
Folks, I'm going to do this as gently as I possibly can - and with as much sensitivity as I can find to put into print.
It's not you. It's not your fault.
It just may be that what you had planned - ain't gonna happen just the way you thought it would.
Not even as splashy. Or as fun. Or why you took those classes, and slogged through getting the degree.
And everyone telling you to "get over it"? They've got it all wrong.
There's nothing to get over with. What did you get, exactly, to begin with? Expectations? Plans? Pfft. Nothing. You had nothing to lose. So what's there to get over with, exactly? (Ghad, I hate that sentence. Get over it. Like it's a vaulting horse of something. Sheesh.)
You know what you want. Somehow, it's just not coming together - and the walls are closing in.
Or maybe, you're smacking yourself around so much, you don't have time to persue those big dreams - you too busy trying to figure out where the door is to get out and go after them.
When someone tells you that most of us go through life, living lives of quiet desperation - they're telling you the truth.
You have to decide if that's worth killing yourself over, when you find this out for yourself. We all know people who did - that guy who offed himself last year, when he wasn't wildly successful before 28 years of age. That dumbass.
Give it a rest. And then take a step back and look at it again.
Food, clothing, shelter. That's for you. Your own space, your own stuff. Everyone needs this.
That's called meeting your needs - security needs - the ones that are at the bottom of your tiny lizard brains. You don't have this much, no wonder you're losing your mind. It's important - don't lose sight of it.
...and you may have to do something you don't like much, isn't very sexy or exciting or fun, to provide it.
What, exactly - is up to you. Look around - you're not the first, last or only person facing this. Seriously. You really do think it's all YOU, don't you? You messed up. You're a loser. You're a total failure.
*sigh*
I really skipped over that part, because I knew if I wanted the fun stuff, I had to do the stuff I didn't want to do before I could get to the fun stuff. Because if I didn't take care of myself, I wouldn't be around to DO the fun stuff.
Best part? Once I put that aside, the rest was easy. I just went out and found a job. Anything I could do - and made the best of it.
I've held a number of whack jobs in my time. You know what? Even the ones I hated in the end? There were days I thoroughly enjoyed myself - I made sure of it. Life is what happens to us while we're waiting for things to happen.
Frankly, I know Starbucks barristas work their fannies off - and have to deal with the snottiest, up-tight customers on the planet (caffeine junkies? Gimme a break!) - but I think I'd dig it, if I could do it myself. I just have all my hours spoken for right now - and don't need the extra bucks. Actually, the time-trade off isn't worth it to me right now. I wouldn't consider that the worst thing in the world if that's the only job I could get. (I'd be looking for other things, you betcha, but this would do - in a pinch. No shame in hard work, after all. Money all spends the same!)
I'd love to work in a bakery. Never done it.
I drove airport shuttle for two companies - it made good enough money, and was fun as hell at times to boot.
Not doing my Dream? I'm still here to keep trying. That charmed life again, remember? I had to come to terms with the fact I didn't have all the answers or any control over why it wasn't coming together to make the living I had to have, to stop doing the things I didn't like that made the living.
It wasn't me. I wasn't a loser - I just wasn't where I needed to be, or what was needed at all. If I had known what those things were - yeah, it might be different. It just might be that wasn't supposed to happen at all, too. There was no "right place" to be - and no "right time." My fault? Never.
The fact you aren't more "special" or "better" or "whatever" than the people around you is not proof you're worthless. Everyone has their own strengths...and that unmeasureable something that separates even identical twins from each other.
And it's not dialing down your expectations to accept that you might not have the house, the job or the zip code you want.
The greatest wealth is contentment with less. Love the one you're with. Make the best of it.
Not just suck it up and suffer. You're missing the point if you do. Nobody can suck it all up and live without finding some joy every day. And accept that good enough - is well, GOOD.
Quiddit.
Get over it? Pah. Let's get on with it.
And if you don't mind, it won't matter - and maybe, your time will come after there's bread on your table, in your house, on your dime - again.
I'll be here. After work, and all that. *grins*