7 Reasons You Should Do Whatever You Want

You have two choices in your life: You can either do what you’re “supposed” to do or you can do what you want to do. It might seem like the safest bet to follow what you’ve always been told to do, like go to a certain school, study a certain thing, be with a certain type of person, or whatever else has been dictated to you since birth. That does require less personal growth and decision-making, but it probably won’t make you happy.

You need to choose what you want. Don’t choose it because I’m telling you to choose it. Do what you want to do because it makes you feel alive enough to jump out of bed in the morning. Opting for this route can look a little scary, hazy, and uncertain, but it will absolutely yield the best results. Need a little extra convincing? These seven reasons will help you make the leap of faith.

1. You’ll be Much Happier

This is the most important reason you should do the things that you want to do when you want to do them. Living your life with the purpose of only doing the things you want to do means you feel more fulfilled with your choices and the way you spend each day.

Imagine how happy you’d be going to work every day if the work you do is something you truly enjoy. Imagine how much more loved you’ll feel if you only spend time with the people you want to be around. The simple act of only purchasing clothing that you genuinely want to wear can exponentially increase your daily level happiness. It’s pretty difficult to be unhappy if you cut out all of the stuff that you don’t enjoy.

2. You’ll Feel More Successful

Your friends and family probably have different ideas of what it means to be successful than you do. You have to figure out what you think will make you feel successful, and then do the things that will help you get there. If your version of success is having a loving marriage and family, then don’t spend your days worrying about becoming rich financially. You could think of success as working on your own schedule from anywhere in the world, and if so, you shouldn’t be trying to land a 9-5 desk job simply because that’s what others want (and expect) you to do.

Success can even be as simple as something like running marathons throughout your life. The point is there are several versions of success in the world. If you make your choices based on what you want to do, you’ll be successful in the way that matters most to you.

3. You’ll be Less Stressed and Anxious

Stress and anxiety are an inevitable part of life, but there will be significantly less of it if you cut out the things you don’t want. You can’t wake up anxious about a job you hate if you have a job you actually want to go to. Saying no to the invites and other stuff that you don’t want to spend your time on eliminates the social stress you experience when you attend a party you’re dreading.

Instead of feeling stressed at your job because it simply doesn’t seem to be clicking or you aren’t getting ahead at the pace everyone expects you to, you can simply say no that kind of career and swap it for the career you’ve secretly wanted all along. When you’re doing work you want to do, you don’t feel that kind of negative stress and anxiety. You feel motivated and inspired to wake up every day and fight the good fight.

4. You’ll Surround Yourself with People You Actually Like

Choosing what you want comes with so many benefits, but one of the best is the people who come into your life and make every day feel perfect. By living out the life that feels right to you and putting out your inspired energy and joy into the world, you attract the types of people who appreciate you and your dreams.

These people will come and stay in your life to support you in everything. They will understand what you’re doing and why you’re determined to do it. They’ll respect your dreams and goals. These people won’t cut you down or undermine your ambitions. They won’t ask you to give up the things that make you happy in order to be happy themselves.

5. You’ll Discover Your Passions

You probably already a have passion (or several), but looking at every day as an opportunity to do what you want will lead you to even more passions. You’ll discover so many more things that make you feel alive. Doing the things you want to do leads you to discover new stuff that aligns with your original passions.

This is like having all of the puzzle pieces fall together. The random passions you discover will mesh with your current life and dreams to create an even more fulfilling life for you.

6. You’ll Understand Yourself Better

As you work to replace the things you don’t want with the things you do want, you’ll learn you’re stronger and more capable than you knew. You’ll learn what you’re willing to accept from others in terms of treatment, which opportunities are meant for you and which ones aren’t, and you’ll learn more about who you are on the inside. Life is a growing process that only works if you’re trying to create a life you love.

7. You Won’t Have Regrets

Of course, there’s a chance the thing you want to do won’t work out. The business you’ve always wanted to own could tank. The relationship you want to work out could fall apart. Even though there’s always the possibility of “failure,” it’s hard to regret going for something you want.

If it doesn’t work, then take a deep breath and rethink how you can make it happen in the future. (Relationships can’t always be fixed, so don’t apply this to every failed one.) Don’t regret going for something you want. Be proud of yourself for having the guts to go for it in the first place. Fortune favors the brave, you know.

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