What if society stopped telling us to buy more stuff and instead allowed us to create more space to breathe and think? What if society encouraged us to reject what has been accurately described as doing things we detest, to buy things we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like? - Greg Mckeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
A list of things society expects:
- Going to college and getting a degree to become successful
- Being in a long-term relationship
- Get married
- Have kids
- Celebrate Valentines Day, Christmas, New Years Eve, Halloween, etc..
- Settle for a career
- Fit a stereotype
- To have certain opinions because of your past, your family or social background
- Buy a lot of stuff and the newest things to be happy
- Buy new clothes because a new trend is going on
- Believe in a specific religion
- You have to earn a lot of money to be happy and successful
- The more apps you use the more time you save
- Owning a house, having a lot of rooms and a nice car
- You need to know a lot of people
- You need to be busy doing something
- Act in a certain way just because of how you dress and look
- You need to have always a plan
Ask yourself if you are doing some of these things because you want it or because you think someone else expect these things from you.