Template Living
One interesting thing about doing keyword research is that you get a hidden peek into what people actually search for in search engines. Here you have the unedited truth about people’s desires and interests. Some keywords are rather mysterious. Why would thousands of people search “boyfriend me” each month, and what could they possibly be looking for?
Then there are things that just make me sad. Nearly 400 people search for “what to look for in a man” each month on Google. This surprises and depresses me.
To think that some people out there are completely unable to determine what they personally like in a man really lowers my opinion of humanity. Perhaps these people are just stumbling through life looking for some magical “instruction booklet.” It lays out all the steps you need to follow to have a happy life.
Step one: Go to school
Step two: Get a job
Step three: Get married
Step four: Have 2.5 kids
Step Five: Work until you’re 60
Step Six: Die
I hate to say it, but there is no template for life. There is no perfect formula that you should follow to guarantee happiness. It makes me sad to see so many people just shuffling through life, sleep walking as they just pour all their vitality and passion down a sewer drain. They convince themselves that a new flat screen will fill the gaping void, or that a BMW is the answer.
Having lived in Arizona for awhile, I saw a lot of people there that were chasing after some template. They were so disconnected from what they really wanted in life, that they just looked to the social meme of a suburban house, a swimming pool, and nice car. Now there’s nothing wrong with perusing those things as long as that is your true desire. Just don’t try to fool yourself that a swimming pool is going to make your life perfect when you really want to become a musician, or that staring at a flat screen is going to bring you bliss when you really want to hike up to Machu Picchu.
I’ll admit, following the template lifestyle feels safe. I mean, everyone else is doing it so it can’t be all that risky, right? But truthfully, isn’t there more to life than mere safety? I should hope so. Safety doesn’t represent growth or adventure. Safety only represents defending the status quo. And, to me, that is a pretty lame thing to devote your life too.
So, I’m going to ask you to take a moment and look around yourself. What are you surrounded by? Do you live in a city? In the suburbs? In the country? In a small town? Do you have a job? What kind of job? Who is in your life right now?
I want you to ruthlessly start asking yourself whether or not you chose those things? Do you intentionally choose them or were they chosen for you by some social template? Be ruthless here. Don’t be afraid to examine even the most sacred things by which you may define yourself.
This sort of self-reflection can be challenging and sometimes frightening, but it will teach you a lot about yourself and you’ll learn what you truly value in life if you start doing it regularly.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Glad I found your site….and this post. Reminds me why I made a decision to stop living by the “rules” a few years back….I was stuck in stupid for so long…thinking that if I just lived life the way everyone else was I would find some sort of happiness….didn’t work out that way, so I chose to live the life I wanted to live on my own terms….it’s been working much better!
October 26th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
@Mighty Morgan,
I’m glad you found the courage to stop listening to all the social conditioning out there and start living on your own terms. Once you tune it out, you can’t really go back to the old way of life and really be happy doing it. Thanks for checking out my blog!