The option of no option

Which would you prefer?

Option 1: Starting out on your own path, likely living with low income at first, but at least living the life you want.

Option 2: Starting out on a path with income, then coming to a realization 10-20 years later that while you have money and other things, you haven't been living the life you want.

The latter is where I found myself recently. It felt like I was basically following what everyone else what suggesting for what to do with my life, or the way to live my life. One reason for my compliance was just that I didn't have a particular direction I thought I needed to follow.

This changes when you decide that following your own beat is, in fact, the way you would like to live. Then other people's suggestions become references that can be used, but should not be followed blindly, and can be outright rejected.

Of course, part of the problem is realizing that you can simply choose your own path from the beginning. In my case, it wasn't presented to me as an option, so I had no idea that it was a valid choice. I don't even fault my parents for that, because they have been as supportive as I could have hoped, and perhaps the option wasn't something known to them either.