Why The Absolute Worst Thing You Can Do To Yourself Is ‘Play It Safe’

Don’t be afraid of failure.

The absolute worst thing you can do to yourself is “play it safe” for the sake of other people’s opinions or peace of mind. Do not sacrifice your sanity or your dreams, do not compromise.

Somebody else’s idea for your future should never replace your own. Safety net should never become your Plan A.

This advice is coming from the two-time college dropout who attended school due to the burden of pressure from family, friends, and loved ones. Someone who was forced into believing it was the right thing for me. Someone who has only 2 regret filled years to show for it.

Whatever you do in life, please do it for yourself. Be selfish in whatever decision you make. It’s not about, nor will it EVER be about what your parents, your friends, or your significant other may think. Run blindly into whatever it is you love and make it work. Work 60 hours a week. Lose some sleep. Create something beautiful. Travel. Fall in love.

You’re only young once, don’t waste this time doing something you hate.

I’ve known too many people who sit in lecture halls despising themselves and their degree choice, but they keep sloshing through chest-deep bullshit because they view it as a failure to drop out.

If sacrificing your own happiness and sanity for a diploma or a degree is what is considered acceptable in 2016, then we went wrong somewhere down the line.

I’m not saying that you can’t go to school and be perfectly happy. And if it’s what you want to do, do it. Some people thrive in that environment, and it’s the perfect place for them to grow. For others, it’s a death sentence. I have seen too many of my wonderful friends bled dry because of it.

The morale of this rant is DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO and let no one else around you affect that. If you belong in a lecture hall, do it. If you belong on the road, do it. If you belong at the strip club, DO. IT.

But, for the love of all that is wonderful and whimsical in this world, whatever you do, do it for you. Don’t compromise. Don’t let somebody else’s opinions out weigh your own.

Whatever you choose, do it because you love it. Do it because it’s worth it. Do it 100% or not at all. Run into the vast unknown and fear no failure.