Breaking Free from the Tyranny of ‘Should’

Ditching the Blueprint

In the subtle recesses of my mind, a dictatorship has been ruling with an iron fist, a relentless overlord that goes by the name “Should”. Yes, it’s been holding court in my neural pathways, dictating every step, every move with the subtlety of a bulldozer in a china shop.

Today, we’re staging a damn coup.

No more “shoulds”, no more bowing down to the oppressive regime of societal expectations. Today, I’m grabbing this dictator by the collar and showing him the exit door.

Now, you might wonder, “Wesley, how did you become the unwilling citizen of ‘Shouldistan’?” Oh, it’s a tale as old as time. Somewhere along the line, we buy into this grand narrative that there’s a way things should be done. Whether it’s the career you should have, the kind of parent you should be, or even the lifestyle you should lead.

But here’s where I spit in the face of the ‘should’ dictator:

The path littered with ‘shoulds’ is a damn boring path, a path devoid of zest and flavor, a path that screams vanilla when what we want is a fiery cinnamon, perhaps with a hint of nutmeg. Yes, I’m throwing spices, literally and metaphorically.

You see, in the ‘grand theater’ of life, playing the role scripted by ‘should’ is like being handed the script of a terribly dull, one-dimensional character. Well, screw that! I’m throwing that script into the blazing fire of rebellion and improvising my lines, adding a sprinkle of zest, a dollop of daring, and a generous helping of humor.

Oh, let’s not forget the part where ‘should’ dictates the kind of content I should create to make it to the pinnacle of writing stardom. “Follow the trends,” it whispers, slithering like a snake in the grass. “Write what the people want.” But, by the whiskers of my dog, Vosje, I won’t let the sinister whisperings of ‘should’ lead me astray.

I’m embarking on a journey to craft stories sprinkled with the wisdom gleaned from my gut, stories marinated in the rich experiences of fatherhood, stories that dance with wild abandon, free from the oppressive grip of ‘should’.

At the end of the day, dear reader, breaking free from the tyranny of ‘should’ is about embracing the glorious, chaotic, spicy concoction of being unabashedly yourself. It’s about tossing the rulebook into the wind and painting the canvas of your life with strokes bold and strokes gentle, creating a masterpiece that’s a testament to the raw, unfiltered, exhilarating journey of being alive.

Here’s to breaking free, to a life less ordinary, a life where the ‘should’ dictator is dethroned, and the vibrant, spicy, edgy you reigns supreme. Let’s set the world ablaze with the fiery trail of our authentic selves, laughing uproariously in the face of ‘should’ as we dance into the sunset of a life well-lived, a life where we dictate the rules.

Let’s bid adieu to ‘should’, shall we? Because, frankly, it’s overstayed its welcome.