9 Things You Don’t Need In Your Life, No Matter What Anyone Says

9 Things You Don’t Need In Your Life, No Matter What Anyone Says ©iStock/SolStock

We’ve been raised in a society that really stresses “having it all.” We are often told that we need things that we really don’t need, and at times, even judged for not wanting things that we’re supposed to want. Truth be told, there’s very little that we need aside from food, shelter, water, and love. If you’ve been told you need the following things, congrats! You’ve been lied to.

  1. You don’t need kids. Some people seem to believe that every woman needs to have a baby. This just isn’t true, and it’s morally wrong to tell someone that you have to have a baby. It’s 2015, and yet this stuff still happens on the regular. Don’t be fooled by all the pressure; you don’t need to have kids.
  2. You don’t need a college degree to succeed. One of the most pervasive lies we’re fed from Day 1 is that we need a college degree to become successful people. Truth be told, a good work ethic and common sense will get you much further than most degrees will.
  3. It’s totally cool to want it, but you don’t need designer clothing. Designer clothing is nice, but when push comes to shove, I’m not going to buy clothes just because they have a designer tag. My clothes don’t need to be designer 100% of the time, and in some occasions, the “generic” stuff tends to look better than the expensive gear.
  4. You don’t need to wear makeup. The pressure that people put on women to wear makeup can be ridiculous. Trust me, I’ve been there quite a bit. So, if you’re dealing with this social pressure, let me reassure you: you don’t need to wear makeup, and the only people who have a right to require it of you are employers who want to maintain a certain image. Other than that, you’re fine without makeup.
  5. You don’t need toxic people. I don’t know why so many people pressure others to keep toxic people in their lives. Sure, it looks good to be surrounded by people, but if half of them drain you of everything you’ve got, it won’t feel good. Oddly enough, the people who pressure you to keep toxic people around are often the worst offenders.
  6. You don’t need flashy crap. A common quote I hear is, “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” In my experience, this is true most of the time. Honestly, if you have to buy things in order to have friends, you need to reevaluate your life decisions.
  7. You don’t need alcohol to have a good time. Don’t get me wrong — I drink a lot. However, I’ll be the first one to say that I don’t need liquor to have fun with friends. Liquor is a bonus, not the focal point. People who insist that booze is the only way to cut loose probably shouldn’t be in your social circle anymore.
  8. You also don’t need social media. Messy as it sounds, the world was fine before it, and it will be fine after the craze dies down. Getting off Facebook once in a while will make you feel better and reduce stress, according to certain studies. Besides, is there anything really that interesting on social media, anyway?
  9. You don’t need others’ approval. Sure, it’s nice to feel like other people like you, but is it a necessity? Absolutely not. Just do you, and lot others deal with their inability to see the awesomeness.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a New Jersey based writer and editor with bylines in Mashed, Newsbreak, Good Men Project, YourTango, and many more. She’s also the author of a safe travel guide for LGBTQIA+ people available on Amazon.

She regularly writes on her popular Medium page and posts on TikTok and Instagram @ossianamakescontent.
close-link
close-link