Life isn't what I thought it would be.

reidme422

New member
Well, if you really feel like things are wrong go see a shrink. That's the best advice anyone here can really give you.

But part of life, part of growing up even, is the realization that the dreams you had as a kid will almost never all come true. You will probably not be as wildly successful as you had planned. Growing up in this day and age you're taught that you can do anything, that you're special and that the sky is the limit.

The truth is that you are, in fact, only special to the people that love you. The rest of the world couldn't care less.

Reality is that you can't do anything. You have a limited set of skills and interests and you have to work to find an intersection of the two. In many cases you may have a job you're skilled at and hobbies you're interested in.

The sky is not the limit. Roughly 6 feet off the ground is about as far as most of us will ever really get.

These are hard things to accept. Especially if you've grown up being taught differently. We try to give our kids a positive outlook so we tell them all these lies because we don't want to stifle them. But we also set them up to feel like you do when they get out on their own and reality comes knocking with the truth.

The trick is to find something that makes you feel fulfilled. It probably won't be your job. It will probably come from some external source in your life. In my case I have a lot of hobbies that keep my life fulfilled. My friend has a national championship in Tae Kwon Do. Another friend loves to play the cello. Many people like to work out while others do volunteer work.

The point is, find a job you can tolerate, find a hobby you love. You don't want to be one of those douchebags that defines himself by his job and in the end has nothing other than work. You can be the most awesome doctor in the world, but if that's all you are most people are going to find you boring. People would rather talk to the guy that plays soccer, the piano and sculpts steel because he's actually 3 dimensional instead of the doctor who's one dimensional.
 
Thanks man.

And actually, I play guitar close to four hours a day. It's one of the few things that are fun anymore.

I'm getting into motorcycle riding lately so maybe that'll provide some fulfillment.
 
There you go dude. Find things outside of work that interest and challenge you.

And remember, if you could have everything none of it would mean anything.

The things that matter to you are the things you have to work for and sacrifice for. You know that kid that is a total prick because his parents give him everything? Well, he's a prick because he can have anything so he values none of it. But if you work hard and in the end you have to pick one of 3 things you really want to do, then whatever you pick matters. If you could just do all 3, then they wouldn't be as valuable to you.

For example, I REALLY want to learn to play the cello. But they're about $1,000 for a peice of shit that's playable. Then lessons and shit... so I have to work hard and save for it. But when I finally get there, it'll mean something because I worked for it and had to give up other things to get it.

And that folks is why so many rich people are ungodly unhappy and so many poor people are very happy. The richies can't find fulfillment in anything they do while the poor kids find it in everything they do.

Money makes life easier. But it sure as hell doesn't make it happier.
 
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