For millennials and Gen Z, the biggest lie we’re sold is that there is one track. The Golden Track. It’s paved with SAT prep, prestigious internships, a sensible degree, and a 401k plan.
It’s safe. It’s responsible. It’s… honestly, soul-crushing.
When someone asks you, “What are your plans for the future?” and you hesitate, you can literally feel the disappointment radiating off them, as if not having a five-year plan tattooed on your arm is a failure.
Before continuing, take a minute and listen to the lyrics from Elliott Smith’s “The Biggest Lie.” And feel the feels.
But the world is too big, too weird, and too interesting to live a life on rails.
This is about radical self-trust. It’s looking at the “well-meaning” parent or the skeptical relative and politely saying, “Hard pass on your expectations, thanks.”
Maybe you’re meant to work as a park ranger for a year, learn welding, teach yourself coding, or move to a city purely because you like the rain. Maybe your career won’t be defined by a title, but by a series of skills you picked up doing things that just felt right. These paths are not “detours” or “wasted time”; they are the foundational experiences that make your life yours.
Why chase the idea of “security” handed down from another generation, when we know that security is an illusion? An illusion grounded in generational trauma and archaic beliefs, most of which arguably, aren’t necessarily “politically correct” in today’s world. So how do you know what genuine safety looks like? Feels like?
True safety comes from knowing you are adaptable, resourceful, and capable of figuring things out—even if you have to pivot, fail, and start over time-and-time again.
Your curiosity is more valuable than conformity. Your joy is a better metric than your salary potential. If the pressure feels heavy, remember it’s not your pressure; it’s a hand-me-down from someone else’s fear.
Drop it. Breathe. And remember, the track you’re building as you go is the only one you need.
Have a topic in mind? Let Andrew know at andrew@truehollywoodtalk.com.
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