640
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

(page 5) 44 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] SighBapanada@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Yea but I go easier on myself these days as I see it now as part of a larger systemic problem. Living in suburbs, having social anxiety, struggling with toxic family issues, etc. It all played a part in my escapism into video games and unproductive time sinks. I forgive myself for the past and try to do better today. It's about making the most of the opportunities that are given to you, cheesy as it sounds.

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

I grew up evangelical, and I definitely wasted my young years not living life because of it.

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

Comparison is the thief of joy

[-] blanketswithsmallpox@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

For every 1 dude who does incredible shit, 99 of us are getting by being content. Being content and unremarkable is the norm, don't let social media or fucked up parents tell you otherwise.

The only meaning to life is being happy and content. There really isn't any meaning to it, so the former is the best option.

If you really feel like you need to do something or regret it forever, then you need to get off your ass and start making changes. Otherwise surprise! You're just like everyone else!

Nobody TRULY cares except YOU and MAYBE your closest loved ones. Even then you realize people pay way more attention about what people think they think about them vs what they actually do. Most people generally don't give two shits as long as you treat them with GENUINE love, openness, bare minimum respect.

[-] KingStrafeIV@midwest.social 1 points 2 years ago

The best time to make a change in your life was 10 years ago, the second best time is now.

Don't base your happiness on your achievements as compared to others. Life isn't deterministic, every person is working with a different set of skills and circumstances. Set your own goals based on what you want to do, and work toward that.

If you don't know what you want to do, start trying new things.

[-] bstix@feddit.dk 1 points 2 years ago

Everything comes with a cost. To be successful in one area means missing out in others. Everyone likes to post their success on Facebook or LinkedIn, but they also don't post about all the evenings spent arguing with their wife or missing out on their children growing up or whatever. Success is not easily defined.

Most people like to keep things balanced, as in not having extreme losses in one area, but that also means that they're not successful in something particular. That kind of balance is a success in itself, though it's rather invisible.

You're not supposed to do anything in your life. When the grim reaper comes along you won't be able to bring it along.

You're not dead. Be successful in whatever you want.

[-] mykl@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It’s not just you, it’s all of us. But what people really regret when they are facing the end is perhaps different from your fears as expressed here.

Five wishes of the dying:

  1. “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
  2. “I wish I hadn't worked so hard.”
  3. “I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.”
  4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
  5. “I wish I had let myself be happier”

From The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware

[-] dan1101@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Not really. After having been through some deaths and illnesses of people close to me, every normal day is a good day to me. No news is good news, I can live my life quietly and how I want.

As for success in life, if I take care of myself, try not to make things around me worse, and try to help others I'm pretty happy with that. In my work we make a few products from scratch so I feel like I contribute to society.

[-] Rooty@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago

As the saying goes, life is a marathon, and not a race. I spent my 20's feelings very sorry for myself as a result of sheltered upbringing and a lack of ambition. However, please bear in mind that the people you hear about on the news are a very small minority, and not a median representative, and that many of them had resources that they did not disclose in order to curate a favorable image

[-] required@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Also many with a similar or worse background than me though

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

well living in clown world doesn't help, seeing as how we're at least a hundred years behind where we should be if history didn't go the way it did. if anyone's to blame it's JP Morgan after he shut down Tesla's funding way back then.

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›
this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
640 points (96.6% liked)

No Stupid Questions

36524 readers
321 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS