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I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

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11–20 of 464 posts

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#11

Poor bastard. I think a lot of older people really don't understand this, but our generation (late millennials, or at least middle-class late millennials) were genuinely fed the lie our whole life that we were special and could do anything. At some point, you have to admit to yourself that you're just an ordinary human being and Elon Musk has something special that you don't have. Only when you're in this mindset can…

Elon Musk was born privileged and is probably wrong about a whole bunch of things. I don't think it's an appropriate or useful point of comaprison.

Elon Musk was born privileged

Only relatively speaking. There are a whole lot of people grew up with a hell of a lot more "privilege" than Musk and who have accomplished far far less.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#12
Oh hey, it's ADD/ADHD/laziness/whatever the fuck you want to call it. Goes great with (or causes) anxiety and depression.

"Daily humor", yeah very funny, haha. Except when you live it.

If you're thinking "well, that's normal for a lot of people", yeah so was unable to see without glasses or dying from a burst appendix, lack of insulin or just bad food. Some people have it mild and get by, but for some, it's hell on Earth.

More healthcare pros need to recognize it's a problem, recognize it's fixable and fix it.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#13

Poor bastard. I think a lot of older people really don't understand this, but our generation (late millennials, or at least middle-class late millennials) were genuinely fed the lie our whole life that we were special and could do anything. At some point, you have to admit to yourself that you're just an ordinary human being and Elon Musk has something special that you don't have. Only when you're in this mindset can…

Elon Musk was born privileged and is probably wrong about a whole bunch of things. I don't think it's an appropriate or useful point of comaprison.

I read the comment above yours as implying the inherited wealth being one of the things that Musk has and most people don't. Might just be my own bias 'reading in'.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#15
post #9

Personally, I’ve done some of my best work in my 40’s and 50’s. And so different to anything I was capable of doing in my 20’s and 30’s. The funniest thing is that I chose not only my university degree but also my optional modules based on a career choice that I moved on from well before I was 30. I don’t generally do regrets, but older me would tell younger me to relax a bit. There’s plenty of time and lots of thing…

> Personally, I’ve done some of my best work in my 40’s and 50’s.

Reading this makes me feel better about my current trajectory. Mid 40s male.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#16
When I was a teenager, I saw the stories of exceptionally strange internet personalities like Chris Chan and Ulillillia, and felt a paranoia that I'd spend my life in my overprotective parents' basement. When I look at my life, I've accomplished so many things I never would have expected I could have. I'm still missing a handful of things my community members remind me they expect me to have, the biggest one being marriage. In spite of needing to slog through tiredness and bouts of ressentiment, I can see I've beaten the average trajectory, and I've beaten the trajectories some people have put me down by saying I'll end up on. I actually have a slight chance of doing one or two more things in life that mean a lot to me. I am grateful I've been lead out of the basement, spared from literal prison; not hospitalized nor shut into an asylum (though some dear readers may think I belong there ;P). The world's a disturbing place, but I'm on a road to freedom and joy.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F...

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#17
post #7

So either the author has a midlife crisis or they genuinely hate where they are in life. TBH, since they have no family/commitment and sound like they dislike where they got in life - I'd say discard the image of yourself and start doing radical things moving forward, sounds like a no lose situation to me, worst case scenario you die doing something risky - but that always sounded better to me than surviving in a hol…

Just to note, this piece is in the humor section. Like most humor, it’s likely a constructed story based on real events or feelings. And also like most humor, it’s relatable. I think your advice to move forward is still relevant though.

The title is also obviously supposed to be funny.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#18
The problem with many people today, is that their only measure of success is whether they are a success in the eyes of others, often strangers or people they don't even care about.

Find out what you really want, don't care what others think. This way it's much more realistic to have success, and you will probably also be much happier. I don't think many would want to be a CEO if they didn't care what others think.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#19

Poor bastard. I think a lot of older people really don't understand this, but our generation (late millennials, or at least middle-class late millennials) were genuinely fed the lie our whole life that we were special and could do anything. At some point, you have to admit to yourself that you're just an ordinary human being and Elon Musk has something special that you don't have. Only when you're in this mindset can…

Elon had starting capital. Never forget that he had the ability to have a soft landing all his life.

Re: I thought I’d have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35 (2020)

#20

Me too. I got mentally ill in 2001 and got burned out. I found out the hard way when you are the best most efficient worker they assign you tasks that other people can't or won't do. The stress builds up from the extra work and burnout happens. I am 53, I should be a manager or CEO by now, but I am disabled and out of work instead. Learning all over at home with new technologies and languages like Python and Dart/Flu…

Sorry to hear that!

Folks like you who are passionate and have an innate strong work ethic are worth their weight in gold, and need to be nurtured and protected from burnout by their managers and peers.

I've been on both sides of this equation. As a consultant with my own business I've done stints of 80+ hour work weeks, wrestled RSI and flirted with the edge of burnout. I've also managed teams with superstars sprinkled in who take on visceral ownership of a project, working to the goal not the clock and doing whatever needs to be done to achieve success. Some here will criticize that as an artifact of poor management / corporate culture, but in my experience different people have different priorities in life and some come with a very strong professional drive and crave the opportunity to outperform. There's an incredible multiplier effect that can raise the productivity of the whole team. But if they're underappreciated, taken for granted, or blindly loaded up with ever-increasing responsibilities as you described it's disastrous. I liken it to using a rare, hand-crafted sports car to haul manure then leaving it out in the rain to rust.

I've learned how crucial it is to stay keyed in to the pulse of your team. Communication is key (simple questions like "How's your workload?", and paying attention if someone who's usually cheerful seems agitated or irritable). At times I've had to force reports to take a few days off in between cycles to regenerate and make sure they stay fresh.

Have also spent some years volunteering in emergency services, and watching ordinary humans placed in high-pressure situations you gain an appreciation for mental health and not being cavalier about it.

I hope your activities playing with those new technologies you mentioned rekindles that spark of wonder which first led you into tech, and you land a career with an employer who knows how to take care of their people. Look forward not back, you've still got years of professional opportunity ahead of you if that's where your desires lay.

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