You Need to Live a DIY Life

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of living a life that is true to oneself, free from the influence of others' opinions.

Abstract

The article "You Need to Live a DIY Life" argues that individuals often live their lives according to external standards and expectations, such as dressing up for a dentist or engaging in political debates on social media to fit in. It suggests that this outward-facing approach to life is unnecessary because there is no cosmic rating system or external validation that truly matters. The author posits that personal fulfillment comes from valuing one's own life and experiences, independent of others' perceptions. The life one leads is inherently their own, and it should be lived authentically, with oneself as both the creator and the audience. The article encourages readers to embrace a do-it-yourself mindset, focusing on self-review and personal satisfaction rather than seeking approval from others.

Opinions

The author believes that people often perform daily activities with the intention of impressing others or conforming to societal norms, rather than for their own satisfaction.
There is a critique of the tendency to live life for an audience, suggesting that this is a superficial way to exist.
The article challenges the idea of external validation, stating that there is no ultimate judgment or score that determines the value of one's life.
It is emphasized that the only opinion that truly matters in one's life is their own, and that individuals should be both the creator and critic of their own experiences.
The author encourages a self-sufficient and introspective approach to life, advocating for a DIY philosophy that prioritizes personal agency and fulfillment.
The article implies that living authentically and for oneself is more rewarding than seeking approval or living up to the expectations of others.

Do it for yourself — and nobody else

Ever noticed how caught up in other people’s opinions we are?

We dress nicely for our dentist. We tweet about politics because everybody else is. We cook the dinner our sister fancies. We drive the cars that look best on Instagram. We live our lives outwardly, so that passersby can smile at what they see.

But why?

There’s no existential IMDB in which we get rated by reviewers at the very end of our life. There’s no threshold scoring we need to achieve in order to access Heaven. The universe won’t shun us because Amanda from sixth form ranked us a 4 out of 10.

The only thing that matters is how you value your own life. Because, in the end, you are the maker, the doer, the reviewer. You are the creator and the audience. You exist — whether the entire world is witness to that or not.

This life of yours, is yours. And you need to live it — for yourself.

Oh hey, whilst you’re here: why not put the “em” into your “emails” and lob your name onto my mailing list for weekly em-bellishments on my rose-tinted, crumb-coated lens of life. It’s the equivalent of the reduced section in the supermarket (low value Weird Crap™ that you didn’t know you needed).