Dead-end.

tmpgstx

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I struggled at first to clear that hurdle, mainly due prior feminization (thanks divorced mom!) and straight-up woman mindsets. The truth of the matter was that mommy taught me to think of everyone else: the opinions of my peers mattered most. Well, as we know, this is "woman's logic". It turns out that I didn't consider with nearly enough weight that which I wanted: what pleases ME.
One of the most true passages ever posted on this site. For you guys that grew up with single moms and/or AFC dads, this is spot-on.

You have to be a little (or even alot) selfish. I think alot of people in general perceive that as looking out for number one. While this may be true, you should still be respectful of those people worth respecting.
 

joekerr31

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im telling ya guys. Victory Unlimited is one of the smartest insightful guys you are ever going to meet, on the internet or in real life.

that dude has some serious perspective. serious perspective.

part of what i read in to his last post above is that sometimes you have to step back from the big picture.

im current in a position where if i were to look at the big picture it would be awefully depressing.

thigns in life are definitely not going the way i had hoped. i was closing in on my goals and suddenly i find them all ripped away and tossed in to the far distance.

now it would be easy for me to wollow in self pity and say 'why me God why me?"

but you know what i've found in life. the ONLY thing of value in life is knowing yourself - knowing what you are capable of. everything else is bullsh*t. the cars, the women, etc. - i've had it all and it did nothing for me.

the only thing that provides me with solace in this life is knowing that i'm a good man who has risen to the challenges. every time life knocks me to my knees i get back up and march on.

in truth, i've come to believe that the only POINT to life is exactly that - to test your will to overcome.

i also think that unfortunately we are living in very very shallow times. as a result very few people have genuine relationships with people aroudn them. i think we were meant to live in tribal societies myself.

so many of us are living in our own little spheres, totally disconnected from the world aorund us. and because we lack those tight bonds with multiple human beings, we seek validation from somewhere else - professional success and materialism.

if you were living in a tribal community you wouldn't be asking the questions you are asking. you'd feel wanted / valued.

the only thing thats got you down is that you feel you can't get your 'value' up enough so as to feel as though you matter in the world - that your life had a purpose.
 

jonwon

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Squirrels I feel you buddie.

I too am in this zone as you speak off, I know what I want to achieve but cant seem to grasp at it.
Like trying to catch smoke rings.

I witness my mates becoming more and more successful and I too want those things!

I think Tony Robbins gives a good quote on these things, cant remember the exact words but it goes along these lines.

Negative thinking must be embraced to some degree as it helps us to feel the pain of regret of not achieving out dreams, it helps us to recognize what we don’t have, where we are and it helps us define ourselves against our worth.

Then we move onto positive thinking.
According to experts, positive thinking should be about 90% of the daily thoughts we have, with negative thinking making up about 10% of those.

What we need to do is look at our lives and see what we have achieved as opposed to what we ‘desire’.

If you reflect on your life and think over all your achievements you will see you have actually come along way even though you don’t ‘think’ that atm.

For example things that help me to pull myself out of these ruts of ‘want’ V ‘have’.

Think back to events like:
The hot girl you pulled, how she was fine and you felt powerful in your abilities to attract her.

The time you went for that job, thinking they would never employ, but you got the job and realized it was easy, infact after a time you got complacent, what was once a thing that seemed out of your reach became a routine.

Or how about how your wages have gone up over the course of your life time, when once you could not afford to go out drinking and paying rent you can now afford to have a little fun and still have a roof over your head.

Or think about some good times with your mates, the times you guys had a real fuc*ing good day, or how you even met them.

The times you made others laugh, you felt like the funniest guy in the world!

Times when you walked around confident, with the world at your feet and commanded respect. By your simple mental attitude.


Remember the positive aspects of what you have achieved, no matter how small, the hurdles you have climbed and are still climbing.
But don’t forget about the dark side too, without it, you would have no desire to achieve or improve it is there for a reason.

You state you have no passion!
Your passion is inbedded in the post, you state you are at a dead end, but the whole point of the post is your simply at a place that is negative to your life, which means you are unhappy with all your current achievements in that there is only one other option open to you! And that is the next step in growth, it will come as your are now ready for it.

Let me give you a story I got told a while back that I reflect on, when I know I am unhappy with my life>
Its about comfort zone and we all have them, it’s the thing that stops us from progressing from our negative side to a more growth positive future and its called ‘comfort zone’ to me this is bigger and more dangerous then any ‘fear’.

“There is a dog sat by his owner. The owner who is taking in the sunshine of the day drinking a few cans of beer, the owner is oblivious to the silent cries of pain, silent whelps from the dog every few minutes, the owner is happy in his garden and not even thinking about the dog laid by his chair. The dog is happy sat next to his owner, it is the best place for him has dogs in there nature have a lot of ‘love’ for there master and to be by his side is the best thing, but it came with a cost.

The dog happened to be sitting on a small rusty nail, which keeps hurting the dog, but the dog is scared to move in-case his owner, looks at him and locks him in the house, so the dog keeps satting on this nail has the pain is not as bad has not being by his owners side.

After and hour or two the dog is in so much pain, he cant bear to stand the nail in its rear end, the pain as now surpassed his comfort zone, so he gets an idea! He stand up and walks around to the other side of the owners chair where there happens to be soft grass to lay on!”

the thing is we are all like that dog, we get so comfortable being somewhere, when the pain of growth kicks in, it hurts but its never really that bad, till eventually it really starts to get painful, then people usually take action, but there are some who would be too scared to move off that nail and endure there comfort zone!

My issues are work related I don’t earn no where near enough for the lifestyle I want, but I have achieved a lot to get where I am, but its not enough for the life I want and that pains me also, it become uncomfortable along time ago and watching mates become ever more successful is like talking that rusty nail and jamming it my ass even deeper! But I still sit on it, since my job is easy and my boss is sound and my life ain’t that bad, but deep inside it hurts like crazy especially seeing what others have and knowing deep down I could attain that easily too, its just where I am is comfortable!

Things that do help in the meantime till life offers a solution.

Work out, it seems a silly adage, but when you see yourself improving physically it helps you feel proud your achieving something.
Learn something new, a course or a language, keep striving, keep learning.
Try to remain positive by having something in your life that is focused constant development.

If it was not for me working out and learning new stuff as I am now (I have 3 projects on self improvement going atm, body, learning to drive, and studying a degree, even if my job does suck in terms of salary value)! I can still feel positive about the fact I am growing.

Its only as hard as getting up off that rusty nail! how much does it hurt?
 

Mr.Positive

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I think we really just want to have control over our lives, and we live in a world that keeps trying to take that control from us. We want some say over what position in life we are in.

We have deadlines at work, societal pressures to conform, we have traffic keeping us from getting to our destination. There's mortgages, car payments, terrorist threats, stock market crashes, the list goes on. These are all things we can not control, and that is where stress comes from. Stress is worrying about the things we can not control, and it eats you up.

That's why working out is a great stress reliever. It's not that you feel great afterwords, that's part of it, but it's saying to this crazy world, I'm taking control over my body. It's up to me to determine how I look and feel.

That is why it is important to have a fighting spirit. IE..the movie Gladiator. To say to the world, you can kick me down, but I'm going down fighting. I'll control my actions and reactions to the things I can not control.

Try something that challenges your fighting spirit Squirrells. When you succeed at it, you gain a little more control over your life, and that will lead you down to path to more successes in life.
 

GtarPlayr73

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Squirrels, when i read your OP, i thought i could have written the whole thing myself. Talk about timing, i have been going through the same exact quandary of having no passion. Others have contributed a lot of pep talk and excellent reminders. I especially agree with the fact that American society places an enormous value on materialism and status. But enlightened minds know that such things are not what is to be valued.

Comparison to Others or "Comparitis"

Sounds like you are falling for the American Myth, i mean, the American Dream. Again, America defines success materially or by achievement. The cult of celebrity only adds fuel to the fire. Can externals such as a job or a car or a house change or improve the inner you, the real you? Would you be any different? Or would you be a member of a group - The Winners? I find that comparing myself to others has been an enormous source of needless despair and woe. Only advertisers want you to compare yourself to others. Instead of wanting the things that others around you have, focus on the conditions that you want: contentment, self-acceptance, peace of mind, satisfaction.

Throughout my entire adolescence, i consistently rejected my introverted, studious, reflective, and artistic nature in a futile attempt to gain acceptance and "success" with all the shallow, materialistic, "cool" kids in my neighborhood and in school. Was i happy? Was i thriving as a person? Was i accepted as planned? NO. Was i miserable? Was i restless? Was i double-minded? YES. I was insecure and lacked confidence because i was dancing to someone else's tune, never my own. America wants you to dance by everyone else’s tune, but then turns around and worships you if you rebel and prove to be someone truly different. Not many people can resist comparing themselves to others and so we have an enormously conformist society.

Passion

This is where i identify with you the most. My perceived lack of passion is the hot topic for me right now. What i recently learned is that those who lack passion are almost always victims of controlling people, namely parents. If you feel dead, its because the real internal YOU is not been allowed to live.

And so i ask...have you been controlled by others throughout your life? Have you allowed yourself to be dominated by others? You see, you can't experience passion if your life isn't your own. Passion requires independence. I am just now fully seeing and accepting this. My father negated (erased) my own identity growing up by constantly questioning my choices and preferences. The result was that i did not TRUST MYSELF. Instead, i have grown to doubt myself to such an extent that it has become second nature. I don't know what i want. I've tried numerous pursuits, but I have never consistently stuck to one thing. I've been perpetually searching for an identity mainly through "career choices". But i can't "be myself" until i know myself and accept myself. I'm starting to do this by accepting that i am an introvert. I PREFER to be alone and while that has made meeting new people (especially women) more "difficult", i accept now that i don't enjoy time spent with others, SAVE for a few friends who i share deep connections with. America is an extroverted society but it is fascinated with introverts.

So, in summary, we have two main points:

1. Comparing yourself to others is utterly useless and is poisonous to your emotional, mental, and even physical well-being. "Comparitis" is a cancer of the soul.

2. You cannot experience passion until you accept yourself as you are. Shed the controlling effects and hooks of others. Unlearn the pretend person others have made you out to be and only then can you begin to see and accept the real you. Once you do so, your passions will begin to emerge.

One final thought. Location. Is where you are currently living fueling your soul? Are you inspired by your surroundings? Have you stopped to consider that maybe your current place of residence does not resonate with you? Maybe it's keeping you down and locking up your vision. What if you moved to Hawaii or Italy or the coast of Maine or the Cascade Mountains of Washington or the deserts of the American Southwest or the Caribbean islands? Would seeing palm trees swaying outside your bedroom window bring you inspiration? You only live life once and geographic location is crucial.

We share the same issue and so i welcome the opportunity to maintain on ongoing dialog with you on this as we work out of lifelessness and into passionate living.
 

Never try to read a woman's mind. It is a scary place. Ignore her confusing signals and mixed messages. Assume she is interested in you and act accordingly.

Quote taken from The SoSuave Guide to Women and Dating, which you can read for FREE.

Slickster

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Maybe it has something to do with the 4627 posts you've written in the last 3 years.....
 

Chrispy

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I think you need to go on a vacation. You need to go some place you can gain perspective on life and just enjoying the little things.

Never give up. Sounds like you're just a bit exhausted with everything and you need a break. Take that break, then start over. Re-kindle your energy to be someone more and from there people will want to be part of your positive aura.

...the last time i read your post you were in a new city. are you still there?
 

Chrispy

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chevelle said:
I can sort of relate, but unlike you, i have never had success. The closest i have ever been to success, is graduating from college. Everyday, i wonder why everything blows up in my face and i never catch a break or gain an opportunity.

Every door slams in my face, and no new ones open. I have no ideas to be self employed, so i am dependent on someone giving me a chance and hiring me, but that opportunity never arises. I continue to try and remain optimistic, but life has been so vicious towards me and i don't know why? I am positive, a set goals, i treat people how i want to be treated, i never betray anyone, yet years move by and i remain in the same exact position as the year before and everyone around moves on to bigger and better things.

I am pushing late 20's and i have nothing! It is embarrassing as he11 and it hurts my social/dating life. On the bright side, i am blessed with good looks, my health, integrity, niceness, and great parents. These things are nice, but i have yet to benefit from any of them.

The irony is, if you saw me on the street, you would never guess that my whole life has been a living hell and i am probably one of the saddest most unhappy individuals on the planet.

Look on the bright side, you have made a living for yourself--you should be proud of that accomplishment alone!
Same here! I'm sad inside sometimes but it's mostly being negative...achieving something but then dwelling or focusing on the negative. Positivity and being happy is simply a matter of a positive perspective.
 
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