Step 2

This is the second step I have taken in attempts achieve success. (You may find the first step here: http://the-slacktivist.blogspot.com/2012/10/step-1.html). Don't misunderstand me though, I still am not able to define exactly what success is. I just figured that in order to reach it, I needed a change. These posts are descriptions of what I've been doing , as I've been doing them. Think of it as live coverage of my road to success. I have made recent decisions where I took nobody's thoughts into consideration other than my own. Sometimes, this is what you have to do.
It is time we start tuning everybody out.

Our whole lives, we have been guided by other people as we have been making our life decisions. Most of the time, the people advising us and telling us about how we should live our lives mean us no harm. They are just trying to ensure your safety. They enforce the thought that you have to live your life a certain way so often that you might actually believe that it is necessary to follow their steps. However, despite the fact they mean well, you can't listen to these extraneous voices forever. There comes a point in time that you will be at a crossroads. You will be faced with making a choice between what you think you should do and what is expected of you. When it comes to these pivotal decisions, I suggest that we put aside the advice and unwritten rules that we have grown up on. Remember that the people who are attempting to steer you in a certain way have more than likely already lived their life. They are advising you based on the decisions that they have already made. And although most mean well, you have to remember at the end of it all you are stuck with the consequences of the decisions you end up making, not anyone else. So it makes sense that we listen to ourselves, first, when trying to figure out what to do with our own life. Let go of the thoughts drilled into your head and listen to your inhibitions. Do what you think is best for you.
I know it is difficult, especially when you don't want to disappoint those around you. But sometimes, we have to be selfish in order to move yourself forward. At the end of the day, if you do end up succeeding the goals you have set for yourself, it makes up for any disappointment. When molding your life into shape, there will come a time where you personally have to take charge and use your own touch to achieve a result that you are satisfied with. Think of it this way:

An artist is creating a sculpture which he has been working on for years. He has had other artists tell him what they think he should do to make the sculpture better. In the back of his mind, he wanted to do opposite what he was told because he felt as though if he did so, he would achieve the look that he was going for. Figuring that as older and more experienced artists, however, that they would know better, he took their advice and modified his creation to suit their suggestions. When he finally finished the sculpture, he took a step back and looked at his final product. To his dismay, the sculpture was nothing like he imagined it. He did not like it and was not satisfied. His peers told him he did a good job though, so he just accepted it for what it was and went home.

We do not want to end up like the artist, who was upset with his work but settled down and accepted it. He appreciated the advice of his more experienced peers but wanted to go his own route. But instead of listening to himself he did what he was told and ended up with a sculpture he did not like. This is your life. Take control of it. Do what you want to do, listen to that voice telling you to go your own route. Create a path for yourself and follow it until you reach your goals. Fuck anybody else's opinions or advice. You don't have to do anything that anyone suggests. They are merely suggestions. If you feel as though you are better off taking your own advice, then do it.
If your way does not work the first time, try again. Think of another route. As Thomas Edison once said, "I did not fail, I just found 10,000 ways that did not work." Find a way that works best for you. You may put other's suggestions into consideration but when it comes to making a final choice, make sure that your voice is the loudest one in your mind.
Always remember, you have one life to live and you are the only person who can live it. Make your choices based on what it is that you think is best for you.