Realized I'm a "people pleaser", now I'm lost.

Evening folks,

so I've recently come to term with the fact that I'm a people pleaser. Well, at least I was until recently. This all started long ago in my childhood listening to what my mom decided what was best for me. Her statements were along the line of "get a good job to make a lot of money", "college is very important", "if you don't go to college you won't amount to anything", etc... So after dropping out of college for the third time I'm done with it. But now I don't know what to do. I was always so busy doing what my mom said was right, that I haven't been given the opportunity to dream. I have no dream job or career, or really any sort of goal excluding wanting to be happy. But that's a very broad goal and has hundreds of routes to achieve that goal. My problem is I have no clue which route is best for me. Do I go back to school again, but find something I'm passionate about? Or do I give up on school?

That reminds me, how does one find what they are passionate about? I have no clue and never have been allowed to experiment. Every aspect of my life has been influenced by mothers opinion or suggestion.

I have serious mommy issues I know. She is very successful and wants for nothing, so its hard for me to just dismiss her. I know she only wants for best me and I know that she loves me. But I can't help but feel different from her.

So I'm rambling I think, need to get back on track.

How do I find my goals in life beyond short term goals? How do I find what I'm passionate about? Should I go back to school if I need to?

There is a book called "what color is your parachute" it walks you through what your interests are, how to refine them into a more specific goal, and then how that translates into a real world career. I found it helpful in my younger days. (I'm retired now)

I'll have to check that out now thx

U don’t come across as a people pleaser 2 me x

I hear how wonderful your mother is but you are wonderful, too. Even though you are different from her and may not follow her path and the one she has laid out for you.

Sounds like you've got a good understanding of the situation. And though you haven't had much opportunity up until now, maybe it's time that you MAKE the opportunity to dream. To explore. It's your world, too.