They say you’re supposed to study hard so that you get a good job. Once you get it, you’re supposed to work hard, to earn a good amount of money, or at least to get work experience that will eventually help you get a better job with better pay. After all, you’re supposed to own and consume all sorts of goods and services, and for that you’ll need a good amount of money.

But money isn’t all you’re supposed to seek. You’re also supposed to hang out with family and friends, cultivate relationships, including romantic ones. You’re supposed to get married eventually, and have kids at some point. By then, of course, you’ll need to be working even harder to be able to provide for your spouse and kids, and to help others in need, your obligation as a human being.

At the same time, remember you’re supposed to keep growing intellectually, to be constantly up-to-date on what’s going on in the world, and to have opinions. That, in turn, will require of you quite a bit of exposure to the news, and to literature and cinema and music and the arts, generally.

But don’t forget to take good care of your health and appearance. Not only that: you’re supposed to work out regularly and have some sense of style and fashion, because you’re supposed to look good. Oh, and you’re supposed to have some sort of hobby, as a pastime, because, although you may feel ovewhelmed, you’re supposed to have some amount of time to pass.

If you think you’ve been managing to do all of the above, you may even want to feel accomplished, but don’t flatter yourself: you’ve merely done what you were supposed to.

Life as they say it’s supposed to be is so high-maintenance.