You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations.
– Stevie Wonder

I’ve talked a lot in the past about living your life and not letting the expectations of others get in your way. Today, I’m going to say pretty much the same thing, but I’m going to toss in a caveat.  Don’t totally ignore what others are saying to you, because you never know when lighting is going to strike and you may find your passion.

I worked very hard not to put ideas into my kids heads about what they may or may not want to do as adults.  I may have tossed ideas out at them, but I wanted them to make their own choices.  Fast forward and both my kids are out of college and floundering because they still hadn’t found their path.  We talked, we tossed around ideas, but nothing sounded right to to them.

Then it happened.  Random conversations with random people opened their eyes to career paths they never thought they’d take.  One is well on their way to getting their masters while working in their new field, while the other has found some direction.  This is because they listened to the input of other people. They didn’t try to live up to the expectations of others, but they didn’t ignore the input of others.

The take away from all of this is simple.  It’s your life, and you get to live the life you want, not the life that others have chosen for you. At the same time, don’t turn your back on the opinions of others. Take their opinions and weight them against your and make the choices that work for you.