I too believe we've been culturally brainwashed into thinking that there is only one succesful path in life: go to school, get a job, get married, have kids a dog a house a white picket fence, work, save money, retire, the end. I taught senior high school for years and when those students were questioning their futures and what they were going to do, I had them question why that path was the only one they thought of. It wasn't long before they too understood there's more to life than the hive mindset, and at the very least, there were other choices at their disposal! That's not to say that said life isn't right for many though. I'm glad you found the courage to question it, especially since you always seemed to have that little voice telling you something wasn't quite right.
Thank you for sharing! I found your post because @porters featured you in her Pay it Forward Curation Contest entry; feel free to join us with an entry of your own anytime :)