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
The beauty is there’s no right way to live, because we’re all going to die one day and you won’t be around to care about your achievements or lack thereof. If you want to set those goals and strive for them, go for it if that’s what makes you happy. I had a similar crisis at one point that caused me to go back to school and do a bunch of new stuff I had never done. But eventually, I realized it was pointless to stress too much because there’s no true value, there’s only value to you. For me, that meant spending more time with family while they’re here, and studying things that interested me. If you sit around doing nothing but watch movies for years, but every single day you did what made you happy, how could that be a waste? It can only ever feel like a waste when you compare yourself to others and aren’t confident in yourself. Even if your values changed over time, and now you want to do stuff you never did, go do it! You didn’t waste time before, during that stage of your life you lived how you wanted to.