Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

It’s easy to feel lost in this big ole world — and that’s okay. The real confusion starts when you believe you’re supposed to have it all figured out. That’s a lie.

Don’t let yourself get consumed by the pressure to conform to someone else’s version of “realness.” People will try to comfort you with lines like, “We’re all struggling,” or “Everybody’s missing something.” But that’s not entirely true. Sure, we’re all playing a part in this thing called life. And yes, most of us will feel lost at least once. But normalizing that disorientation as a permanent collective truth? That’s a trap.

I’ve said “we all” before — mostly because I didn’t want to feel left behind or alone. It’s a coping mechanism rooted in fear. If we all feel stuck, then what’s the point in moving forward?

Why change if being stagnant feels socially acceptable?

But here’s the truth: your life depends on it.

Staying in one place just because it’s familiar is how growth dies. I used to wonder why “bad things” happen — why things fall apart. But sometimes, collapse is necessary. Here’s an extreme example: imagine losing everything in the small town you swore you’d never leave. Suddenly, there’s nothing left for you there.

You once loved that place, but now you resent it. Not because the town changed — but because your circumstances did.

That resentment? It isn’t about geography. It’s about the version of you that’s no longer sustainable.

Now imagine if nothing had changed — if you still had your family, a good job, love. That same place would feel like home. You’d have no reason to evolve. Comfort would’ve kept you stuck.

Some people say they don’t need to change — that they’re content. But the truth is, if you refuse to evolve on your own, life will evolve you in the most painful ways possible. You don’t get to bypass growth. The only thing you get to choose is how you’ll meet it.

Earlier, I mentioned conformity — and the worst kind is the one that lives on someone else’s terms. If you’re not confident enough to depend on your own instincts, how will you ever know what’s really yours? There are people who’ve never made an independent decision in their life — but will swear up and down that they’re in full control.

These are the folks who’ll say they don’t like lamb chops — but have never tasted one. Who claim you’ll “get sick in Africa,” but have never left their hometowns. And because these people are often our family and friends, we trust them. But really, they’re just echo chambers — absorbing other people’s opinions without ever doing the work to think for themselves.

That’s the biggest joke of it all: we were told that God gave us free will, yet most people never use it.

If you want to know whether someone thinks for themselves, ask them a controversial question. Watch how they respond. Defensive. Hollow. Full of borrowed opinions: “They said…” “I heard…” But rarely: “I read…” “I researched…” or “I’ve experienced…”

While having such bizarre unsavory experiences can leave a lasting impression, it should not be wrapped in your daily thoughts. Just because it didn’t work for you doesn’t mean discourage someone else. We’ve seen it countless times with people wanting to venture out and do things they believe have never been done before.

They’ll start to brainstorm, get excited, and then share with someone who is either incapable or unwilling to see the vision. 

What happens next?

They convince themselves more of what they’re being told, rather than leaning into what their own minds are telling them is obtainable. 

But why?

Most people prefer to be told what to think. That’s why they’re called “the masses.” Thinking for yourself is risky — if your idea fails, you have no one else to blame. So instead, people stay small. They say they “can’t afford” something before they’ve even tried. They buy quick fixes and blame the company when it doesn’t work — even though they barely used it. Then say, “I could’ve made this myself.”

But they didn’t.

And they wouldn’t.

What’s worse — they’ll tear down a small business over something they’d never dare to build. It’s easier to mock the dreamer than to risk dreaming for yourself. Until that dreamer becomes a success story. Then suddenly, everyone wants to say, “I was first.”

The masses are a trip. That’s why I live by this quote:

“Let sleeping dogs lie.”