Should I Just Give Up?

[Houdini176]

I'm trying to accomplish my goals in life, but I'm wondering if it's worth the effort? Should I just give up and life a normal life? I really want to go to MIT and become VERY successful (Not just in money terms, but also in that I help the world), but will it be worth the effort and work? I've been pushing myself already, but I'm not satisfied with the results. I'm not sure if I ever will be... Would it be better to just settle down and try to live life to the happy rather than live life to be successful and have an impact/difference? I'm a sophomore in high school, so I have a ton of time, but I just need some advice. Thanks.

[Ross PK]

If you genuinley want to live really succsesfully, then even if it is hard getting there, once you do get there it'll be worth it.

[moshe]

I've found that when I am driven towards something, I am not happy unless I do it. In other words, since you are driven, you will probably not be happy living what you call a "normal life". Your happiness will come from striving to reach your goals! Good luck to you.

Edited October 26, 2009 by moshe

[JamesM]

With all due respect, young man, you haven't even STARTED.

 

Giving up before starting will never equal success.

 

As you get older, then you may define success differently, and I can almost guarantee that your goals will change, but in the meantime, dreaming is good.

 

Planning to be a "success" as you define it at your age is not to late or too early. (well, maybe a bit early). See a counselor about the path you should take for the career you desire. Then stick to it. It will not be exciting, and success may be twenty years or more down the road. If you want it, then you will persevere.

 

Too many people (younger and older) think that when they reach for success, then it will happen in the next year or two. It doesn't. It takes hard boring and tedious work. The ones who make it are the ones who keep going even when the goal seems not even possible.

 

A goal has an objective with details and a deadline. You simply (as I read it) want to be successful and maybe go to MIT, but there are no details or time line to make that goal something to shoot for.

 

A goal is not "I want to be successful." A goal is "I want to be a computer engineer making $40k by the age of 25 years old."

[Boundary Problem]

Don't give up. Life is a process and they say the most successful people just keep working on something until they achieve success.

 

So the difference between success and failure is generally investing hard work and patience. There is no particular magic to success.

 

But I do know some people that if they don't get instant success - they give up and would rather do nothing. I've never understood how they could be happy.

 

Anything worth doing is going to be difficult. But the rewards are immesurable. And success builds upon success. So when the next problem comes up, there are more resources at your disposal.

[betamanlet]

I'm trying to accomplish my goals in life, but I'm wondering if it's worth the effort? Should I just give up and life a normal life? I really want to go to MIT and become VERY successful (Not just in money terms, but also in that I help the world), but will it be worth the effort and work? I've been pushing myself already, but I'm not satisfied with the results. I'm not sure if I ever will be... Would it be better to just settle down and try to live life to the happy rather than live life to be successful and have an impact/difference? I'm a sophomore in high school, so I have a ton of time, but I just need some advice. Thanks.

 

 

You're setting yourself up for failure with such lofty goals at such a young age. Unless you're a genius, you won't take your SAT until next school year, and only then, after you get your results, should you consider schools that fall within your score range. I didn't even think about what schools to apply to until I got my SAT results back, then i started to apply. It would like me saying I want to go to Harvard, then get my SAT scores back and they're not even good enough for Michigan State, I'm going to be upset. So don't even think about this, and going to MIT is no guarantee of success. Also there are virtually no women there. When I was a Freshman in high school i had a pen pal BBS buddy (this was pre internet days) and he'd tell me what MIT was like. He was obviously brilliant, but the situation there for dating/etc was so bad, that they would spend their friday nights listening to the one guy on the floor who had a girlfriend, have sex.. That was what they did on weekends.