People think that marketing is just for a business. People are wrong. 

Your whole life is marketing. Everything you do from the food you choose to eat to the place you live to the people you're friends with to the beer you drink to the things you watch happen are all marketing. It's not uncommon for people not to watch you. Sure, everybody's got their own privacy, but people see the things you do (Moms especially). And more importantly, people see the things you don't do.

This last point scared me. If I stand back and do nothing, or do something comfortable, or settle in a way that I don't really want to but have chosen to, people will see that. And not everyone who sees that will say "Ope, that's me too! I'm gonna do the same thing!" but they might for a second think, maybe I should settle too.

Or, maybe I shouldn't say anything if my friend is cheating on his girlfriend. Not my place.

Or, maybe I should get an MBA to market myself better even though I have no idea what I want to do.

Or, maybe I should spend 4 hours watching this show instead of doing what I love because what I love to do is too hard, like paint or write or develop a small business or learn French.

It scares the hell out of me to know that I may be influencing something I don't want for others. "Listen, you're not that important," somebody might say, and they may be absolutely correct. Or absolutely incorrect. 

I won't take the chance.