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
They had resources, usually from high school, or yes their family led them a bit as well. But the thing is I could have the same resources as well, if I didn’t sleep around while choosing my high school. Or even then, I could just go ask around, I’d definitely get something if I woke up and asked everyone around “I want to invent something”. Ask on internet literally. I didn’t.
It’s not “media” in the conventional sense. I just casually asked someone from a good high school what do best students look like.
If you keep this mindset you’ll soon find yourself downplaying your own actual accomplishments. I.e., “Yeah, I got a good grade in that class but only because X.” “Yeah, I have a nice job lined up, but only because Y.” It’s a toxic mindset to have.
Comparing yourself to others people’s accomplishments is never going to end well. It’s completely natural for us to do, but if it’s not done to achieve inspiration, then it’s almost always a negative thought process.
At the end of the day the people you describe are no better than you, their accomplishments don’t make them better people. Their accomplishments only have value if you chose to give them that, and in the same token value can be given to things in your life that you might not necessarily deem worthy enough it be an ‘accomplishment’.