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
I would say people should only pursue fancy degrees if the jobs attached to those degrees would be your dream jobs. I don’t make a ton of money, but I make enough to not die of dysentery. I look at people making 2-3x what i make I have no envy because the life they live wouldn’t make me happy. When I was a kid, I read a study about rich people being less happy because their baseline is higher, making things overall less satisfying. Movies like American Psycho also highlight this. The chase for money, material things, or a legacy leads to emptyness, not happiness. However, when you spend your time doing the things you truly enjoy and excite you, you never waste a minute of your life.