Nobody Owes You Anything

Nobody owes you anything.

A common mentality people have in their 20s is the world “owes” them something.

They’re owed a job that fulfills them. They’re owed a job that pays them well. They’re owed a career that allows them to do all the things they want to do: live life on their own terms, travel the world, and make money from their passion. They’re owed a life partner that will take care of them and fill the void they feel in their life. They’re owed a supportive group of friends, determined to help them get to wherever it is they want to go. They’re owed a better relationship with their parents, or a closer bond with their siblings. They’re owed all the things they think they want in order to have a happy life—even if they can’t define what “happy” means within themselves.

Unfortunately for most people, this mentality continues long after their twenties. They live their entire lives without realizing this belief is a lie.

And not only is it a lie, but it is actually leading them further and further away from the life they truly want.

Nobody owes you anything.

People who wait for the world to give them permission have a broken relationship with themselves.

They struggle to make meaningful changes in their life because they are afraid of following their own inner compass and later finding out they were wrong. They are afraid of someone coming along their path, pointing and laughing and saying, “You’ve been moving in the opposite direction all along.” They are afraid of “wasting time,” and defend against that fear by reassuring themselves they don’t know what’s best for themselves—and that someone else, “someone out there,” knows better.

So, instead of making any choices for themselves, they wait.

Meanwhile, the people who live the life they want for themselves wake up every day without expectation.

They tell the world who they are. And the world adjusts.

This is an Atomic Essay from the Ship 30 for 30 daily writing challenge