Going Beyond The American Dream
Most of the world is familiar with the American Dream. The basic concept of the little house with the white picket fence, the two car garage, and the peaceful suburban lifestyle has been exported worldwide. Yet you don't have to settle for the American Dream. You can go beyond it.
To do so is much easier than you might imagine, but it takes a certain mental shift. You have to decide that you, and only you, are going to control your life. You are not going to live under the thumb of anyone else.
This includes living under the thumb of others' expectations of you. Your family and friends may not directly seem to control you, but in the way that they judge you and you react to that judgment there is a pattern of control. You need to recognize it and to break it to go beyond the mediocre existence so many are happy to settle for these days.
To do this, you need to find out for yourself honestly what you like, don't like, believe in, disapprove of, and can be indifferent to when you wish. Don't let anyone else tell you these things about yourself without testing your assumptions. You can only be free when you throw off the shackles and constrains of others.
One very effective way to do this is to move abroad, away from the social systems you have always known. You will very rapidly be forced to examine yourself and your life as you react to this other culture. It can be a rollercoaster at first, but the lessons you learn from this experience will be priceless to you as you take the next step.
Having seen for yourself the realities of your life, you can now also see for yourself whether or not you want to idly strive for the traditional American Dream, or if you want something else. This is going beyond the American Dream, to the Independent's Choice. Once you know yourself, you can live your dream life on your own terms, because you will be living for yourself, instead of for an idle illusion.
You will know if you want to stick with a traditional job, or become an entrepreneur. You can decide on your own what your political and religious positions will be. You can live free of the propaganda and shackles of the controllers of society, because you have made the effort to break free and live your own life.
To do so is much easier than you might imagine, but it takes a certain mental shift. You have to decide that you, and only you, are going to control your life. You are not going to live under the thumb of anyone else.
This includes living under the thumb of others' expectations of you. Your family and friends may not directly seem to control you, but in the way that they judge you and you react to that judgment there is a pattern of control. You need to recognize it and to break it to go beyond the mediocre existence so many are happy to settle for these days.
To do this, you need to find out for yourself honestly what you like, don't like, believe in, disapprove of, and can be indifferent to when you wish. Don't let anyone else tell you these things about yourself without testing your assumptions. You can only be free when you throw off the shackles and constrains of others.
One very effective way to do this is to move abroad, away from the social systems you have always known. You will very rapidly be forced to examine yourself and your life as you react to this other culture. It can be a rollercoaster at first, but the lessons you learn from this experience will be priceless to you as you take the next step.
Having seen for yourself the realities of your life, you can now also see for yourself whether or not you want to idly strive for the traditional American Dream, or if you want something else. This is going beyond the American Dream, to the Independent's Choice. Once you know yourself, you can live your dream life on your own terms, because you will be living for yourself, instead of for an idle illusion.
You will know if you want to stick with a traditional job, or become an entrepreneur. You can decide on your own what your political and religious positions will be. You can live free of the propaganda and shackles of the controllers of society, because you have made the effort to break free and live your own life.
Source...