So what's with this "Not Supposed To" thing?
Many people ask, especially since I am using it consistently across all my social media accounts: facebook, instagram, twitters. And sure, it's kind of catchy. #majorsocialmediaguruskills
For the lack of better description, I call it my lifestyle choice. A while ago, I read an excellent ebook by Nate Green called The Hero Handbook. One part that I felt a deep connection with had to do with accepting what other people think someone is supposed to do. While not all "Supposed Tos" are bad, blindly succumbing to many is really just an easy way out:
“Like a frat boy on his third keg-stand, many of us succumb to social pressure and swallow Supposed Tos...
Guess what? You aren’t supposed to do shit.
The next time you feel pressured to do something, take a second to see if it’s something you’re Supposed To do.
Do you really wanna do it? If not, don’t.”
This is not to say that I'm some sort of a rebel or an exemplary nonconformist - far from it. #workinprogress
But I do tend to do things that raise people's eyebrows.
Spending years on my undergraduate and Masters degrees in Computer Science/Software Engineering and then deciding I will never write code again? Check.
Quitting a well-paying job I really enjoyed at a great company so I could go on a six months round-the-world trip? Check and check. Putting in my notice on a day stock market experienced the third biggest drop in history? You betcha!
Moving from the sunny San Diego to middle of Kansas for a six months for a job? Yup.
You get the idea.
“When you were a kid and wanted to do something your parents or teachers didn’t like, you may have heard the question ‘If everyone else jumped off the bridge, would you?’
The idea is that it’s not good to do something stupid, even if everyone else is doing it. The logic is think for yourself instead of following the crowd.
But one day you grow up and suddenly the tables are turned. People are starting to expect you to behave very much like they do. If you disagree and don’t conform to their expectations, some of them get confused or irritated.
It’s almost if they are asking ‘Hey, everyone else is jumping off the bridge. Why aren’t you?’”
