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At what age does “you have your whole life ahead of you” become invalid?

Deleted member 13015

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,266
Aren't there a lot of famous people who at an old age barely began to be successful or become to do something important?

I see 50+ year olds in community college and at work all the time, making something more for themselves.

There's so much to see and experience still at an old age.
 
Viewt

Viewt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,809
Chicago, IL
When I was in my early 20s, I was still thinking about when my life was going to "start," so to speak, which I defined as the point when I'd be well situated, stable, and enjoying planning for the future. I'm now nine days from 30 and I feel great with where I am. It kind of feels like I'm in my prime - I'm engaged, I've secured a great career with a strong financial outlook, and I generally feel good about the future (current politics and imminent global climate catastrophies aside, of course). If anything, I spend more time thinking about preserving what I have over wondering about when I'll have it.

Assuming nothing goes terribly wrong, I'll be able to retire in my mid-50s. Fingers crossed!
 
skipgo

skipgo

Member
Dec 28, 2018
2,568
Never, you can always switch your life up if you're frustrated, start a different path. Explore new things and change.
The only roadblock is your own mind.

But i'm an optimist.
 
sooperkool

sooperkool

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,159
Dr. Mario said:
I'm younger than you, but apparently got children way older. The average age here is about 35. That may color the experiences.
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Oh, definitely it does but think of life like this. Life is basically in thirds...the third before children when you're growing up, the third of life while your raising children and then the third of life when you are living your fullest life.
 
AM_LIGHT

AM_LIGHT

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
3,728
I am 32 and I feel i'am done , OP you're only 20 you're basically a fucking kid no disrespect.
 
Baji Boxer

Baji Boxer

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,383
Big Al said:
I've been thinking about this lately because I turned 20 and been worrying about missing out on all the stuff I want to do in life. So many people have told me this sentiment and even if I have a hard time registering it I still wonder if it's valid and if so how much longer I got in taking comfort in that. I figure I have my twenties to be stupid and have fun and whatnot but besides that do I really have it all ahead of me?
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Early to mid 30's, maybe even 50's if you're making good money.

Also, you can have fun without being stupid lol.
 
dDASTARDLY

dDASTARDLY

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
702
sooperkool said:
You must be young. I was 45 when my youngest left for college; I have no grandchildren but want them soon. We travel, eat well, buy what we want and do what we want whenever we want and have the finances to support all of that and still have over 20+ years of life to do it in.
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Right, I have another 12 years to go with my oldest but retirement and being able to live comfortably within my own defined means is what I'm looking forward to.

If that's not a second lease on life, and not a signal that I have another full life ahead of me then I don't know what that would be.
 
kswiston

kswiston

Member
Oct 24, 2017
3,693
At 20 you have a lot of time. I know people who dropped out of high school in Grade 10 or 11 who got more serious about bettering themselves around that age, and eventually ended up with a PhD or professional degree by their early-mid 30s.

But you have to make the effort to change things, and not make the mistake of waiting for that change to come to you. It usually doesn't.
 
borghe

borghe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,112
ElectricBlanketFire said:
That's fine, but I have 2 kids without another on the way. I don't have time to "figure it out" if that makes sense.
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well what I can tell you is that it's about networking, and really being opened up to possibilities that you haven't even dreamed of considering. I can completely agree that within a specific field you get tunnel vision, with no light and just an endless tunnel. it ultimately comes down to looking at and considering the possibilities that maybe right now you don't even know exist.. and, yes... taking a chance and being uncomfortable.. which is scary as fuck.. but being open and talking about it with your family.. and them being supportive.. allows you to do anything. I DO understand feeling trapped.. and unfortunately I had to emotionally hit bottom before I said "fuck it.. I need to do this..." and my daughter was still in grade school at the time (and beyond that I've been paying child support from the start... so... let me tell you... you get some VERY unsupportive words when child support is on the line........)
AM_LIGHT said:
I am 32 and I feel i'am done , OP you're only 20 you're basically a fucking kid no disrespect.
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ha. ironically my first business wasn't even a year old when I was your age, kid! :D
 
Violence Jack

Violence Jack

Drive-in Mutant
Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,937
Even after having a kid at 36, I still felt like I had a lot of life left. Just a different type of life.
 
Z-Beat

Z-Beat

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,867
Buncha 30 somethings trying to convince themselves that they're old
 
OP
OP
Big Al

Big Al

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,276
New York
Baji Boxer said:
Early to mid 30's, maybe even 50's if you're making good money.

Also, you can have fun without being stupid lol.
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Maybe I'm just surrounding myself with some sketchy people then lol but I've been figuring that

Judging from all the different responses it doesn't seem like there's a real answer, guess life is just what you make of it even if that sounds dumb.
 
JuicyPlayer

JuicyPlayer

Member
Feb 8, 2018
7,345
When you're dead , as far as I'm concerned if I can still breathe I can take my life in whatever direction I wanna go.
 
borghe

borghe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,112
Big Al said:
guess life is just what you make of it even if that sounds dumb.
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it sounds dumb because I think a good portion of our early life, many of us compare our lives to others.. both where we're at and where we can go. by the same metric.. many of us hit a point in life where we come to the epiphany that that's a terrible way to evaluate your life. then suddenly you have the rest of your life ahead of you.

therapy is often involved 😜 (for real though, it can help if you are feeling especially trapped...)
 
Aurongel

Aurongel

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
7,065
When you have kids or when you hit 40. Whichever comes first.
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,343
Notions of a whole life are untrue and misguided, they judge an experience of life that is somehow aware of how long it will last.

Most people are held so strongly by the limits of their reach that it's unfair to expect them to plan or hope for a future beyond their most immediate concerns.
 
HotHamBoy

HotHamBoy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
16,423
laminated said:
When you're set in a routine and your days go by in a blur. When a new year feels like its gone by quickly. That's when you're fucked.
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The problem here is that, once you're in your 20s, it always feels like that. But every year you realize it gets worse.

I felt like that in my 20s. Now i'm nearly 34 and I swear there's only 6 hours in a day.
 
Serpens007

Serpens007

Well, Tosca isn't for everyone
Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
8,133
Chile
With Climate Change and the idiots in charge in several countries, I'd say whatever age you are in 2030
 
Pwnz

Pwnz

Member
Oct 28, 2017
14,279
Places
Everyone hits that existential crisis age at a different time. I hit it that a few years ago in my early 30s. Damn OP, at 20.
 
Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
I was 22 when I had to get a proper job. So 22.


But I was 28 when I realized I was balding and had to buzz it. So 28.

But I was 35 when I got married. So 35.

But I was 36 when I got a mortgage. So 36.

But I was 38 when we got knocked up. So 38.

But I was 48 when my daughter asked me about crushes and menstruation. So now.

The answer is now.
 
laminated

laminated

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,283
HotHamBoy said:
The problem here is that, once you're in your 20s, it always feels like that. But every year you realize it gets worse.

I felt like that in my 20s. Now i'm nearly 34 and I swear there's only 6 hours in a day.
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I liken it to the moments when you're driving your daily route almost in a trance, and before you realize it you're at your destination. But you can't recall in any detail what occurred during that time span. That's sort of what I mean. It feels like time is lost because you're completely unengaged with your surroundings. It's peak numbness to the world.

When I was in my 20's and out downtown drinking on Halloween night, I felt invigorated and I got the sense that I was experiencing every second. It's not so much that the time went by fast, but rather I wished I had more time. That it didn't feel like enough.
 
astro

astro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57,059
Think about it... if you were in your 70s and would go on to live until you were 100, that would be 30 years.

30 years sure feels like a lifetime to me. I guess it depends how literal you want to be with a figure of speech.
 

Deleted member 17092

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
20,360
I'd say it's more about having responsibilities that are so restrictive it becomes prohibitively difficult to change trajectory (children mainly).
 
KoopaTheCasual

KoopaTheCasual

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,748
Serious answer: Probably 45/50.

Before that, you'll have your seniors telling you that you can still reinvent yourself at any moment.
 
hank_tree

hank_tree

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,596
When your doctor starts sticking his finger up your ass.
 
Genesius

Genesius

Member
Nov 2, 2018
15,606
I am 38 and have a dead end administrative job that pays nothing

Every day is just a grind to get to the point where I can sleep again and then I start over

I have no ambitions, no goals, no money, no ability to go back to school or change career, and battle crippling anxiety and depression

So I guess if you get to where I am, then that's when
 
hank_tree

hank_tree

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,596
Genesius said:
I am 38 and have a dead end administrative job that pays nothing

Every day is just a grind to get to the point where I can sleep again and then I start over

I have no ambitions, no goals, no money, no ability to go back to school or change career, and battle crippling anxiety and depression

So I guess if you get to where I am, then that's when
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At least you have your health.
 
HotHamBoy

HotHamBoy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
16,423
laminated said:
I liken it to the moments when you're driving your daily route almost in a trance, and before you realize it you're at your destination. But you can't recall in any detail what occurred during that time span. That's sort of what I mean. It feels like time is lost because you're completely unengaged with your surroundings. It's peak numbness to the world.

When I was in my 20's and out downtown drinking on Halloween night, I felt invigorated and I got the sense that I was experiencing every second. It's not so much that the time went by fast, but rather I wished I had more time. That it didn't feel like enough.
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I wonder how different time would feel if you escaped your daily routine and started a new life right now.
 
Necromanti

Necromanti

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,551
You have a lot of time. More time than you think. A lot of that is just dependent on your state of mind. But you don't have an endless amount.
 
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