Hey there amigo. I hope I can offer something resembling good advice for your 1/3 life crisis.
It appears to me these two statements are incompatible:
"...especially because my definition of failure included their definition of success: become some company manager, get an MBA, join the rat race"
"My 2004 self would have been quite impressed at how much I've achieved, but what I'm feeling right now is stagnation. Every time I hear of a new sensation writer under 30 I feel mortified that I haven't been able to come up with anything half decent
Very true. I hadn't thought of it that way. By rejecting the corporate life of tie suits and promotions I've always liked to think I'm choosing a more genuine life, but maybe I just should admit I'm longing for another kind of prestige.
Your analysis reminds me of something Dale Carnegie said, that humans are ultimately defined by how they meet their need for greatness. I guess we can all agree that it's not a bad thing to be uncomfortable with feeling unimportant.
However, the blurry difference between that aspiration and megalomania is one that worries me. I want to be excellent, to do something of value, to be admired; but I don't want to delude myself. Reading LW has adjusted my estimate of my intelligence sharply downward, and currently one of my worst fears is that I'm only smart enough to not buy homeopathy, but not enough to actually improve my life.
Hey there amigo. I hope I can offer something resembling good advice for your 1/3 life crisis.
It appears to me these two statements are incompatible:
... (read more)