Whether it’s fashion, lifestyle, or even big life choices, it seems like everyone’s on the same track. But not me.

× I don’t smoke like many guys do.

× I’m not into the latest trending movies like everyone else.

× I’m not following the crowd into dating and marriage either.

Honestly, I find it all boring and not cool. Doing what others do won’t fulfil me, so I stick to my own thing, even if it’s not common from their perspective.

Sometimes I feel like a weird, no-fun guy in the crowd. But following others seems pointless or could mess up my life. At least, that’s what I see in my friends.

You know, there’s stuff people do these days that’s just meh. Let me give you an example:

When I went on vacation with friends, some people were desperate to follow trends. They took photos or videos before anything else, then posted them on their social media.

Sometimes, I was invited to join in. Like, “Let’s do this, let’s do that.” It annoyed me. I mean, why couldn’t we just do our own thing?

They said, “It’s just for fun.” But I didn’t find any fun in it.

New trends feel like new rules for life. It’s like they have to be followed, or something’s missing. That’s probably how they see it.

But honestly, none of that really matters to me. I mean, why waste my energy, focus, and attention on keeping up with all the trends? They don’t add anything to my life.

There are way more important things to do or care about. Don’t you think?

People often blindly follow stuff they don’t need, despite the consequences. Maybe because it looks cool or everyone else is doing it.

About 2 years ago, a girl I had just met in college asked me whether I smoked or not.

She: “You don’t smoke?” Me: “No, I don’t.” She: “Why?” Me: “What do you mean by ‘why’? Is not smoking a bad thing?” She: “No, but guys usually smoke.”

Well, I get what she meant. It’s true, most guys smoke.

But why though?

From what I’ve noticed among my friends, mostly go with the flow. They find it cool because everyone else they know is doing it.

It makes sense since it’s not a natural human need. If someone never smoked, they probably won’t think,

“Oh, I need to smoke.”

I don’t smoke because I don’t follow others, and I don’t feel the need to. Why would I try to smoke and risk getting addicted?

That’s what I mean — following others could mess up my life. It’s kind of dumb to me, to do something I don’t get, just to end up in the same mess as everyone else.

Dating and marriage are another example of how people follow things blindly. People my age seem to be obsessed with it.

It’s crazy how social media portrays dating and marriage as perfect. Everyone shares their stories, making it seem like they’re living the dream.

No wonder it triggers others. They can’t help but wonder when they’ll get a partner and get married.

But why follow the crowd? Why take on new problems? Do they know what they’re signing up for? Are they ready for that?

There are tons of people who regret their decisions because of that. They become wiser later on, but they learn it the hard way.

We don’t need to fall if we know how to avoid it. Without new problems, life’s already problematic, I guess.

We all want to live a fulfilling life, right? But how? I don’t know. Don’t we all have our own ideas of what a fulfilling life looks like?

What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. We shouldn’t just copy what others do because that’s not how we’ll find fulfilment in life.

If you agree with me, let’s fix this.

If you’re not living a genuine life, I think it’s either because you’re scared to challenge social norms or you don’t know yourself well enough.

It’s cool if you go with the flow, but seriously, question it. Is that really what you need? ’Cause, in the end, it’s for yourself.

That’s why knowing yourself is equally important. So you know what you truly need to live a fulfilling life.

Don’t hang out all the time, even if you’re extroverted. And if you’re more of an introvert, don’t spend all your time scrolling and playing online games.

Just imagine if everyone was unique and following their own curiosity; life would be so much more beautiful, don’t you think?

They would tackle the problems they need to grow the way they want, proud of their lives because their real choices shaped them into who they are.