Stop Waiting For Permission: How To Live Out Loud And Become The Carpe Diem Type Person

Cynics and the Hype Squad

I’ve always found energy to be contagious. Imagine you’re getting into a metro train where the mood is somber, you’ll also tend to become silent and serious yourself, just minding your own business. But if the same train is filled with strangers smiling at each other, talking about the rush hour or the weather, and engaging in small talk, your mood will be instantly lifted. Isn’t that true?

Among my friends and family, I know many people who are cynical and rationalize their behavior as realistic. And then there are people like me, who are always hyped up about just about anything and often labeled by others as delusional. LOL.

Rewiring Negativity Bias

This effervescence in my nature has come with deliberate practice. I was, like many people, wired with a negativity bias so strong that I would hardly start on things I set my mind to because I would think, “What’s the point? Will this even work?”

But after understanding the extent (and limits) of my influence over others through my behaviors and actions, I realized I’ve been given strengths and gifts with which I can make life beautiful for myself and those around me.

I understand that joy will always be fleeting, so at least if our definitions of success are truly ours and not what society thinks they should be, we are in control of how things unfold. This awareness has helped me become risk-averse while still keeping in mind my responsibility to those who look up to me and depend on me.

The Desire to Live Fully

I’ve developed an insatiable and unshakeable desire to live a life that means something uniquely to me. Let’s be honest, I have no visibility into when all this will come to an end, so I might as well live each day as fully as I can.

For decades, I followed a blueprint of the classic herd mindset: watch movies in my spare time, work 9 to 5, buy a giant house with some rooms I only step into a handful of times a year. As I aged, the angst of existence grew louder and pushed me to start searching. I had even begun to quell the noises in my head: “Be careful… if you step out of line, we’ll call you weird.”

But slowly, I started by auditing my days, asking why I was perennially unhappy at the end of each one. To find happiness, I realized I must spend my time doing what I truly enjoy. For me, that’s creating magic out of words. And that’s what I do most days when I’m not working my corporate job.

I now feel content with how I’ve weaved words together to express my ideas. Actually, I now firmly believe that art is the only thing that can make life bearable.

See, I am not asking you to go all out in the name of living out loud. Start small, notice what sticks. Big and bold changes sound great, but they’re rarely sustainable.

Societal constructs serve a purpose: they protect us from exploring some of our most reckless impulses. They protect us from burning our wings of freedom. Even freedom loses its merit if it’s only reckless.

Check Your Assumptions

Assumptions are masters of disguise. They are sneaky thoughts that pretend to be common sense, helping us dodge responsibility toward our deepest desires. Our negativity bias makes us wonder if things will go badly, so why even try? It makes us worry others won’t understand us, so fear keeps us in our comfort zone.

But assumptions quietly shrink our world. They leash our courage and trap our imagination in one room when there’s a whole house waiting to be explored. If we let those fears drive us, we’re not just limiting ourselves; we’re becoming a risk to our own potential and the living web that supports us.

Breaking the Paradigm

A paradigm is the invisible blueprint running your life. It tells you what’s “normal,” “safe,” and “possible.” In fact, a lot of us think external forces are holding us back – family, society, culture, or the economy.

The real lock is in our own minds, built from old beliefs, inherited fears, and invisible rules we never questioned. These forces only have power if we internalize them. Questioning your beliefs is the art of gentle subtraction. You’re peeling away layers of beliefs, stories, and obligations that never originated from you.

When you release that noise, a more authentic version of you rises. You walk the path that’s yours and not the one your family, culture, or community expects. From that clarity, purpose becomes unmistakable. You wonder why you wasted all this energy shrinking yourself to make everyone else comfortable. Why did you not recognize earlier that we all have a shot at being uniquely, undeniably us?

“Knowledge advances not by repeating known things but by refuting false dogmas.” ~ Karl Popper

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Slow Down to the Pace of Nature

Don’t fall for the “busyness bandwagon.” Being busy is not a proxy for deep, meaningful work. We scroll, check, plan, and worry, calling it productivity, but it’s really avoidance. Busy work keeps us safe and shields us from choosing joy, building connections, or pursuing true passions.

Instead, slow down to the pace of nature. Nature is continuous, eternal, and unyielding. Ask yourself. “What is my true nature?” And like a water drop, enjoy the present moment. If it worries about crashing to the ground, it misses the still, balanced, and breathtaking now.

The five elements earth, fire, water, air, and space don’t compete; they exist with unconditional trust, freedom, and generosity in shared space. They teach us to reserve judgment, accept, and be content, trusting that we will someday dissolve and become one with them.

Here’s the truth. The things that make us feel alive, laughter that makes our ribs ache, projects that ignite curiosity, connections that fire up the soul are rarely urgent. Yet we let urgent but shallow tasks consume our energy and time.

The Myth of External Permission

Many of us wait for someone else to give us a green light to be fully ourselves. We spin elaborate narratives:

• “I’ll be free when the kids are older.”
• “When I have more money, then I can show up.”
• “I’ll be free when my family finally understands me.”
• “It will all work out when society changes … someday.”

These are not external blockers but internal fears dressed up in armor. We tell ourselves the world is holding us back, but what if we’re the ones keeping the doors shut? Life’s too short to wait for a signal that reads, “It’s safe now, you may shine.”

Actions of a Free Man

Imagine an ideal world for yourself, but your truth becomes real only if you decide to live it. There’s something breathtaking about people who live their truth, even when it’s not trendy, inconvenient, or confusing to the herd.

When your thoughts, words, and actions align, you radiate authenticity. That “no conflict” zone attitude you carry sends an unmistakable signal of your true self to those around you.

And yes, there will be times when life asks you to spend your precious time on obligations, like a wedding with 500 strangers instead of a quiet moment with a dear friend. But sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Starting today, make a quiet choice to stop waiting. Become a Carpe Diem type of person. Begin with a small rebellious thought:
“What if nothing is actually stopping me?”

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