When You Conform, the Only Person You Are Pleasing Is Others Not Yourself
Conformity refers to a situation where you match your behavior and cognition to be in accordance with standards accepted or set by society. But when we conform, do we really help ourselves or those in society who push us to accept their standards? The truth is, conformity is a disease that limits us in many ways, all the while under the pretense of helping us.
Limited uniqueness
We all have different attributes that make us special. Conformity, however, often frowns upon individuality and uniqueness. You will often hear people pushing you into their set ways of thinking, their careers of choice, their "acceptable" hobbies and interests and so on. While this is happening, we cripple our unique attributes and even shy away from them. We sacrifice our individual happiness, to please those around us.
Decreased opportunities for individual success
If we are all looking to do the same thing because society deems it fit, then we limit our way of thinking. Even worse, by conforming, we limit our opportunities for growth and our ability to unlock our full potential. The only way to achieve our own success, independent of the society around us, is to avoid conforming to standards that limit our individuality, forward thinking and so on.
Breeding ground for negativity
Often times, when you go against societal standards and achieve something independent of these standards, you will find a lot of negativity directed at you. Those around you who have conformed feel hatred, jealousy, malice among other negative emotions because of your success. Perhaps this is because of their inability to avoid their conformed mindset or because your success is your own.
Crippled sense of happiness
Before you conform, you should ask yourself why it is that you want to do so. Is it because this gives you happiness? Or is it just because your "friends" and others around you want it for you? In the end, you find that in conformity, your happiness is tied to others and not to yourself. You actually find that your own happiness is crippled and you get a greater sense to please others than yourself.
Attracts poor friendships
Any non-conformer is often shunned while a conformer is valued and always in the presence of a high number of friends. Nevertheless, you will find that the non-conformer has friendships with greater value as opposed to those of the conformer. And I would rather have few great friends as opposed to many fake friends.
Conclusion
Flocking in the same direction as the society you are in is not always the best decision. You should sit back, evaluate your situation exhaustively and choose your own path depending on its benefits to you and not to those around you.