The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

May 4The Force

I have difficulty to detect the precise person you are: and of course so much force is withdrawn from your proper life. But do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. A person must consider what a blindman's-buff is this game of conformity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson—Self-Reliance (1841)

At an earlier point in this essay, Emerson states more plainly the following: “The objection to conforming to usages that have become dead to you is, that it scatters your force.”

So let's tidy this up—Emerson felt that conformity takes a physical, mental, and spiritual toll on our lives and because there's only so much force to go around, we better stop squandering it.

Ah, but not so fast. It's easy to conclude that doing what others do or think you should do is some sort of giving in, but self-reliance means you get to decide and, for that matter, define what is and is not conformity.

But sometimes we accept the status quo as our path because we simply fail to question it.

Perhaps the point is that your force lies in the incredible lightness of being yourself. Wandering far off your path creates a burden you may not feel until it's lifted.

Let's check a few things: How often are you justifying your decisions? Does it seem like there's too much drama in your life? Are you finding it hard to start big projects? Are you clinging more and more to outside validation?

There aren't any right or wrong answers; there's just you and the force.