• You have to go to college to get a good job.
• You should pick one major or one career path.
• Freelancing or working for yourself is “risky” while working in a traditional job is “safe.”
• One income stream is sufficient for financial stability.
• Working in a job you hate is worth it if it pays well enough.
• If you work hard now, you’ll earn a [bigger, better] payoff later.
• Status-signaling is important.

• You need to have meetings.
• Everyone should work Monday through Friday from 9am–5pm in their respective time zones.
• If you can’t supervise your employees at work, they’re probably slacking off.
• People are more productive in the office than at home. (Better yet? In an open-plan office for more collaboration.)
• “Remote work doesn’t work for our company.”

• The public school system adequately prepares you for adulthood.
• Your national government is a reliable safety net for times of crisis and disaster. (That depends which country you’re from, I suppose.)
• The purpose of law enforcement is to serve and protect.
• Politicians work for the people, have everything under control, and know what they’re doing.
• “Country-first,” isolationist policies are the best way to go.
• America is the best country in the world.

• The modern-day healthcare system is invincible.
• You can rely on medicines and vaccines rather than taking care of your immune system.
• Managing a stressed-out, overweight population dependent on prescription drugs is normal, acceptable, and the best we can do as a society.
• The U.S. has the best healthcare in the world.

• Racism doesn’t exist anymore.
• Everyone is on an equal playing field.
• Change takes a long time.
• People from different countries are “different” than you.
• Walls and borders will protect you.
• The U.S. is the leader of the free world.

• It pays to plan for the future more than you live today.
• A better, brighter future is (implicitly) guaranteed if you put your head down, work hard, and follow the rules.
• You should strive for financial security over health, happiness, and adventure.
• External factors are both the source of and solution to your problems.
• You need a lot of money to have a high quality of life.
• Color in the lines and stay in your lane: blending in is better (and safer) than standing out.

Society marvels at people who achieve meteoric success by ignoring conventional wisdom. But what if Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk weren’t supposed to be outliers? What if dropping out of college to build things in your garage was encouraged? What if zigging when everyone zags were the best way to live?

Society was wrong. Live Your Life.