Ask HN: How can I come to peace with the years I wasted on pointless things?

Burn that regret as fuel.

Just be glad you got out of being addicted to video games. Some people never get out of that and it ruins their lives, or at least massively wastes their potential. Unless you personally know someone who has a sibling or son or daughter with video game addiction you'll never really hear about it because it's the kind of addiction that doesn't cost a lot of money or cause deadly health or behavior problems and because of that never makes the news. It's just pathetic.

Fortunately you're still in your early twenties with enough time for you to feel as though you can make amends. Don't waste your twenties on social media and other timer wasters because once you hit thirty you are on the downturn and will really regret your time wasted. Focus on positive stuff that sets you up to be a success in life because it get harder to get out of the starters blocks as you get older.

My advice? Don’t define yourself by your work. Your work is simply something you can do to live. You are trading your time and labor so you can do whatever it is you want to do.

At your age it’s common to think you’re going to change the world. Some people get bitter when this doesn’t happen. I’ve seen this and it’s not pretty. Almost nobody changes the world.

In tech you see this with people who have were the smartest in their high school, went to a great college and have basically been told their entire lives they are amazing and smart. At some point they get to a room where they’re not special and that can be a hard pill to swallow.

So if you want to change the world it just do something really meaningful you have to commit to that. But why are you doing it? Will it make you happy? It is that simply something you feel like you should do rather than something you want to do? And do you really want to make that impact or do you just want the adulation that entails?

Life is short. Consider yourself lucky if you have a skill that will let you live comfortably. Enjoy the ride.

In my 40s now and I still love playing video games, which I have been playing since I was 5 years old, starting with Space Invaders on the Atari 2600.

I’m doing alright, and don’t regret a thing as I have found that play is as important as work in life! Here’s John Cleese from Monty Python speaking about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5oIIPO62g

You are you and your life is your life. Try not to compare yourself with others and you will be happier!