We are all exposed to industrial systems sooner or later in our lives. An outcome of having 7 billion people on the planet is that we’ve had to build industrial systems – school, college, the factory, etc. One consequence of these systems is that we’re conditioned to think of life like an assembly line – go to school, then get into a great college, then get a prestigious first job, then an elite masters program, then work in an exploding start-up and then build our own company. Or, the other way to think about it would be – study hard till you’re in college, then work hard while finding a partner, marry the partner, have kids, send kids to school, and let the cycle go on. Not much seems customizable. If anything, it feels like a never-ending list of things that just “have to be done.”
We crave connection as human beings. And, a result of this craving combined with technological advances is a slew of services like Facebook, Twitter, and the like. However, if we’re not careful, these can soon lead us to believe that there is a certain socially acceptable way to have fun, to go on vacation, or to even relax. After all, can it be a great vacation if it doesn’t make for a great profile picture?
But, here’s where it all breaks down –
1. Every bit of life is customizable. While large groups of us exhibit similar kinds of behavior (=> industrial systems work on average), we all have unique quirks. And, our happiness is entirely dependent on our quirks.
2. As a result, happiness exists in the customization. The less we feel like we’re going through life working through a pre-designed checklist, the more we’re likely to be happy. The less we care about what others think, the more likely we’ll find our custom approach.
3. The less stuff we “have to do,” the happier we will be.
Our life is entirely what we make of it. And, the first step to making it what works for us is to realize that everything we take for granted was invented by people like and you and me.. and, that it is all customizable.
A Learning a Day 