I wanted to study art.
When I told my parents, they asked what I planned to do with it.
“You need something you can actually make a living at.”
They weren’t trying to be cruel. They thought they were helping.
So I studied business.
Years later, I thought about opening a small shop with a friend. I was excited about it until I started telling people.
“That’s a big risk.”
“Do you really know enough about running a business?”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
I decided they were probably right.
There have been other things.
Jobs I didn’t apply for. Places I didn’t move. Relationships I stayed in longer than I wanted to.
I always had reasons.
Usually good ones.
A few months ago, someone asked me what I would do if I could make one decision without asking anyone else what they thought.
I couldn’t think of an answer.
I’ve spent so much of my life assuming other people knew better that I’m not sure anymore what I would have chosen.