We spend years chasing a version of success that’s been handed to us — polished, praised, and pre-approved by the world around us. Good grades. A respected job. A steady income. The admiration of others. From the outside, it all looks perfect.
But somewhere along the way, a quiet discomfort starts to rise. A voice within begins to whisper, Is this really what I want? Is this really who I am?
This is a story about that voice.
About what happens when we follow the wrong dreams for all the right reasons — and how, even after all that running, it’s still possible to come home to ourselves.
Too Many Choices
Today, we live in a world overflowing with information and choices. Supermarket shelves are packed to the brim — fresh, packaged, frozen — offering more options than ever before.
Restaurants and websites are no different. Just like the endless variety of food and products, career paths and educational options seem limitless. From online courses to job boards, from self-paced programs to full degrees — it’s all just a click away.
Following Expectations, Not Passion
When it comes to choosing a career, we’re often drowned in a sea of opinions, expectations, and societal standards. From a young age, we’re taught to value titles, salaries, and stability over passion or purpose. We’re told what’s “respectable,” what’s “successful,” and what will make our families proud. It’s no surprise that many of us end up choosing our paths based on external rewards — money, prestige, or job security — rather than what truly lights us up inside. And while those things might satisfy us temporarily, they often leave us feeling disconnected, unfulfilled, or stuck in a life that doesn’t quite feel like our own.
The Silencer Of Our Inner Voice
After a while, chasing all the wrong dreams becomes the very reason we stop hearing that quiet voice within — the one that gently whispers who we’re truly meant to be.
The noise of expectations, comparisons, and “shoulds” grows louder, drowning out our intuition. We become so focused on doing what looks good on the outside that we forget to ask what feels right on the inside. And somewhere along the way, we lose touch with ourselves — not because we didn’t care, but because we were too busy trying to become someone we were never meant to be.
The Source Of Unhappiness
But what happens then?
We land the respected job. The one with the impressive title and the fat paycheck. We receive the praise we once longed for — our families beam with pride, friends label us “successful,” and society nods its approval. On the outside, we seem to have it all.
But on the inside?
A quiet emptiness creeps in.
We start to ask ourselves, Is this it? Is this what I worked so hard for?
It’s the same haunting question found in Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Ivan, a man who spent his life climbing the social ladder, faces the terrifying realization on his deathbed that he never truly lived — he only conformed, followed the rules, and did what was expected. His life looked perfect, yet it felt painfully meaningless.
And like Ivan, many of us come to a point where we realize that success without purpose is hollow. That ticking all the right boxes doesn’t mean we’re fulfilled. That what we really crave isn’t approval — it’s alignment.
It’s Not Too Late
But unlike Ivan Ilyich, we still have time.
Time to pause. To listen. To ask ourselves harder — and more honest — questions.
Questions like: What do I truly want?
What brings me alive?
Whose life am I really living — mine, or the one I thought I was supposed to?
It takes courage to stop following the script. To walk away from what looks good but feels wrong.
But that quiet voice within — the one we once silenced — starts to speak again when we give it space. It points us gently, not toward perfection or prestige, but toward peace. Toward meaning. Toward a life that’s not just full, but fulfilling.
So maybe the real success isn’t in how the world sees us, but in how deeply we recognize ourselves when we look in the mirror.