20 questions to ask yourself when you think you're choosing an anticonformist life (incl. 10 from the AI!)

The second half are from the AI.

It's great to decide to forego the traditional path and to "do your own thing", but what if you're just adopting a new form of conformity, another way of trying too hard to fit in or find external validation? You may not care "what society thinks", but maybe you care too much what your ingroup thinks.

Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to fit in (we all need a sense of community), but it's important to take a closer look at how you're trying to find belonging.

Are you really choosing yourself?

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1. Am I doing this to fill a lack of self-love?

2. Am I looking for external validation?

3. Am I looking for prestige?

4. Do I actually feel enthusiastic about DOING what I need to do for this?

5. Do I find joy in the path itself or am I only drawn to where it should lead me?

6. Am I scared of speaking my mind within my ingroup (or targeted ingroup)?

7. What motivates you?

8. If you couldn't do this, what would you do?

9. How is this related to your values?

10. How does this serve other people?

11. Why does this path feel right for me?

It's important to get in touch with your intuition and ask yourself why you're drawn to a certain path. There may be many reasons why it feels right for you, and it's important to explore those reasons.

12. What are the risks and rewards?

It's important to be realistic about both the risks and rewards of choosing a nonconventional path. What are you willing to risk? What are you hoping to gain?

13. What do I need to let go of?

In order to pursue a nonconventional path, you may need to let go of some things that are holding you back. This could be anything from a negative mindset to material possessions.

14. How can I stay true to myself?

It's easy to get caught up in the expectations of others when you're pursuing a nonconventional path. It's important to stay true to yourself and your own values.

15. What support do I need?

It's important to ask for help and support when you're pursuing a nonconventional path. There are likely people in your life who will be supportive of your decision and can help you along the way.

16. What are your top 5 values?

You need to know what you value most in order to make choices that reflect those values.

17. What are your goals?

You need to know what you're working towards in order to make choices that will help you get there.

18. What are your non negotiables?

These are the things that you absolutely will not compromise on. You need to know what they are in order to make choices that align with them.

19. What is your definition of success?

This is a personal question that only you can answer. You need to know what success looks like to you in order to make choices that will help you achieve it.

20. What are your risks?

You need to know what risks you're willing to take in order to make choices that reflect that.