My Life Has No Meaning

[valnik]

Hi. I would like to tell you about a problem I have. I feel in very bad mood and demotivated for the last five months, when I realized that. I don't want to say it's a depression, because today everyone says "I'm depressed" and I have not it diagnosed yet by some doctor. But I don't think the doctor would cure me completely, if I visit them... Because I think about my future life every day and it seems it's going nowhere. I don't want to end up in some job or even doing my own business. I hate this "system", if I have to choose a period where to live, I would say some prehistorical ages... I am 18 and graduating from high school next year. Every day my graduation is closer, I am more afraid of my life after that. Why I was born to this age?! Get up in the morning, go to work or do your business or play some poker (whatever the heck does give you some MONEY), then go to sleep and repeat the whole process next day? For some years, maybe decades? Then slowly die suffering from many diseases?

Finding a girfriend - Intimate relationships? They are useless for me. I don't want to have children and it's just meaningless to chase some ungrateful chicks for a bit of a few seconds pleasure.

Yes, you can say: Make goals, make a healthy lifestyle, excercise, blablabla... Why?! Why should I do something I HATE for the rest of my life?

I hope you understand me, maybe my thoughts will appear clearer after few responses. I don't want to appear like a troll or somebody who "is above everything and hates the damn life". But I do not like it.

Even thinking about buddhism or something like that. That's maybe a bit less painful way (and a bit more reasonable for me) but I don't think it would be THAT thing. Wandering across the world, just sitting and meditating... Or working in some monastery. At least it's a bit further from the main culture, but it's still meaningless for me.

I have suicidal thoughts. I can't see a way I can enjoy this life. I don't write this to draw attention (OMG, he's thinking about suicide, we must help him!), nope. I just want to mention that, because it's a part of my daily thoughts.

Can you see any alternative for me? Or am I just naive thinking about some "Neverland" or "Utopia" and "ending this journey" is the least painful way of coping with this life?

I tried to find the answer for the last few months in many books or forums, but it didn't appear, so now I've chosen more direct approach and I hope for better results this time.

(Sorry for my English, I am not a native speaker.)

[Criseyde]

Hi valnik, welcome to the forum! I know this is your first post and those do normally go in General and Introductions, but I've moved it to Emotional Mastery because you've outlined a specific issue here and I think it will fit better on this board.

[supertom]

@valnik
Isn't there anything that tickles your fancy a bit like Art, music or traveling.

[ZenPhysicist]

See a professional

[taylor]

Welcome to the club valnik. Existential crisis mode is an interesting time and I'm sure you'll get through it. You sound like me in high school.

A couple of options seem to open themselves to you in this.
1. "Suck it up and get a job."
2. Throw yourself into some lifestyle and activity you enjoy just for the sake of enjoyment.
3. Devote yourself to a cause greater than yourself like helping those in need.
4. Get into spirituality and transcend the world.

Like you say there is no real meaning or solution on the level of the world. The only way out ultimately imo is to transcend it on the level of mind. The world you have complaints about doesn't even exist. That's the whole point of something like Buddhism which attempts to go beyond the world to nondualistic Reality.

Read some David R. Hawkins, some A Course in Miracles, Buddhism, I AM THAT, etc. Perhaps take your existential questions and see if you can find a satisfying answer besides "Just suck it up soldier and get a job, mortgage, and wife like the rest of us."

Good luck.

[ZephyrusX]

I'm sure the answer is different for everyone. All I can really do is speak from my own experience. I've felt the same way for a long time and I've labelled my feelings as depression because that is how our society labels it. I feel unmotivated a lot and derive very little joy from my environment. The quoted post has actually made me feel better (actually, quite 'high') for the past few days. Hopefully, it will stick. Just to note, the post was originally a comment on romantic relationships, but I think it can be implicable to how much love one has for life in general.

Originally Posted by taylor

"He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes." - Buddha

People confuse sentimental attachment with love. Attachments are needy but love is giving. When attachments are taken from you they hurt.

If you need someone else to "complete you" or make you happy, then when they leave you will feel great pain. You have to learn how to be a happy person in general to be okay with people coming and going in your life. Happy people tend to do better in relationships long term as well.

Actually, I liked the entire thread. I'll link to it after. Again, I can only speak from personal experience. The moments in my life where I've felt the most joy and excitement had nothing to do with my environment. It had nothing to do with my job, my education, my relationship status, my rountines, my obligations. I remember when I was a teenager, I could tap into these 'high' moods and something as mundane as sitting in my backward with the cat seemed perfectly delightful. I was in love with life.

This all sounds a little abstract and I'm not quite sure how to describe it in a practial way. I know that saying 'tap into your childlike joy!' is only meaningful to my self. The best I can say is that I feel a little tingling of childlike joy inside my self, I seize on to it, and then my environment becomes meaningful and delightful. Despite all my effort in planning out my career, my education. my long term etc, I honestly can't say that it made me happy. That doesn't mean that I made the wrong decision. I'm just saying that happiness comes from within. How trite!

[ZephyrusX]

Here is the link: love=pain. Why?


And for some reason, this quote popped up in my mind. It seems applicable. It is from the Gospel of Thomas.

Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

[James81]

Ok, so it appears you have a bit of a dual issue here.

There seems to be a great dislike for the "system" itself (i.e. get up, go to work, come home, go to sleep) AND, within that, there seems to be some contention with traditional relationships (i.e. getting a girlfriend and/or social interactions in general).

It also seems that you've "dialed" these two things up so high that you're having trouble focusing on the other aspects of life. I mean, relationships and career aren't the only two aspects of "life" in general, is it? And yet you've boldly declared that "my life has no meaning".

Do you have any interests or hobbies? Things you enjoy doing?

[FelineNostalgia]

When I felt really down recently I found a lot of comfort in Steves Book

You should do what you want to do, don't listen to peoples negative 'rationalities'

One of the reasons I've ever felt like this is when I don't take liberation in my own power-gut feelings , letting go of resistance, knowing that I have full control over every decision I make

hope this helps

[The Happy Mom]

I feel you should stop focusing on the things you don't want and put a little more emphasis on things that excite you and make you feel good. Nobody says that you have to follow societies rules. You are only 18 and have a life time to worry about the things that are causing you grief. Ten years from now you may feel differently(and you will because you will grow and mature), having said that just relax and think about things that you would like to do! Make a list of all the things that would make you feel good inside. Start implementing some of them into your daily routine and watch things begin to shift for you, opportunities will start to present themselves and take you down the path you were meant to go!

Happiness is in your mind and up to you, once you can change your thought process about what your life should be to what you want it to be....your world will change.

[valnik]

1) About "another excitement" in this life / something different from job or business:

I wrote about being a monk, but that doesn't seem very attractive for me. It's just the less painful way.

I like sports, especially football (soccer), but I realized that in 14 years, which was quite late, when you think about PROs, they start as about 5 year olds. I tried trainings etc, but I was very awful and ignored (in various clubs), so I canceled. It requires lot of training, and persistance and perserverance (I literally HATE these words - kinda "self-help" brands!), which I don't have, so I am not good in playing it. I quickly lose concentration. I am "hot" for something, but the next day after I wake up, the passion is gone and I start seeking another "interesting opportunities". But I've found nothing which could've lasted more than one single day.

2) About doctors, Prozac, other medication etc.:
As I said, they may help me, but actually "help" me to become a "normal person", to fit in this society. I don't want to be mind-controlled by some drug to just be another wheel of this machine.What can a "non medication" therapy offer me? I am afraid they will push me to just realize I need to "wake up" and start to be useful for this world (job, school etc).

3) About "you can do whatever you want in this life":
Yes, of course, I can. At least I can try. Then I am going to end up homeless and my daily routine will be just seeking some food in the dust and panhandling - well I don't think it's a pleasurable vision to be doing this for about 40 years and then die on the street somewhere after a boring life (if someone doesn't kill me sooner while me sleeping on a bench). < This would be the scenario if I just have been doing something I want - this means: not work, not study, not training some skill, not making and online business with some "super landing page", whatever comes in your mind. I would just occassionaly play some game (not online, just on easier difficulty singleplayer for pleasure) and maybe a bit of football, if would my classmates be willing to once in a time (and that wouldn't last long because they will start working, have their families, etc), in the rest of the day I would eat and sleep, maybe just wandering around internet forums (till I have money, connection to the net, and PC).

Yes, maybe just I am a lazy rotten kid, but saying this doesn't get me anywhere...

[supertom]

If you want a fulfilling and exciting life, than there is going to be a high risk of failure but if you make persistence your friend than success is guaranteed. Right now you seem to be be very honest about things but also disconnected with life, powerless and scared, That's fine lots of people are. Nothing is going to take the place of courage, no one is going to come and remove your fears or give you answers to what you should peruse but they don't have to because You Can and your strong than people have made you believe.

Overcoming Depression
Life – The Ultimate Game

[AlmostGodess]

What are people in your family like?

Have you considered moving to a really poor country and doing some volunteering work? Such experiences can be a great awakening experience for the soul.

[James81]

Originally Posted by valnik

1) About "another excitement" in this life / something different from job or business:

I wrote about being a monk, but that doesn't seem very attractive for me. It's just the less painful way.

I like sports, especially football (soccer), but I realized that in 14 years, which was quite late, when you think about PROs, they start as about 5 year olds. I tried trainings etc, but I was very awful and ignored (in various clubs), so I canceled. It requires lot of training, and persistance and perserverance (I literally HATE these words - kinda "self-help" brands!), which I don't have, so I am not good in playing it. I quickly lose concentration. I am "hot" for something, but the next day after I wake up, the passion is gone and I start seeking another "interesting opportunities". But I've found nothing which could've lasted more than one single day

Ah, so you have a love for sports (and soccer especially). That's a good start. Is there any other aspect about the sport that you like? I mean, what if you were able to coach a kids (or school) soccer team? Do you think you'd enjoy doing that? From experience, those circles are way easier to get into than pro sports. Actually, in a lot of cases there is so little volunteer effort that these tasks fall on the shoulders of a handful of people in the community, mostly those parents who have kids playing in the sport.

What other passions have you started and stopped like that? It sounds as if you've had many interesting opportunities that you've pursued, but nothing long term. Am I right about that?

(There's an ulterior reason to these questions btw. You mention that your life has no meaning, but I think if you start recalling the things you HAVE done, already, that you might find that all those things have served a purpose that you are not yet aware of.)

[brianchong]

Life is just like that. You make meaning out of it. Meaning becoming your own experiences and memories.

[kyliecarefree]

I think you're underestimating how wonderful life can be. Many people lead unconventional lives and are extremely fulfilled, so the white picket fence route is not the only option. Ultimately, life is what you make of it. If you see everything as meaningless, obviously that is what it will be. Your depression could also be influencing your opinion on the subject; have you considered taking antidepressants and reassessing from there? I know it's irritating to consider, but suicidal thoughts really should be addressed and not left to fester.

[valnik]

The only thing, I can stay concentrated to, is watching movies. I am also able to stay for long time playing PC games, but I often get angry, so only a movie can calm me down and keep me focused for longer period of time. So I can't offer any value with some SKILL (be it poker, playing football, singing etc), because I cannot stay commited to it longer than a single day. Yep, maybe another thing is the "seeking for THE TRUTH" which I am chasing every day on the internet. But I can't imagine any possibility, where I can get any reward from doing this (money, food, shelter...). Any ideas?

@Soccer coaching:
I was thinking about that many times. But it's not just that "watching your team playing and doing some tricky formations and tactics". It's loads of stress, pressure from other people, hard work every day, routine etc - nothing for me.

[James81]

Originally Posted by valnik

The only thing, I can stay concentrated to, is watching movies. I am also able to stay for long time playing PC games, but I often get angry, so only a movie can calm me down and keep me focused for longer period of time. So I can't offer any value with some SKILL (be it poker, playing football, singing etc), because I cannot stay commited to it longer than a single day. Yep, maybe another thing is the "seeking for THE TRUTH" which I am chasing every day on the internet. But I can't imagine any possibility, where I can get any reward from doing this (money, food, shelter...). Any ideas?

@Soccer coaching:
I was thinking about that many times. But it's not just that "watching your team playing and doing some tricky formations and tactics". It's loads of stress, pressure from other people, hard work every day, routine etc - nothing for me.

Just out of curiosity, do you get anxious a lot? Worry a lot? Afraid? Any or all?

[valnik]

Of course, all of that, very often and very much...

[ZenPhysicist]

Originally Posted by valnik

Hi. I would like to tell you about a problem I have. I feel in very bad mood and demotivated for the last five months, when I realized that. I don't want to say it's a depression, because today everyone says "I'm depressed" and I have not it diagnosed yet by some doctor. But I don't think the doctor would cure me completely, if I visit them... Because I think about my future life every day and it seems it's going nowhere. I don't want to end up in some job or even doing my own business. I hate this "system", if I have to choose a period where to live, I would say some prehistorical ages... I am 18 and graduating from high school next year. Every day my graduation is closer, I am more afraid of my life after that. Why I was born to this age?! Get up in the morning, go to work or do your business or play some poker (whatever the heck does give you some MONEY), then go to sleep and repeat the whole process next day? For some years, maybe decades? Then slowly die suffering from many diseases?

Finding a girfriend - Intimate relationships? They are useless for me. I don't want to have children and it's just meaningless to chase some ungrateful chicks for a bit of a few seconds pleasure.

Yes, you can say: Make goals, make a healthy lifestyle, excercise, blablabla... Why?! Why should I do something I HATE for the rest of my life?

I hope you understand me, maybe my thoughts will appear clearer after few responses. I don't want to appear like a troll or somebody who "is above everything and hates the damn life". But I do not like it.

Even thinking about buddhism or something like that. That's maybe a bit less painful way (and a bit more reasonable for me) but I don't think it would be THAT thing. Wandering across the world, just sitting and meditating... Or working in some monastery. At least it's a bit further from the main culture, but it's still meaningless for me.

I have suicidal thoughts. I can't see a way I can enjoy this life. I don't write this to draw attention (OMG, he's thinking about suicide, we must help him!), nope. I just want to mention that, because it's a part of my daily thoughts.

Can you see any alternative for me? Or am I just naive thinking about some "Neverland" or "Utopia" and "ending this journey" is the least painful way of coping with this life?

I tried to find the answer for the last few months in many books or forums, but it didn't appear, so now I've chosen more direct approach and I hope for better results this time.

(Sorry for my English, I am not a native speaker.)

Hey Valnik. I think you should realize that you are not alone. The paradox of your situation is that the only way out is to get active - but you feel unmotivated because all action seems futile and pointless. However, the fact that you seek help implies that you are not totally bought into that thought process. So there is help. Build on that! Realize that just typing in this forum is proof that you think there is some point out there- and that what you find as meaning may be different from what you have been told is important by others. I have seen people who spend their entire lives gazing at the heavens (astronomers), working with plants (botanists) or jumping rope! Yes, there is a guy that has dedicated his life to increasing fitness in the community by teaching people to jump rope.
Expand your mind man. Get outside. Just feel the sun's rays. Go to a botanical garden. Do something you are afraid to do and feel the rush. You will get over this - but you have to conclude that there is no ANSWER. That is scary, but it is freeing too.

[King Marvel]

Originally Posted by valnik

Hi. I would like to tell you about a problem I have. I feel in very bad mood and demotivated for the last five months, when I realized that. I don't want to say it's a depression, because today everyone says "I'm depressed" and I have not it diagnosed yet by some doctor. But I don't think the doctor would cure me completely, if I visit them... Because I think about my future life every day and it seems it's going nowhere. I don't want to end up in some job or even doing my own business. I hate this "system", if I have to choose a period where to live, I would say some prehistorical ages... I am 18 and graduating from high school next year. Every day my graduation is closer, I am more afraid of my life after that. Why I was born to this age?! Get up in the morning, go to work or do your business or play some poker (whatever the heck does give you some MONEY), then go to sleep and repeat the whole process next day? For some years, maybe decades? Then slowly die suffering from many diseases?

Finding a girfriend - Intimate relationships? They are useless for me. I don't want to have children and it's just meaningless to chase some ungrateful chicks for a bit of a few seconds pleasure.

Yes, you can say: Make goals, make a healthy lifestyle, excercise, blablabla... Why?! Why should I do something I HATE for the rest of my life?

I hope you understand me, maybe my thoughts will appear clearer after few responses. I don't want to appear like a troll or somebody who "is above everything and hates the damn life". But I do not like it.

Even thinking about buddhism or something like that. That's maybe a bit less painful way (and a bit more reasonable for me) but I don't think it would be THAT thing. Wandering across the world, just sitting and meditating... Or working in some monastery. At least it's a bit further from the main culture, but it's still meaningless for me.

I have suicidal thoughts. I can't see a way I can enjoy this life. I don't write this to draw attention (OMG, he's thinking about suicide, we must help him!), nope. I just want to mention that, because it's a part of my daily thoughts.

Can you see any alternative for me? Or am I just naive thinking about some "Neverland" or "Utopia" and "ending this journey" is the least painful way of coping with this life?

I tried to find the answer for the last few months in many books or forums, but it didn't appear, so now I've chosen more direct approach and I hope for better results this time.

(Sorry for my English, I am not a native speaker.)

Hey Valnik. It's amazing how someone is in the same boat as me. I too suffer the same ordeals as you do. I'm 19 and nearly a sophmore at college. My life is in a bit of a rut and sometimes I do wish that I could run away and not have to deal with it. I wish I didn't have to deal with working in the "system" and suck it up and get a job. I wish I could be "free" and just live happily with some way of making money, a little apartment, a woman whom I can love with all my heart and perhaps a pet as a companion if the woman leaves me.

But I can't just run away. It will take twice as long to pay off my school debts if I don't get the job I am looking for (game programmer) and plus my parents already have stress related health issues. I know how you are feeling dude, believe me. I am still looking for answers. Plus it does help to let your feelings out for others to help you. That is how I found Steve Pavlina and ultimately this website.

All I can tell you (and it is hard to tell this to myself at times) is to find something that makes you happy. While I would like to work in the game industry, I am also interested in anime and manga and have some ideas on making my own manga and maybe later an anime. I am in the developmental stage but once I finish the manga and get it edited from some people, I will make my own website and post it there for others. I don't know if I can make $ that way but I'll see if I can. Now I'm a little happier that there is someone out there going through what I am going through. Please reply so we can chat more often.

King Marvel

[veloci]

Your life does have a meaning which is to find a meaning. Almost everyone starts out the same way with their life's meaning.

I can tell you at least one part of your life's meaning is to be happy. You already know some stuff that makes you happy on a deeper level than the superficial.

[James81]

Originally Posted by valnik

Of course, all of that, very often and very much...

So, would you say that one impact of allowing your anxiety to control you (rather than you controlling it) is that your life has no meaning and that you are miserable because of it?

[valnik]

Originally Posted by ZenPhysicist

Hey Valnik. I think you should realize that you are not alone. The paradox of your situation is that the only way out is to get active - but you feel unmotivated because all action seems futile and pointless. However, the fact that you seek help implies that you are not totally bought into that thought process. So there is help. Build on that! Realize that just typing in this forum is proof that you think there is some point out there- and that what you find as meaning may be different from what you have been told is important by others. I have seen people who spend their entire lives gazing at the heavens (astronomers), working with plants (botanists) or jumping rope! Yes, there is a guy that has dedicated his life to increasing fitness in the community by teaching people to jump rope.
Expand your mind man. Get outside. Just feel the sun's rays. Go to a botanical garden. Do something you are afraid to do and feel the rush. You will get over this - but you have to conclude that there is no ANSWER. That is scary, but it is freeing too.

Do something you are afraid to - that's one of THE PROBLEMS. I can't. But of course I am thinking about some unusual "jobs". But I haven't discovered any interesting one yet.

@King Marvel: Good luck, man. One think I don't like in your life is that you are already in debt - the school debt. I don't wanna become in debt in my life. I hate things like mortgage etc. So I hope you will pay it back soon.

Originally Posted by veloci

Your life does have a meaning which is to find a meaning. Almost everyone starts out the same way with their life's meaning.

I can tell you at least one part of your life's meaning is to be happy. You already know some stuff that makes you happy on a deeper level than the superficial.

Yep, maybe. But I can do that "find a meaning" thing for the rest of my life, but this action doesn't give you food or money, so I can soon become homeless etc.

Originally Posted by James81

So, would you say that one impact of allowing your anxiety to control you (rather than you controlling it) is that your life has no meaning and that you are miserable because of it?

Maybe... please can you more explain your message?

***

One possibility I am thinking about is about becoming part of some "force" like army, but NOT ARMY - something more like Jedi Knights, or Samurai Knights etc. One "sub-system", where you have strict schedule, you are pushed to work on your body and also on your mind, so you then are able to reach high level in both of them, you abide with some codex. The key attribute of this "sub-system" is that you have some "boss" or "leader" above you, so you are pushed and driven by him and you have also team-mates all around you so you can measure your progress with them and it motivates you to do the things, because it's impossible to lay in your bed all day when you see others working on themselves. (My zero willpower won't allow me anything of that when I am alone and I don't have to do anything). But I haven't found any "sub-system" like that yet. Do you have any ideas about some possibilities?

[CroMagna]

Why not the Army/Air Force/Navy/Marines?

I know exactly how you feel. I'm in the same boat and my Australian pen pal is in the same boat too. He found a "respectable" "normal" job at the Department of Immigration in Australia. He said it's like drowning under water and not being able to come up for air. He much preferred the front desk job he had before because it enabled him to spend time on the internet trying to find meaning to life and answers to life's higher questions. But it's not a "respectable" job for someone his age to have. In society it makes you a loser.

I don't want to get a "respectable" "normal" job where I push papers around a desk for eight hours a day, five days a week, and live for the weekends, all to pay off my student debts and a mortgage. That's why I never went to law school, although I'm often told I'd make a great lawyer. There are 24,000 lawyers in DC. That's 10 lawyers for every 1 person. I would just be one among many suits, like the Love Songs of J. Alfred Pufrock, "measures their life is spoons of coffee." I had those jobs and I hated them. I also hated the office politics and gossip. I felt like I was surrounded by small-minded conformist sheep.

I'm not interested in much of anything and don't have any passions or interests besides sex. I can't focus on anything besides sex, everything else seems boring. The minutes drag between sexual encounters. I don't even really like watching TV. But prostitution is illegal/dangerous and you can only be a stripper until you start to get old. Then what are gonna do when you're 35or 40? You won't make enough to retire off of, you have rent and debt to pay off along the way. You'll be back in the same position as before. I could be a porn writer and sex blogger but thing about how hard it is to etch out a living as a blogger.

I would not say "suck it up and get a job" because you will burn out quickly and find yourself calling in sick when you're not really sick. You won't look like a "highly motivated team player" (I hate that phrase especially the team player part). It will give off the impression to your boss that you're a lazy individual when really it's because working there is like pulling teeth. I used to frequently look at the clock and say "ok only 3 hours left". Or I would agree not to look at the clock for a while so that when I did look at it a lot of time had elapsed. Imagine doing this everyday except Saturday and Sunday.

Career counseling is useless. From personal experience I can tell you that the Myerrs-Briggs Test and the Strong Interest Inventory is a profound waste of time. It placed me as a librarian, probably because I like the internet. Can you imagine me as a librarian?

And what happens when your interest is something that no one will pay you for?

[zetta]

Valnik, your post says me that you're seeking for something. You're seeking for a solution - a positive thing. You wouldn't have posted here, if you didn't believe there is the possibility to actually solve this.

You said, you are a truth seeker. I can identify with this. You probably read a lot, but instead of making sense, it all just adds to the confusion. You see that's not really it. There is something bigger behind it. Unfortunately it takes some time to find it.

Life is really meaningless until you give it meaning. And your problem you want to solve seems to give you enough meaning that you haven't killed yourself yet.

I don't really have the answer to your problem, since I'm still struggling with the very same. But I see a light. I developed a positive attitude towards it. I'm happy I'm not like everyone else. Starting outside of the stream will have you really to figure the s**t out. Although you may look like a fish jumping on dry land first. Finding your very own way will make you a lot smarter than most people. Monetizing? Tss, you could survive a night on a bench. There are ways around the main stream and if it's really your way, you won't fear it - no matter how extreme.

Find inner peace first and your difficult relationship to all the things around you will solve from that. Love yourself. Be happy you're in this situation. Things will look different then. You won't feel like a failure, pressured to be something you just can't be. You'll play the game, laughing at the others taking life so seriously. If you're happy with just the way things are now, you already won - and that's enough reason to be happy. You won't need to give in to their ideas of what will make you happy. You already are! Faster and easier than them.

Edit: By taking them so seriously that they make you feel bad, you're saying they're right. They aren't! If you stop believing in societies standards, you refuse to be a failure according to these standards. You are a winner to your own standards. Now go out and do what ever makes you happy. Your happiness will prove your standard is right.

Edit2: I guess that's were the real problem will show up. Doing what makes you happy. Finding happiness will give you the right to break every 'rule'. But as long as you can't find happiness within yourself you blame everything in the world to be pointless. But it's not your surroundings that create happiness for you, it's you.

[ChrisGinsburg]

None of our lives have any meaning. This is a scary thought to digest but it leaves you free to simply explore and enjoy the multidimensional existence that is life. Your meaning is whatever you choose it to be.

[CroMagna]

^^ But who will pay him to do that?

[zetta]

No one really needs to.

[CroMagna]

But he needs money to support himself.