I've been sleeping on this. I think this is in large part because the kind of goals you are encouraged to set or seek—like some many other things in modernity—are kind of warped. Additionally people are not really trained or encouraged to think and reflect on what is truly best for themselves—more cynically maybe many simply do not have this ability.

Modern society says "Get an education, Buy a house, live the American Dream" (if you're in the US) as if these things are universal things that are garunteed to give everyone fulfillment. It's all based on the notion that people are the same (i.e. equal). Turns out people are not the same, across almost any axis.

People have different strengths, different weaknesses. The things that will give them meaning and fulfillment are different. A Billionaire will be driven by different forces than someone in the middle class, the lower class, or under class. Some people are driven to achieve, some to earn money, others by power, other still to live a life of purely seeking pleasure. They should be allowed to do so. It is a mistake to try to put everyone in the same box, to desire the same things, or to think the same, or even speak the same. They should be allowed to be what they are and they should not be changed to be something they are not.

For myself: I wanted a nice car, to own a home, to earn a really good salary. I have done all of those things, and while it did feel good for a time, they were ultimately empty achievements for me. In hindsight, I often wonder if I would have been happier if I had become a carpenter and started a family young instead. Maybe not. I can't change the past, I am where I am.

For any young person reading this: Don't be in a rush to do what everyone else is doing. Don't be in a rush to do what society says is good for you. You have to decide that for yourself. Whatever path you choose, seek to be excellent in it no matter what it is.

nostr:note1ce7nldp429mv833e2krl4shdagelrc2q6uelm46jmw26469eca6qqdjzvl