Do You Know What You Want — Or Do You Just Want What You Know?
Most people aren’t choosing their lives. They’re just following scripts they didn’t write.
You go to school.
You get the degree.
You get the job.
You pay your taxes.
You maybe travel a little.
Then what?
We call this “life” — but for many, it’s just autopilot.
And the funniest part? You might not even know it. Because the brain doesn’t crave truth. It craves familiarity.
Let’s peel back the layers.
🎓 The School System: Built for Obedience, Not Freedom
I am not one to blame "society" for everything that went wrong in my life. And I highly discourage you from doing this as well. It leads nowhere.
School, however, is a system that few can truly opt out of — especially in Germany, where I grew up. We all spend years inside an institution we didn’t choose, designed for a world that no longer exists. From an early age, we’re trained to:
Sit still for 8 hours
Memorize facts for approval
Raise your hand to speak
Ask for permission to go to the bathroom
Sound familiar?
This system wasn’t designed to unleash sovereign, creative, critical thinkers. It was designed to produce compliant workers — reliable inputs for an industrial economy. Which made sense for its time in the 19th century, but for today's world, it is a bit outdated.
By the time you graduate, you’ve learned the #1 rule:
Follow the path laid out for you — and everything will be fine.
👨👩👧👦 Family Imprints: “That’s Just What You Do”
Your parents didn’t mean to trap you. They were doing what they thought was best — repeating the blueprint they were handed:
“Get a stable job.”
“Buy property.”
“Don’t take risks.”
“That’s just how the world works.”
And for the generation of our parents, a lot of things were actually true and worked out just fine. But, again, maybe not so much in today's world anymore. These voices however become internalized. Not because they’re right — but because they’re present and authoritative at a crucial age. You start to believe that the “default” is truth.
But ask yourself:
Would your 10-year-old self really choose this?
💸 The Economic Cage: Incentives Shape Desires
Let’s talk money.
You pick a degree because it “pays well.” And that's not wrong. Money matters.
You chase promotions to “keep up.” Which is smart, because inflation hits you.
You buy things to match your peers. Which is understandable, because we all want to belong.
But behind these choices are economic incentives crafted by a system that thrives when you consume, comply, and stay stuck.
You were never taught how to opt out or even dare to think about any other option. Only how to climb inside the box faster.
👯 Peer Pressure Isn’t Just for Teenagers
It follows you into adulthood:
Everyone’s getting married, so you wonder if you should.
Everyone’s moving to a suburb, so you start browsing house listings.
Everyone’s investing in a managed fund, so you copy-paste their plan.
The issue we all have is that our brains are not made for thriving, they are wired for survival. And what most people do, is considered safe. And safety and familiarity are things our brains and nervous systems like very much. When we are safe, we survive. Mission accomplished.
We confuse fitting in with making good decisions.
We confuse approval with truth.
We confuse comfort with freedom.
And the more everyone agrees, the harder it is to say:
“Actually… I want something different.”
🤖 Autopilot Feels Safe — Until It Doesn’t
Living by default is easy. Until one day, it isn’t.
You wake up and think:
“Is this all there is?”
“Why do I feel anxious when I look at my bank account?”
“Why am I working so hard for a life I’m not excited about?”
It might not be a huge aha-moment or a dramatic event, maybe it is a feeling that slowly creeps into your thoughts. A subtle feeling that the thing you wanted, happiness, comfort, contentment, peace of mind never truly show up even though you did everything "right".
🧭 So... What Do You Want?
If you stripped away:
What your parents want
What your teachers praised
What LinkedIn celebrates
What your friends are doing
What your fear tells you to settle for
...what’s left?
This is the hard part.
It’s easier to want what you know than to step into the unknown.
But that’s where agency lives.
Not in copying.
Not in following.
But in choosing.
🪙 The Bitcoin Parallel
This is a blog about Bitcoin education, so forgive me if I draw a parallel here. But for me, it is very obvious. Bitcoin is a new system. But most people reject it — not because they understand it, but because it’s unfamiliar.
They’d rather stay in a broken fiat system they’ve seen, than explore a monetary future they haven’t. Most people constantly choose familiarity over freedom. It’s the same with life choices.
Remember the movie "The Matrix": The matrix is cozy when you’re asleep. But once you wake up, you can’t unsee it.
🔑 Final Thought: Permission to Want Something Else
You don’t have to burn it all down today.
But you do need to stop asking the system for permission.
Because it will never give it. Nobody out there will ever give you permission. And if you feel like you need someone's permission, that's okay. As long as you ask yourself why. What are you hoping for?
You are allowed to want something different.
To live differently.
To think differently.
The only question is: will you?
✨ If you’re tired of autopilot, and ready to think for yourself about money, freedom, and what you really want — check out my “Mystery Money” course.
🌸 It’s not about manifesting or quitting your job and moving to a cabin in the woods. Not at all. It’s about learning a new way of thinking about money, a smart way — and building a life that’s yours, redefining your relationship with money.
👉🏼 I made a FREE workbook for you so you can start TODAY.
📥 Download it here (it is editable, no need for printing).
