You are staring down the barrel of mortality. Your life is slowly ending, time does pass without your control, you will gradually stop being able to do the things you once did. Things that used to excite you don't as much, you haven't accomplished as much as you'd hope, you don't feel satisfied. You want to go back to the past, to feel those old feelings again, to have another chance to "get things right".
Good news! This is all normal, and you can deal with it.
First, accept reality. There is no "winning" at life. Whatever goals you thought you had, whatever accomplishments make up your self-identity, don't really matter. You are going to die. You are going to miss out on relationships, career opportunities, money. You are going to feel dissatisfied and like you've missed out on things (because you have!). But that is all OK.
As long as you provide for the 7 basic needs (air, water, sleep, safety, food, clothing, shelter), you have everything you need to be a successful human. So, whenever you feel like you're not living up to your potential, or promises, or something else, just review the 7 basic needs. Are those met? Then you're OK. Everything else is gravy.
Next, take stock of your life. What do you have? Money in the bank? A successful career? An expansive education? Shit, man, you've got the golden ticket. You can do pretty much anything you want in life. All you have to do is decide what you want. That's a pretty nice problem to have.
As you decide what to do, ask yourself why you want to do it. Sure, you could chase your youth. But why? If all that excites and interests you is the things you did in your 20s, then it makes sense. But you could also find new things and expand your life; find new music, new activities, new people. You could branch out and expand the scope of your life, enriching it with new things, or maybe just improving on existing things. But, if not, that's fine too!
When you know what you want to do, make a plan for the future. Account for the fact that how you do things now will be different than how you did them in the past. We constantly change, whether we want to or not. Grow into the change. Like new skin grows around you, let your plan and action fit into your life changes and vice versa.
Above all, do not measure yourself based on the past. The past is the past! You are a new man in every moment. Measure your current self against your plan for the future. Adapt the plan as you go. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy;" your life plans will also not work out exactly as planned. Adapt, regroup, continue.
You are staring down the barrel of mortality. Your life is slowly ending, time does pass without your control, you will gradually stop being able to do the things you once did. Things that used to excite you don't as much, you haven't accomplished as much as you'd hope, you don't feel satisfied. You want to go back to the past, to feel those old feelings again, to have another chance to "get things right".
Good news! This is all normal, and you can deal with it.
First, accept reality. There is no "winning" at life. Whatever goals you thought you had, whatever accomplishments make up your self-identity, don't really matter. You are going to die. You are going to miss out on relationships, career opportunities, money. You are going to feel dissatisfied and like you've missed out on things (because you have!). But that is all OK.
As long as you provide for the 7 basic needs (air, water, sleep, safety, food, clothing, shelter), you have everything you need to be a successful human. So, whenever you feel like you're not living up to your potential, or promises, or something else, just review the 7 basic needs. Are those met? Then you're OK. Everything else is gravy.
Next, take stock of your life. What do you have? Money in the bank? A successful career? An expansive education? Shit, man, you've got the golden ticket. You can do pretty much anything you want in life. All you have to do is decide what you want. That's a pretty nice problem to have.
As you decide what to do, ask yourself why you want to do it. Sure, you could chase your youth. But why? If all that excites and interests you is the things you did in your 20s, then it makes sense. But you could also find new things and expand your life; find new music, new activities, new people. You could branch out and expand the scope of your life, enriching it with new things, or maybe just improving on existing things. But, if not, that's fine too!
When you know what you want to do, make a plan for the future. Account for the fact that how you do things now will be different than how you did them in the past. We constantly change, whether we want to or not. Grow into the change. Like new skin grows around you, let your plan and action fit into your life changes and vice versa.
Above all, do not measure yourself based on the past. The past is the past! You are a new man in every moment. Measure your current self against your plan for the future. Adapt the plan as you go. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy;" your life plans will also not work out exactly as planned. Adapt, regroup, continue.