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A few weeks ago, I watched Tyler Perry’s film, Good Deeds. In the first few minutes of the film, the protagonist is giving an overview of his life:

“My name is Wesley Deeds III. I grew up fifth generation Ivy League graduate. I can tell you my pedigree on my way back to the tribe that my greatest grandfather came from. I was born into privilege, grown from my father to be a businessman to take over his company, groomed by my mother to be a gentleman. I was told where to stand and how to dress, how to cut my hair, and what I would be doing for the rest of my life from the time I was 5 years old. And right now, I seem to be on track, whose track I don’t really know. By this time my mother thought I should be married and according to my life’s schedule it’s four months away…With a life like mine you would think I would wake up happy every day, but I don’t. My life is perfect, but I often wonder am I living my own life or the life that I have been told to live?”

 

That last question is what truly got me thinking, how many of us are going through life doing what we have been told to do? For example, how many of us went to college because it was ingrained in us? Don’t get me wrong a college education is very important, but do we realize why before we pursue it?

Moreover, how many of us are pursuing certain majors in college out of duty to our family with no real passion for it? You should be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, business person, etc. Don’t even think about pursuing an unconventional major such as Theatre, Dance, Music or even English! What in the world are you going to do with that?!? Let me make one thing clear: a college education is NOT a profession!

What I am trying to say is that you should define YOUR OWN LIFE! Don’t let other people define it for you. You set your own rules, your own goals; your own milestones in life and achieve such milestones when you feel ready to. For example, do you want to go to college right after high school or do you want to take some time off and pursue other things? Do you want to get married by the time you are 25? Do you want to get married at all? Do you want kids right away after you get married? Do you want kids at all? How many kids do you want? When do you want kids? The list goes on and on and on! Whatever life it is that you are living and want to live make sure that it is YOUR OWN and nobody else’s.

Don’t live other people’s dreams, dream your own. This is the only way to ensure that YOU live a happy fulfilling life. Living your own life is true FREEDOM!

Are you free?