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"I'm chasing your dreams, but I forgot how to dream my own" From school grades to career, marriage choices, people around us have expectations where they want us to chase and live.
Our whole life is almost made up of fulfilling people's expectations. And by doing so, we encounter various unrealistic demands, pushing us into a life we never wanted.
No matter how much we grow, our hopes and dreams continue to grow as we start to understand our lives. From here, we begin to cultivate our passion, our life's purpose.
Societal and family pressure among people in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, societal and family expectations often hinder one's ability to pursue one's passions. From the beginning of our educational life, we are expected by our family and relatives to study in good institutions. In our marriage and career decisions, we are expected to listen to our people to satisfy their pride. For example, a student studying to become a doctor may do so due to family pressure, rather than following their passion for becoming a cartoonist. These expectations block the path of our own life goals and passion.
To avoid unnecessary pressure
The pressure of fulfilling people's expectations can easily destroy our inner peace and dreams. Not only do we fulfil their desires, but we try to fulfil them perfectly. And the hunt for this makes us lifeless, blank and tired of life.
Ruin one's self
When those desires become traumatic and pull you like a chain, that's when you know you are destroying your life for others.
Experts suggest that pressuring yourself to fulfil someone's expectations can result in anxiety, depression and the burden of failing to meet the standards.
Stop expecting everything in life
As human beings, we need to understand that we can't get everything in life; every expectation cannot be achieved.
"No matter how much you try, you will always miss out on something in life. So let's enjoy wherever we are," a famous dialogue from the movie Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani released in 2013.
Loss of authenticity
If we try too hard to please people, we might burn out and lose the authenticity of our own lives, losing touch with ourselves.
Judgments and mental health issues
Chasing perfection can create the fear of constant judgment. Because at the end of the day, we cannot satisfy all of the people around us. The judgmental energy from the people can lead to mental health issues, slowly forgetting what we truly need in our own lives.
Knowing your worth
Now people and their thinking have changed. In many life scenarios, people prioritise their own lives and choices. Chasing reasonable expectations is not a bad thing, but we need to remember not to overdo ourselves.
When life becomes a trend
In the era of social media, people may become depressed after constantly chasing trends and trying to make their moments image-perfect. However, to pursue this unrealistic screen life, people often forget the meaning of their own lives. Sometimes the rat race causes us depression.
The importance of restarting and working on yourself
We need to take a step back and reflect on our own lives, reminding ourselves of our values and goals. Because pleasing people's expectations is not the purpose of our whole life, learn to say 'no' to people's expectations and prioritise yourself by setting your boundaries.
By trying not to be selfish and arrogant, we must learn to strike a perfect balance between respecting ourselves and others. Work on your passion and desires in your life and listen to the people around you with positive energy. Because sometimes letting go of the need to pursue everyone's standard is what you need to get to gear up and clarify your version of life.
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