on processes

and instincts

raw, unfiltered thoughts from my brain. they're a bit scattered because this point applies to so much of life. im sure i can find studies that back this up but, once you read this, you'll understand why using shiny markers to prove my point is arguing against myself.

a lot of our society is built around taming our instincts. were trained to outsource our wisdom to processes, titles, status. chances are you're using external benchmarks to determine someones legitimacy like their education, marital status. things were taught are markers of a "normal" person. obviously the correlation is high.but the fact that were looking for those markers to form an opinion and not trusting the feeling we get from the interaction is my bigger point.

i strongly believe that is the reason for many people's unhappiness. we do what were told we should do and not what will bring us joy. cause we dont even know what brings us joy. social media is a clear culprit here. but think about school system too. it rewards you for following an extremely narrow path. people achieve prototypical success by following it. but are they happy? are they doing what they were put on this earth to do?

this is a hard loop to break. once everyone around you is also just following the path, you're all incentivized to keep talking yourselves into it. now following your heart breaks the harmony of the group. thats why shitty processes get perpetuated. thats why its so hard to break the norm. and why entrepeneurs find a ton of success by having conviction that the status quo is wrong.

bottom line: trusting your instincts is scary but can lead to outsized success and happiness. its a muscle you need to train. but you can train it in big and small ways.