What If Your Dream Was Just a Marketing Campaign?

R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness · Jul 6, 2025 · 10m

What if the dream you’ve been chasing your whole life—was never really your dream?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. About how much of what I’ve pursued was shaped by the environments I was raised in, the people I admired, and—most of all—the perception of value and scarcity I was taught to believe in.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a priest.

Then I met someone who studied engineering at a top school.

Then I chased the best PhD at the best school.

Then tenure. Then prestige. Then more.

Each step felt like it mattered—because someone, somewhere, told me it did.

Sometimes it was a…