Does anybody here have such a wide and seemingly unending spectrum of interests that focusing solely on one for the rest of your life in hopes of becoming the best at it seems like not only an impossibility, but something seriously unfortunate, since there would be so much of the world around you that you still wouldn't know shit about anyway?
I want to build rocket ships
I want to make groundbreaking animated films
I want to cure some ancient disease
I want to record double platinum selling albums
I want to become a seasoned war general whose name echos across the ages
I want to invent some device that revolutionizes our connection with the physical world
I want to be a hero that ends human suffering
I'd like to rule the world if it meant I didn't have to kill a bunch of people
Not to even mention the fact that many of the things I listed are completely contradictory to one another but achieving even two of these things is impossible due to our limited time on earth and fierce competition with everyone else for the exact same goal, whatever that may be. Every one of these goals offers different things of value as the ultimate reward for achieving them. I think that if I actually knew what I wanted, what I value the most out of life, the answer would seem more obvious, but is that just wishful thinking? Do people pursue dreams like this 100% in-tune with what they want out of life, only to realize that their chosen path never offered it to them in the first place?
I have similar dread.
I want to paint, learn five languages, travel to just about every country, learn three instruments, read thousands of books, etc.
Knowing I'll never have enough time scares me. I fantasize about stopping time to experience everything I want to.
>>16826925
Have you ever seen the movie "It's Such a Beautiful Day"? At the very end, the protagonist is about to die, and the narrator pulls a deus ex machina by just completely flipping the story so that he lives forever, reads every book, masters every language, meets alien species, and lives on beyond the heat death of the universe. At first I thought he just got lazy with bullshit writing but then I noticed how sad it got me and I realized that the writer did it to fuck with the audience. He knows that every person watching his film is wishing beyond belief for the exact same thing for themselves. It's a parody of the futility of human dreams and desires.
>>16826938
no but Im gonna check it out.
You should watch "The Man From Earth". It's got a similar theme.
>>16826938
just googled this, I did actually see it awhile back. Good short film.
>>16826949
Looks awesome, thanks anon
>>16826918
pick the one that most interests you/ you have a decent amount of starting ability at and stick with it until it bores you.
>I want to cure some ancient disease
>I want to build rocket ships
if you don't have stellar grades at a top 5 university these are probably unrealistic goals. I would shelf them
>i'd like to make ground breaking films or record a double platinum album
you don't necessarily need a degree for these and will probably be easier to pursue
>>16826918
Pretty much my life story, it's a difficult one. As cliché as it sounds - just make sure you're happy doing the things you're doing. Maybe you're just seeking to self-actualise or looking for enlightenment but you don't know yet.
Regardless, our lives are finite and there's no logical or rational reason as to why you'd stay stuck doing things you don't actually want to do. Unfortunately where money is a requirement in society you're going to need to have some kind of source for it and a huge proportion of your life will be work so it needs to be something that's satisfying you regardless. Some of your current goals definitely will require specialisation though which obviously means a lot of time and effort will have to be invested getting degree's etc and realistically it's not going to be viable unless you're certain with what you want to do. Why not just keep the majority as interests? There's nothing stopping you from reading and learning in your own time about any number of subjects that interest you.
I actually think a lot of people pursue things without being fully invested or sure of what they actually want. Maybe subconsciously it's because they know there's the potential for a lot of money to be made for example, but will it actually bring them fulfilment? Most will only find out when it's too late.
>>16826980
>Regardless, our lives are finite and there's no logical or rational reason as to why you'd stay stuck doing things you don't actually want to do.
>Maybe subconsciously it's because they know there's the potential for a lot of money to be made for example, but will it actually bring them fulfilment? Most will only find out when it's too late.
These statements are more helpful than you could believe, thanks anon
>>16826965
>if you don't have stellar grades at a top 5 university these are probably unrealistic goals. I would shelf them
I appreciate the advice but I find this misleading. Many of the most intelligent and successful people of this world are almost completely self-educated on whatever their mastery is, like the founder of SpaceX. If you mean to say "if you're not a child prodigy then your odds of success are much lower than the other goals" then I agree.
>>16826925
>I want to learn five languages
Why? It'd just be the same process 5x over.
>>16827003
They're self-educated because they're pioneers. There's no one to teach them because they did it first.
You're not a pioneer, not yet anyway. So don't underestimate the value of traditional learning.
Yep, and its a common trait for people with ADHD, see a therapist of you want. Source : am and have trait.
>>16827020
Being able to talk to 5x the number of people is a great opportunity
>>16827021
Good advice, thanks
>>16827024
If I have it, I don't think I'd want to know. Self-fulfilling prophecies and all that.
>>16826918
OP have you actually began to even attempt any one of the things you mentioned?
How far have you got? And how did it make you feel?
I have a broad range of interests and goals, but not as textbook historical event worthy as yours.
Many of the things I've challenged myself on people have said is too difficult, and I often choose to do things in unconventional ways. I often skate on the edge of what the imposed boundaries are, so now I can say I've set my own boundaries. Some of these things I've done by going against the regular grain and produced results better than others. Even though some of what I do is emulating the work of someone great who came before me, I can also say that I have done things, and shown people things that they have never seen before.
So yeah, it can be done, but you have to be realistic. Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you've been inspired by some movie or story with every one of your points and have decided you want to follow the same course. If this is the case, if you just want to follow in other's footsteps, then I would recommend not doing so. Follow a path that is personal to you and has meaning. Make it your own. Let it be something extraordinary and unique so that you truly stand on a different platform from others. In the end, you'll be remembered by the work you've done. If it's the same as another person before you then you'll be under someone else's shadow.
>>16826925
>>16826980
These arbitrary time constraints you put on yourselves are mental hurdles you put in place for yourself.
I'm in my late 30's and had to begin reinventing myself several years ago. I'm a totally different person now with success in traits I didn't even imagine before that. And it's beyond what most people spend much longer doing. Anything is possible bro. You just have to give yourself some breathing room and let the pieces fall into place. I've still got a way to go, but I've got long term goals that are coming together now. When you put your plans into action, then you'll have a clearer idea of timeframe and possibilities. By that time you may change what you want to do, and it may even be something above and beyond what you originally had in mind.
>>16827062
Thank you, anon.
>>16827032
Do you have any concept of opportunity cost?
There are better things you can do in the time it takes to learn 5 languages.
>>16827117
Like browse 4chan?
"Better" is subjective. It's obviously valuable to him.
>>16827134
It's not going to be so valuable when he's spent 5 years learning 1 or 2 and deciding he's had enough.
>>16826938
By your post i decided to check it out. This short movie is giving me a lot of mixed emotions. I feel sad but not really. I don't even know.
>>16826918
I want to fucking be you. I'm in university but has lost all interest in the subject and now I have no interests whatsoever. Honestly you're problem sounds like my dream.
I honestly envy you
