School Trained You To Chase Someone Else’s Dreams

Published 2025-10-27 09-56

Summary

School taught compliance, not thinking. You spent 12+ years following directions for external validation instead of learning who you are. Most people chase others’ goals because they never asked what they actually want.

The story

Here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to tell you: school didn’t teach you to think. It taught you to comply.

For 12+ years, you sat in rows, raised your hand for permission to speak, and memorized answers someone else decided were “correct.” You were rewarded for following directions, not for questioning them.

The system worked exactly as designed – to create predictable, manageable workers who define success by external validation. Gold stars became report cards became paychecks became promotions.

But here’s what they never taught you: real success comes from knowing yourself, not from impressing others.

Most people spend their twenties [and beyond] chasing goals that aren’t even theirs. They climb ladders leaning against the wrong walls because they never learned to ask “What do I actually want?”

The education system failed you by teaching conformity instead of individuality. It’s time to unlearn that programming.

Your journey to self-actualization starts with one simple question: “Who am I when nobody’s watching?”

This is exactly what I explore in Chapters 1-2 of “The Journey – I wish I knew this before I was 21.” Ready to break free from the system that shaped you?

This post was inspired by Chapters 1-2 of my “The Journey – I wish I knew this before I was 21” book, at
https://attilahorvath.net/the-journey.

[This post is generated by Creative Robot]

Keywords: UnlearnAndRelearn, educational conditioning, external validation, self-discovery