My entire life, I’ve struggled with a desire to read the “classics”, books that are forever listed as the most important books ever written but have never kept my attention past the first chapter.

The problem with reading these “classics” is that, well, I hate them.

Typical.

All in all, this is a problem of prestige.

I recently read that prestige is really defined as “the things you wish you liked” — how true is that? It explains most of my internal struggles over time.

The books I thought I should read.

The colleges I thought I should apply to.

The jobs I thought I should stay in.

The clothes I thought I should wear.

The friends I thought I should hang out with.

The blog posts I thought I should write.

The safe advice I thought I should give clients.

The scary emails I thought I should not write.

In reality, though, this is all straight up crap. The times I have stuck with the things I thought I should like or do or try, I’ve ended up hating it.

But guess what?

Being selfish feels awesome.

The times I’ve strayed off the beaten path to follow my heart, I have thrived past any troubles or barriers in my way. More importantly, I have never regretted it. Not for a single second.

Newsflash. You can do the exact same thing.

Instead of doing what you think you should do, do what you feel inside is the best path for you. What you were told in kindergarten was true: you are unique. There is no formula to life, and your path should be as unique as you and your goals are.

Forget prestige and the should‘s of the world. Follow passion and will. Your experiences will be so full of badassery, you won’t even be able to handle it.

Just fill in the blank: To get one step closer to my dreams today, I will _______.

More badassery:

1. Top 10 Things Out of Touch Marketers Should Learn.
2. Sharing is Caring! Start Spreading the Love.
3. I’m Breaking Up With You.