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submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by required@lemmy.world to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

In the last year or so I started to see so many people of my age that have done truly incredible things and still doing more.
For the vast majority of my life my only goals were gettimg academic satisfaction and doing unproductive stuff in the free time to get temporary pleasure. No end goal whatsoever.
I kind of don't know what I've been doing in the last 17 years while someone gets a patent on solar systems, other invents a new recyclable plastic, and another found a successful startup. I mean, they all find what they're supposed to be doing with their lives and excel in them.
I feel overwhelmed for trying to pace up with these kind of people. Yet I don't like the way the things are and I can't do anything but envy those people.
Anyone with experience in this regard? How did you deal with this? Did you eventually "pace up" with these people or was it too late or an unattainable goal?
Edit: Whoops, I didn't expect so many replies! Thanks, I'll look into them all

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[-] Ecksell@lemmy.one 2 points 2 years ago

To answer the topic question, no I don’t, and its not a good thing. I’ve pushed it too hard for too many years and now my mind and body are suffering from that toll. And it wasn’t worth it.

My advice is take up a few hobbies, and enjoy life. Don’t bother chasing others or “Keeping up with the Jones.” Enjoy existing, because it is short.

[-] Clbull@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I get that all the time.

Graduated with a History degree ten years ago, spent 18 months afterwards unemployed because my degree closed many more doors than it opened, spent another 3 years working in dead-end customer service roles then worked my way up into a finance career. Last week I got my 'big break' where I managed to avoid redundancy and secure a financial reporting role that's relevant to my ACCA studies. This is one of those rare times where the stars aligned.

My love life (or lack thereof) is my biggest grievance with life. People my age are married/cohabiting and have children of their own, meanwhile I am turning 32 in the next two months and still haven't even lost my virginity because from my experience, women have often been very frigid and judgmental.

[-] OpenStars@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

Remember to find a balance. You might have been doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Questioning is good...

[-] Candelestine@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

You're a good candidate for taoist philosophy. While I'm not sure what having absolutely no long term goals really feels like, I've had them my whole life, I can tell you that people have their own paths, and its in this diversity of paths that one of our strengths as a species lies. This is why authoritarians suck on the modern battlefield--too much conformity, leaves them inflexible. We allow diversity of thought and encourage initiative and independent action, in our militaries.

I don't think you should look to other people's accomplishments if accomplishing those things was never your goal in the first place, though. Was your goal, perhaps, learning? If so, those folks usually wind up with an eventual responsibility of handing their knowledge down to future generations, once it is accumulated sufficiently. I don't see how that contribution is worth any less than a start-up though.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

100% of my life was wasted.

Between mental health, medical issues, abusive family, abusive girlfriends, etc.

My entire life is a festering black void of nothing.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

For me? That seems low to be honest.

[-] Smokeydope@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago
  1. don't compare your life to other peoples. Everyone has their own path to follow. Some people are simply more motivated than others, and that's okay. As soon as I accepted I wasn't a money hungry ladder climber and just wanted peaceful stress free life carved on my own terms my goals were much more clear.

  2. figure out what you really want. A person is like a ship at sea, it must have a destination, something to work towards, otherwise it floats adrift aimlessly. Picture what you want in your mind and want it so bad that you have to have it. If you don't know what it is, think harder and dream in your minds eye until a picture arises.

[-] required@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

money hungry ladder climber

I think this is pretty close to my life outlook right now. I really don't have any dream like that tbh 😭

[-] CrypticFawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago

Comparison is the thief of joy.

[-] hurricane@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

In the end everybody's life is wasted. Of 120 billion or so humans who have ever lived only a couple of hundred thousand even have more than the most basic details recorded about them. In 100 years you will be a distant name, in 1000 more no one will know you ever existed. Just live however you are comfortable with and quit worrying about wasting it.

[-] itadakimasu@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I feel I should be more adventurous. Every weekend comes by and I find myself just being a homebody, pretty much since COVID.

I think the trick is to find a hobby and / or get out be adventurous more often.

Having good friends is helpful, but those are so hard to come by later on in life.

[-] dont_forget_canada@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

This! Put yourself OUT THERE. You will surprise yourself. Sometimes opportunities and growth hits you in the face but usually you've gotta' seek it out!

[-] ChatGPT@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Only compare yourself to yourself if you’re doing better than you were a month ago, year or even decade you’re going the right way. Everyone has skeletons in their closet to you rarely get to see medical issues, spouse cheating, debt up to their eyeballs all this can be hidden for a long time.

[-] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

Kind of. I've amassed a fair amount of knowledge over the span of this life I'm over halfway through, but very little in the way of accomplishments. (Not counting the achievements in video games.)

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this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
640 points (96.6% liked)

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