How many times in a day would you think we question ourselves? Probably a few too many times. When it comes to decision making, many of us tend to question what we should do, or if we are even doing the right thing. It varies from decisions in our personal life to decisions at work and even school. The decisions we make: are they to make us happy or to make others happy?

Too often we find ourselves trying to please others and make decisions based off of how they will characterize us. We let the little things get in the way. In high school we only did things that would make us look “cool” and for what? Half of us won’t see each other in the next five years, or ever again. The only connection we will hold will be high school itself.

When you go to college, no one cares what social group you were in. No one cares you “ran” the school. No one cares you were prom king or queen. College is full of prom kings and queens. What you accomplished in high school becomes to be very minor details no one asks about or even cares.

In life, we also grow up learning our family values. We feed off of it and try to follow them even if they aren’t the best set values.

Sometimes as much as we love our family, we are held to extremely high standards. This happens not just by our family but soon by the people we grow up around as well. Why do we make decisions that will make them happy but not us, specially when the decision will benefit them temporarily but impact us in the long run?

In the 2004 movie, “A Cinderella Story,” there lays a powerful quote: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” This quote can be applied to all these aspects of our life. I believe we truly need to stop playing by everyone else’s rules and make the decisions we need to make for us to be happy and ones we will be satisfied with.

In the long run, people may not agree with these decisions, their opinion may change of you. However, in all honesty, will those people still be in your life years down the road? The people important in your life will learn to understand you made these life decisions based off of what will make you happy.

So once again, we need to ask ourselves, ‘am I going to be okay with this decision five years down the road? Or will I regret the decision I only made to please others who will no longer in my life?’ Do what makes you happy, even if people’s opinion of you changes for the moment.

Take a chance.