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Today's my birthday. I couldnt be more disappointed.

rjurasek

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I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.
 
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LateStarter

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I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.

To know which direction to go, you first have to picture your destination. Where is it you want to be at the end of this? What are you goals? Start there. No one can answer that but you.
 

Xavier X

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@rjurasek You feel lost because you're not working toward anything you consider significant.

Picture what you believe your ideal outcome should be, then draft small but concrete actionable steps to reverse engineer it.

In other words, what can you do today to move you one inch closer to the version of yourself and your life you would rather have?
 

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Adventure Travel/Expedition Industry might be interesting for you.

Lot's of people wish to do the outdoor adventure thing (for a week or two)

You might work in it for a year or two and get an idea on what different people are looking for and set up your own thing. Or you might have an inkling already.

Dan
 
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Simon Angel

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All of us feel "lost" just as much as you do. You're just currently at a point in your life where your awareness of that fact is heightened.

There are plenty of job opportunities related to your interests that you can explore. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and wallowing in depressive thoughts, and just go for it.
 

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When you're in the military, you were always told what your mission and your end goal was. You were trained to excute tasks toward a well defined goal.

When you are a civilian, there is no one defoning your goals for you. It sounds like you need to spend some time working out your own goals. Make them well defined.

I think something like the 1-5-10 plansy would work well for you. You can see your overaching goals and then you can plan smaller goals that will allow you to reach your ultimate goal.

Don't allow yourself to wander aimlessly into your 39th birthday. Plan and execute.
 

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I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.
You’ve come to the right place.
Stick around and you’ll find your answers. You are very young.

I didn’t make my first million until my 30s. Plenty of time to figure it all out.
 
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Matt Sun

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Do you believe in God ? I don't mean to be all religious, but I seriously think as many traditions do, that a healthy human inherently needs a relation with a higher power, intelligence or whatever you wan't to call it. Earthly things and feelings will always change. You are in the top of the mountain and later you will have to come down and "suffer" the lack of the feeling you had when you were up there. So putting our life's meaning in inner sensations is really not a solid foundation.

I'll leave you three books that can help you in the search that you are going through. Specially if you listen in the gym / doing a work out, they definitely will help with clarity.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2A-hgYqQio


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABRN0E_mI0U


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5E2AQKuCyU

And welcome to the forum !
 

fastlane_dad

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You definitely got to start with some thinking and overall picking a new direction to go.

Much of what Jordan Peterson talks about would apply here, themes such as looking at what people have done in the past (as a collective), and taking on as much of a load as you can possibly carry ...

Topics such as

Sticking to a schedule, significant other (gf/wife), kids, stable Job, proper sleep/nutrition/work outs, etc all come to mind. Something to care about and grow outside of just yourself.

Where are you at on ALL of those topics above? Obviously you are starting close to ground level, BUT I assume you don't have much current attachment, significant responsibility or weight on your shoulders to prevent you from setting up and structuring (designing) your dream day -- and therefore your dream life.

You have found a great resource of information and tons of people that have been (and still are) successful in almost any endeavor you can think of.

So @rjurasek -- what are some of the next steps you are currently thinking about?
 
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You're a good writer with a great story. Perhaps you could start by becoming a freelance writer and taking it from there?
 

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I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.
Don't give up man, life is beautiful AND hard at the same time.

You're still only 29 years old, not 60 years old remember that.

It looks like you really enjoyed your time in wild, wild Africa and when you were in the military because you had a sense of purpose, achievement and a sense of pride in yourself. Then all of a sudden it's lost in the daily mundane tasks like eating, paying your bills, Netflix and chill on the weekends, same old shit for 5 years. You miss those experiences don't you?

You can start by setting some goals and dreams to inspire you. What would you love to do, be or achieve in the next 1, 5, 10, 20 years?

Maybe move back to the wild Africa, build a house there for your girlfriend and dog with a pool, where you can swim -everyday and settle down?
Climb mount everest/K2?
Open an African safari?
Build your own animal sanctuary or build a homeless shelter for animals in your county/city?
Go swimming with great white sharks in Australia?
Become a paleontologist?

Hope it helps.
 

Kevin88660

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I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.
Welcome.
 
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Write down some goals you'd like to achieve. Your dream physique, what would you want to spend money on, what person you want to become, what value you want to provide to the world. And then start grinding. I believe that the army should've taught you discipline. Make a plan for each day of the week and stick to it. Put the most important task of the day at the very beginning of that day.
I am a student, so I have to go to university almost each day of the week at ~10am, so what I do is wake up at 6am, work on my skills / read books for 2-2.5 hours right after i wake up. This way i guarantee that I've made at least some progress each day. Consistency is king.
Make a tracker of your daily tasks. Once you've done one of todays tasks - check the box. This gives you something to be proud of when you can see a lot of successful days and keeps you accountable if you see a lot of skipped days.
Consider doing physical exercise, it helps your brains relax after a long day of work, helps you fall asleep at night, and, of course, grows your physical and mental strength.
Believe in yourself, stay consistent, and success will come with years of hard work.
 

rjurasek

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When you're in the military, you were always told what your mission and your end goal was. You were trained to excute tasks toward a well defined goal.

When you are a civilian, there is no one defoning your goals for you. It sounds like you need to spend some time working out your own goals. Make them well defined.

I think something like the 1-5-10 plansy would work well for you. You can see your overaching goals and then you can plan smaller goals that will allow you to reach your ultimate goal.

Don't allow yourself to wander aimlessly into your 39th birthday. Plan and execute.
Ya I think you nailed a huge part of it here. It's been 9 months since I released. The first week was great. I had freedom and endless possibilities infront of me.

Then week 2, 3, and 4 hit and it came crashing down. Those endless possibilities turned into a directionless pit of dread. The freedom I was so excited for turned into a feeling of loneliness and uselessness.

I've been going to a therapist, been trying to do everything I can to better myself and find myself again.

I'm going to write out a 1-5-10 plan over the weekend. Try to dive deep into what I need to find a purpose. I need my own thing I know that, I can't work for someone else. I'll find it, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the advice. These books and forum have been a great eye opener for me. I just need to train my mind to get on the right foot, then I'll be running.
 

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You're a good writer with a great story. Perhaps you could start by becoming a freelance writer and taking it from there?
It's funny you say that. English was always my worst subject by far. I'd work on my essays and book reports for hours or days. Each time thinking "this is the one, the perfect conglomeration of words".

Then the day came, I feel like everyone experienced this. The teacher goes up and down the isles handing back assignments. She smiles at some students and just walks by others with no special expression. Finally she gets to you, she puts the paper on your desk, it's face down.

English wasn't something I enjoyed in school. It was too subjective, I'd interpret one thing from a book or poem, the teacher another. But the student doesn't win, they have to follow the rules and interpret the "correct meaning" from authors dead a hundred years prior. Did the instructor speak with the author or poet? Did the author only intend one true meaning? Or was it left up to interpretation from different perspectives.

English was too subjective for me and I saw things differently.

But I also sucked a$$ at spelling and grammer so that's probably a large portion of it too haha.

I have been learning marketing the last couple months with the intention to use that skill to grow my own business. Copywriting is also something I've looked into. But I doubt myself just because I was always told I wasn't skilled at writing.
 
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But I doubt myself just because I was always told I wasn't skilled at writing.

F*ck your doubts man.

I've been a writer my entire adult life and have written literally millions of words over my life. And I'm telling you with 100% certainty that you have writing skills.

Your ability to transport the reader to a different place, even just through a few sentences, is rare. Your original post and the quick story of English being your worst subject is a great example of that.

Ex-military guys are some of the most solid workers out there with an unparalleled work ethic.

With all the stuff that you've experienced in life you have the makings of an awesome inspirational speaker. This is just a temporary dip that will serve as a powerful chapter in your life story.
 

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It's funny you say that. English was always my worst subject by far. I'd work on my essays and book reports for hours or days. Each time thinking "this is the one, the perfect conglomeration of words".

Then the day came, I feel like everyone experienced this. The teacher goes up and down the isles handing back assignments. She smiles at some students and just walks by others with no special expression. Finally she gets to you, she puts the paper on your desk, it's face down.

English wasn't something I enjoyed in school. It was too subjective, I'd interpret one thing from a book or poem, the teacher another. But the student doesn't win, they have to follow the rules and interpret the "correct meaning" from authors dead a hundred years prior. Did the instructor speak with the author or poet? Did the author only intend one true meaning? Or was it left up to interpretation from different perspectives.

English was too subjective for me and I saw things differently.

But I also sucked a$$ at spelling and grammer so that's probably a large portion of it too haha.

I have been learning marketing the last couple months with the intention to use that skill to grow my own business. Copywriting is also something I've looked into. But I doubt myself just because I was always told I wasn't skilled at writing.

I write for a living and I think your writing is great.

Download grammarly (it's a chrome extension). You'll quickly improve your spelling and grammar with it — and it's free.

Anyway, the way you write is descriptive and engaging i.e. it revs up one's imagination, so you've got something going for you which many writers and copywriters do not.
 

Spenny

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You've got good writing skills, I'll tell you that. Also gotta say welcome man, we're all here to become better iterations of ourselves & we all have those thoughts of not being good enough.
 
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Minuz

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Hello Men,

With 25 years old im in a smiliar siutation. Got my degree, traveled some month the world after it and now im back at my 3rd world country (argentina) thinking what i want to do with my life. Looking for a job i will hate and suck my time like most of my friends for just 600 usd a month, to barely be able to live and will have to work for the rest of my life? No thank you. But time goes on and i havnt decided what path to follow that will get me near my dreams.
 

Happyheart

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Hello Men,

With 25 years old im in a smiliar siutation. Got my degree, traveled some month the world after it and now im back at my 3rd world country (argentina) thinking what i want to do with my life. Looking for a job i will hate and suck my time like most of my friends for just 600 usd a month, to barely be able to live and will have to work for the rest of my life? No thank you. But time goes on and i havnt decided what path to follow that will get me near my dreams.
With the internet, you can do business all over the world. Maybe you should start a thread of your own, so you can get advice from others who have been there.
 

Shono

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Don't give up man, life is beautiful AND hard at the same time.

You're still only 29 years old, not 60 years old remember that.
and if he was 60 years old, at least hes not 120 years old
 
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tomzestatlu

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I am of similar age, currently still in the military.

There are definitely some factors of serving in the military that shape someone differently than working "normal job":
  • There´s no need to chase profit. The organization works with budget credited by the government and there´s no need to creatively pursue ways how to reach certain revenue. This rigid system that suppress creativity is maintained at all levels (organizational to individual).
  • Unless you are technician, you won´t learn many skills to aplly outside of the system.
  • You are always assigned a task or a goal. You always know where you are heading and what´s necessary to succeed the mission.
  • You are surrounded by many people who are damaged by the system and are useless in real life.
  • Some of the most important skills in the military are useless out of it (physical fitness).

I don´t understand what exactly did you do but the 12 months training sounds like SF style. If you had this experience, it might give you big advantage in all areas.
Recently I surprisingly found out some interesting ways to monetize your experience. Of course you can teach people to shoot or how to survive in nature. But also they are willing to pay for experiencing few days based on SF selection or learning small unit tactics. I would never guess so (but it´s also a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, people here in Eastern Europe arm and train themselves massively).

I´ve noticed one thing. In military you learn to chase excellence, you work on your body everyday and drill the same situations again and again in order to win the battle. If you transit such persistence and discipline into normal life, you would become unstoppable. The problem is that it´s difficult to transit these traits into normal life. Honestly I personally have no idea and everyday I´m thinking about how to do it.

There are some solid adviced in this topic. Picking up some goals along the way will be huge step forward. We can probably agree that picking a goal is much more difficult than achieving a goal. But if there´s one thing I´ve learned on this forum so far, is that picking any (even wrong goal) is better than picking no goal.

Good luck! I´m looking forward to read about your progress.
 

Shono

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  • Some of the most important skills in the military are useless out of it (physical fitness).

But if there´s one thing I´ve learned on this forum so far, is that picking any (even wrong goal) is better than picking no goal.
Are you saying physical fitness is useless?

And I like Sylvia Plath's fig tree metaphor to depict what happens when you pick no goal, indeed much better to pick something, anything. It's so incredibly hard in the modern day due to the paradox of choice and the analysis paralysis that comes with it, so stressful.

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”​


― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
 

rjurasek

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I write for a living and I think your writing is great.

Download grammarly (it's a chrome extension). You'll quickly improve your spelling and grammar with it — and it's free.

Anyway, the way you write is descriptive and engaging i.e. it revs up one's imagination, so you've got something going for you which many writers and copywriters do not.
Thanks! I haven't really been complimented on my writing before haha.

What can you actually do with writing ro make a living? I've looked at copywriting but I've also seen people say to avoid it.
 
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MTF

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What can you actually do with writing ro make a living? I've looked at copywriting but I've also seen people say to avoid it.

Here's a thread discussing Fastlane opportunities for writers:

 

Simon Angel

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Thanks! I haven't really been complimented on my writing before haha.

What can you actually do with writing ro make a living? I've looked at copywriting but I've also seen people say to avoid it.

I write ad copy, email copy, product pages, landing pages, video scripts, etc. You can start by finding copywriting work in a digital marketing agency and take it from there once you get used to the work involved and the environment.

If that doesn't sound like something you'd like to do, do check out @MTF's thread.
 

tomzestatlu

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Are you saying physical fitness is useless?

And I like Sylvia Plath's fig tree metaphor to depict what happens when you pick no goal, indeed much better to pick something, anything. It's so incredibly hard in the modern day due to the paradox of choice and the analysis paralysis that comes with it, so stressful.

I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”


― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
I´m not saying that physical fitness is useless.
But the fact that overcome many physical challenges during your service doesn´t your create value on the market (unless your are David Goggins).

And yes, fitness and health is important and I understand that it can add you a value even in a business. But it´s a a complement to your value, not value itself.
 
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Shono

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I´m not saying that physical fitness is useless.
But the fact that overcome many physical challenges during your service doesn´t your create value on the market (unless your are David Goggins).

And yes, fitness and health is important and I understand that it can add you a value even in a business. But it´s a a complement to your value, not value itself.
I think fitness is an ancillary habit just like meditation that can benefit everyone regardless of their vocation, whether they are an athlete or an artist or a scientist, and thereby add value by making them healthier/more efficient throughout the day, but I can see your point of view.

EDIT: I also think that David Goggins is an ego-maniac much more than someone who did what he did to 'help others,' and is largely a charlatan who has a nicely packaged story but is highly overrated.
 

heavy_industry

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EDIT: I also think that David Goggins is an ego-maniac much more than someone who did what he did to 'help others,' and is largely a charlatan who has a nicely packaged story but is highly overrated.
I don't think he is a charlatan.
Just a deeply traumatized person that tries to escape his demons through extreme physical exertion. What he does is very unhealthy, but there are even worse addictions out there.
 

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