Tradition isn’t inherently a good or bad thing. And I personally find some traditions to be wonderful. But I’ve also found that tradition can get in the way of people discovering who they truly are because tradition is, by nature, designed to keep people doing things the way they’ve always been done.

When you do things the way they’ve always been done, and especially if you never question why they’ve been done that way, it doesn’t allow you to explore new ways of doing things. And to go on a self-discovery journey, you have to have the freedom to explore new ways of thinking and of doing things. And when you learn more about who you truly are, living authentically will mean that you’ll sometimes have to go against tradition.

To give you a better idea of how tradition can keep you from discovering and living as your true self, here are four reasons.

4 Reasons Tradition Can Get in the Way of Your Self-Discovery Journey

1. Tradition can keep you from asking why.

   If you’re not someone who’s inclined to question things and if you’ve never been encouraged to do so, you might mindlessly follow traditions and traditional ways of thinking that have been handed down to you. And while these traditions and ways of thinking may work for some people, others might find them oppressive or constraining.
   
   Even so, if they’re not aware that there are other ways of doing things, they might just continue with the traditions they’ve inherited without questioning them. For example, one tradition that may exist in certain families is going to college.
   
   I believe that college can be a great place to explore new topics in a classroom setting and connect with new people. But that doesn’t mean college is for everyone. With the array of online courses and classes that are available these days, not to mention the general body of knowledge available on the internet, people can learn much of what they need to without ever setting foot in a college classroom.
   
   Career paths like coaching, becoming a blogger or YouTuber, and becoming a freelance writer are all examples of things you can do without a college degree. You can always get one if you want to, and of course some career paths require one. But it all depends on your goal. And that’s where being able to question tradition comes in.
   
   The ultimate goal of getting a college degree is usually to get a good job so you can earn money. But you can also stop to think, “Is this the only way to earn money? Are there other ways of making money?” If you know that your goal is to earn money and you have skills you can use to do that or skills that you can learn without going to college, you don’t have to feel obligated to go to college.
   
   But this is a nontraditional way of thinking. And for someone to even be able to consider this way of thinking, they’re going to have to go against tradition—at least in families where going to college is the norm. But if this person doesn’t believe their true self needs a college education to have its highest expression, they might just have to do something unconventional to earn money.

2. Tradition can make you think small.

   Society tends to have an idea or expectation of how certain people are supposed to behave. This is why we have things like gender roles and ideas of what’s possible for people at certain ages.
   
   But the moment you say something like, “I’m too young to do that,” you’re choosing to go with tradition, put yourself in a box, and cut yourself off from your potential. But say you begin your journey of self-discovery and find that, to live authentically, you have to do something that you’ve never seen someone your age do. If you want to be more authentic, you’ll have to do something nonstandard.
   
   Tradition can make you feel small, but only if you let it. If, however, you decide that any age is the right age to do something that will allow you to be more authentic, then you give yourself permission to do it.
   
   And the same goes for any limiting beliefs you may have about yourself, like things you feel you can’t do because of your background, your race, your gender identity, your socioeconomic standing, or anything else. If tradition is trying to convince you that you can’t do something because it’s not traditional for people in your group to do it, you’re going to have to ignore tradition and do it anyway.

3. Tradition can keep you from considering alternative solutions to your problems.

   When you’re used to turning to tradition as the answer to your problems, you won’t always end up with the best solution to your unique situation. For example, most people’s solution to the problem of acquiring money is to get a job.
   
   While there’s, of course, nothing wrong with earning money through a job, people who are satisfied with this conventional solution may never consider other ways to earn money or add to the income they have.
   
   For instance, imagine if someone on a self-discovery journey finds out that they would like to incorporate more travel into their life. They’ve discovered that travel is something their truest self is longing for. If that person is happy with their job but would still like to earn a little extra money for traveling, they might want to consider ways that they can earn money passively, rather than taking the more common route of looking for another job.
   
   Passive income comes in many forms, and some are more passive than others, but merely being able to consider this alternative way of making money is an example of nontraditional thinking. And if this person does take this less traditional route, they’ll have free time to be able to travel that they wouldn’t have if they took on another job. In this way, going against tradition can help them live more authentically.

4. Tradition can keep you from following your heart.

   Your heart may ask you to do things that go against tradition. Maybe your idea of a family doesn’t look like the traditional family. Maybe your idea of a way to make money doesn’t look like the traditional way of doing so. Or maybe within the job you have, you feel inclined to do things differently than other people who have a similar job.
   
   If you choose to follow tradition, you won’t feel the freedom to innovate. You won’t feel free to do things in a different way. And you won’t feel inclined to follow your heart when it tells you to do something unconventional.
   
   But if you decide you’re on a mission to live authentically, then you have to make up your mind to follow your heart wherever it leads. While it may not always ask you to take a completely untraced path, it might ask you to do things differently than the way those around you do them. And you have to be willing to heed its call if you want your truest self to shine through.

What to Take Away

While some traditions can be nice, tradition can also hinder your journey of self-discovery if you let it. Tradition can make people afraid to question the way things have always been done and follow their heart if it’s leading them down a nontraditional path.

But if you want to be more authentic, you’ll probably have to go against tradition in one way or another. And I truly believe that if you choose to do this, you’ll be grateful you did.

Now it’s your turn. How do you think tradition can get in the way of a self-discovery journey?

~ Ashley C.

Last updated: December 17, 2024

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