Not doing things that others do
Have there ever been times you’ve felt like you just don’t fit in with the people around you?
Well when that happens, there’s only two things you can do:
- Accept that you are different and be confident in your choices
- Feel like something is wrong with you for being different — and change
I’ve had my fair share of moments where I felt a disconnect and have wondered whether something was wrong with me. You know when I feel it most? It’s when somehow conversations touch on things I don’t do/have etc. For instance I don’t:
Own a car: I live in Singapore with a great public transport system. I mean it has its flaws but nothing I can’t live with for now. I choose to not own a car to reduce my emissions. So all sorts of car talk goes over my head. Recently when I was talking to some Army mates, cars came up and everyone was talking about this or that model and its 101 features, but I didn’t have anything to contribute.
Climb the property ladder: I think my wife and I have made the home we live in a space of our own. Yes, we could sell it for a profit, but then what? Wherever we go would have to have most (if not all) of the benefits of my current home. And that’s doubtful to me. So the drive that many Singaporeans have for moving up from one property class to another seems to have totally escaped me
Follow a sports team: I do watch the Olympics and the World Cup. I’m not a monster. But I have long since stopped following EPL and its players, even though so much of Singapore is ball mad. The time investment seems too much for me. I watch highlight clips on rare occasions but cannot tell you anything more about a team. And that’s another common topic of conversation that’s out.
It can be easy to feel like I’m the odd one out but if I ask myself — is it worth reconsidering my choices? — the answer is most definitely a NO. That’s not the answer I would have given you in my younger days, but that’s an answer I’ve grown into. If something I do is in line with my values, then what does it matter if I’m not doing things that others do?