What Are You Here For?

A spinoff of last week's article

Image in Canva

As much as I’d like to talk about flowers this week, I actually have a question for you. Zoom into the screen or position your device so that you can see only (or most of) the picture. Then close your eyes for ten seconds, and once you open them, let your eyes take you to wherever in the picture.

Chances are that you were drawn to the yellow-orange flower, right?

So, I’ve been thinking about last week’s article, and I wanted to see if I could “Block Through Center” (yes, pun intended), and add some more thoughts to the idea.

To recap, last week, we talked about going the extra mile and when exactly doing so will help versus when not. Specifically, when you’re passionate about something, taking it to the next level is the perfect thing to do.

But looking back, I realize that there’s something just as important here, which is whatever you’re doing, do it for yourself. This struck the question, “who am I here for?” If I want to live my best life, I recognized that I wasn’t about to do it by following someone else’s standards or terms. After all, this is my life.

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Following the crowd has become the norm:

1. “Everyone’s taking that course, I should do it too.”

2. “Everyone’s going out (or insert another verb here), I guess I could join in.”

3. “Everyone has TikTok (or insert other social media platform here), so it wouldn’t hurt for me to get it too.”

Let’s take this one step at a time, and evaluate these three different examples.

For number one, so what? If everyone’s doing that course, maybe that’s the reason you shouldn’t. Because think about it, let’s say it’s a CS course: that means that there would be about 20 people learning CS, so then what about all the other subjects? What about the medical professionals or those tackling climate change?

Everyone doing it shouldn’t be the reason that you do it. You should be the reason. Because you want to or need to as a prerequisite, whatever it is, it needs to come from you.

For number two, also so what? Pretend people are jumping off a bridge instead of going out. Does that mean you’ll do it too? No, right? Following the crowd can sometimes take you to places you don’t want to be, meaning there’s a limit to how much you do it.

There’s most likely a better reason for that voice at the back of your head telling you not to do those things. Listen to it.

Lastly, for number three, another so what? If there’s a specific reason you want to get it, go for it. Such as, you have something to say, and TikTok can help you go viral. Or you enjoy doing the dances, and there are tons to learn from. Whatever reason you choose, make sure you do it for yourself, and also for your own good.

Doing or getting something simply for yourself and not from peer pressure, negative emotions, or something else is perfectly fine. But if you do something because of others, then, while it may give you short-term satisfaction, it may prevent you from where you want to be in the long run. 

That all being said, technically, I can still say that I want to follow the crowd. And frankly, that may be the easiest thing to do, but then what would make me unique? How would someone be able to look at me and look at the person (or people) I’m following and differentiate? That difference(s) is what makes me who I am. 

I’m here for me. I’m here because I want to help people. I’m here because I’m passionate about writing. I’m here because I want to share my thoughts with YOU. It’s like being the yellow-orange flower among all the other ones. That flower sticks out, it’s unique.

So, what are you here for? And how are you going to fulfill that?

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Thanks for reading! Until next time, stay safe, happy, and healthy.

Want to do me a favor? Drop a like and comment to share your thoughts :) And maybe for this one time, it’s ok to follow the crowd - sign up below and get my latest articles in your inbox!