You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script. — Oprah Winfrey

You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.

Author: Oprah Winfrey

Insight: Most of us grow up with scripts already written—by our families, our culture, our schools, the people around us. We're told what success looks like, what we should want, who we should become. The tricky part is that these scripts feel natural, almost invisible. We don't notice we're following them until we're deep into a life that doesn't quite fit. The real work isn't rebellion for its own sake. It's getting quiet enough to hear what you actually want beneath all the noise. That might mean staying in your field when everyone expects you to leave, or leaving when everyone expects you to stay. It might mean wanting different things than your parents wanted, or your friends want. The point isn't being difficult—it's being honest about what moves you, what makes you feel alive, what problems you genuinely want to solve. Here's what's non-obvious though: defining your own life is harder than it sounds, and it's not a one-time decision. It's something you have to choose again and again, especially when life gets uncertain or when the people you love are disappointed. But the alternative—waking up one day realizing you've been living someone else's dream—is lonelier than any choice you could make for yourself.

Source: Favorite FaceBook post, September 07, 2011