: talk to yourself as if you were someone else. Look in the mirror and ask, “What do you really want?” Or imagine talking to a second version of yourself. Use your own name: “Pierre, what do you want to do today? What do you want to accomplish?” Your subconscious will answer differently when you ask yourself like this.
Maybe you’ll realize you love books. Then maybe you should build a business around books, or create a new kind of library, or something that fits the times. When you do what you love, you don’t count the hours. Time flies when you’re with friends or family, and you don’t keep track of every minute. It’s the same with your work. If you love what you do, you don’t count the hours. You just do it, and that’s what makes life meaningful.
Even if you have a regular job, you need to push yourself to get promotions or raises. But if you’re doing something you truly care about, you’ll go further because you enjoy it. You’ll have less frustration, less mental pollution, and you’ll spend more time getting better at it. Over time, you’ll be better than average, simply because you love what you do.
If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
— Confucius
The best time to start is today, not tomorrow. Don’t put off what you can do now. The journey itself is beautiful. When you’re passionate, you don’t keep asking, “Is it over yet?” You just enjoy the ride. That’s why you need to do something that excites you. Otherwise, every day will feel like a struggle.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t follow the crowd by default. Question what you really want.
- Your values matter more than outside expectations.
- Doing what you love makes you better than average over time.
- The journey is as important as the destination. Enjoy it.
Reflection
- Are you living your life for yourself, or for others?
- What would you do if you stopped worrying about what people think?
- What truly excites you, and how can you do more of it?
Pierre-Henry Soria
#2024 #Motivation #Nomad #Personal-Growth #Self-Improvement #Success