Picture this: You’re standing at the crossroads of your life. In one direction lies a path carved by tradition—secure, familiar, and socially endorsed. In the other, an unpaved trail whispers to you, a calling from deep within, urging you to trust your instincts and follow your natural rhythm. Which path do you choose?
For most of us, the answer isn’t as simple as it should be. The pull of societal expectations often drowns out the quiet wisdom of our biology. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: many traditional practices we’ve been taught to follow—go to college, land a stable job, marry in your 30s—are not optimized for the way our bodies and minds were designed to thrive.
The Pain of Falling in Line
Let’s get real for a moment. How many times have you felt like you’re running out of time? You have dreams, energy, and ambition now, but you’re told to wait.
"Get a degree first. Build a career first. Buy a house first."
Before you know it, years have passed. Your youthful enthusiasm is replaced by exhaustion. You no longer feel the fire that once fueled your ambitions, and you’re left asking, *"What happened to the time I thought I had?"
Here’s an example that hits close to home: starting a family. Society’s narrative tells us that the ideal time is in your 30s, but biology tells a different story. Science reveals that the human body is most equipped for reproduction in the late teens and early 20s. Yet, we delay it, chasing milestones dictated by tradition, only to find ourselves struggling to align with our natural timing later.
The Biological Clock vs. The Traditional Clock
Your body has been fine-tuned over millions of years. It knows when you’re at your peak for physical, emotional, and mental endeavors. Your instincts tell you when it’s time to take a leap, whether it’s pursuing a passion, starting a family, or simply living in the moment. But the traditional clock says, *"Not yet. Wait until you're ready."
The problem? Ready is a myth. Waiting for the perfect conditions robs you of the energy and enthusiasm you have right now. Imagine trying to climb a mountain—not when you’re young and agile—but after years of delay, with aching joints and dwindling stamina. That’s what it feels like to postpone your instincts for tradition.
The Traditional College Trap
Take the college system, for example. You’re told that success begins with a degree. But does it really? Statistics show that nearly 40% of college graduates work in jobs that don’t require a degree. Meanwhile, they’re saddled with debt, delayed life goals, and a ticking clock on their aspirations.
What if you had used those years differently? What if, instead of adhering to a prescribed path, you’d trusted your intuition to learn through experience, to build, to create, and to grow on your own terms?
Optimizing for the Present: The Power of Now
Here’s the radical idea: what if you stopped optimizing for what society wants and started optimizing for what your body and mind need right now?
Think about this:
Your best energy is today, not 10 years from now.
Your instincts are a culmination of evolution—trust them.
Life isn’t meant to be fully planned out before it starts. It’s meant to be lived.
Imagine you’re handed the keys to a sports car. Would you wait until you’re 90 to drive it? Of course not. Yet, many of us approach life this way—delaying our dreams until we’re too tired to enjoy them.
Breaking Free from the Traditional Mold
To live optimally, you must unlearn the belief that traditional practices are the ultimate guide to life. This doesn’t mean rejecting everything outright but questioning what doesn’t serve you:
Marriage and Family: Why wait until society says it’s the "right time"? Listen to your instincts and prioritize what feels right for you.
Career and Education: Do you need a degree to pursue your passion, or can you start now? Many of the world’s greatest innovators succeeded by trusting their instincts, not a syllabus.
Daily Optimization: Focus on what you can do today that aligns with your natural energy and desires. Small, consistent actions lead to exponential results.
A Story to Reflect On
Meet Sarah. She’s 35, a successful lawyer, and by all accounts, she’s "made it." But Sarah isn’t happy. She always dreamed of being an artist, but tradition told her to "get a real job first." She spent years climbing the corporate ladder, only to realize that the view from the top wasn’t what she wanted. Now, she feels stuck, with financial obligations and fading energy to pursue her real passion.
What if Sarah had trusted her instincts? What if she had started painting at 20 instead of studying law? Her story isn’t unique—it’s a cautionary tale.
The Bottom Line: Trust Your Evolution
Your biology is smarter than you think. It has been honed over millennia to guide you toward what’s right for you. Listening to it doesn’t mean ignoring logic; it means aligning your logic with your instincts.
So, the next time you feel the pressure to conform to traditional norms, ask yourself: Does this align with who I am right now? If the answer is no, it’s time to chart your own path.
Stop waiting. Start living. Trust yourself—because your evolution has been preparing you for this moment all along.
Did this spark some insights for you? Maybe you would start valuing your instincts much more this time.
If you liked it I have more resources here: More Thought Provoking Topics You Will Need
This really hits home. I have a friend who always wanted to start his own business, but he kept putting it off because, well, that’s not what you do. First, he had to get the degree, then the "stable job," then save up, by the time he was actually ready, he was already burnt out. Now he’s finally taking the leap in his 30s, but he always says he wishes he had trusted his instincts earlier.
ReplyDeleteThe “waiting until you’re 90 to drive a sports car” analogy? So true. It makes me think about all the times I’ve held back, thinking I needed to check off some invisible list first. Maybe we all need to ask ourselves, are we following a path because we want to, or just because we think we should? This definitely got me reflecting.
I’ve been teaching in college for a while now, and this blog honestly echoes a lot of thoughts I have. I see it all the time: students who are bright, full of energy, but already burnt out chasing a version of success that doesn’t even feel like it came from them. They’re doing what they “should,” but you can tell something inside is on pause.
ReplyDeleteI’ve also been sharing this life wisdom into my class discussions, not in a preachy way, just small reminders to listen to what their gut is telling them now, not ten years later when the fire's gone dim. I think a lot of them are hungry for that permission, to move differently than the system trained them to.
One thing I’d add to this blog is that tradition has a weird way of rewarding people only after they’ve conformed. You get praise after the degree, after the title. But instinct? It doesn’t wait. It rewards you in real-time, if you’re brave enough to move with it.
This blog gave words to what a lot of people feel but don’t say out loud. I hope more young people would understand this, not just to rebel against tradition, but to finally listen to themselves before it’s too late.