I always half-joke that I gave up on my hopes of being a child prodigy when I turned 30.

That was a major milestone not just for realizing that there was no future "grown up" version of me, but also seeing how much time had passed and how little was left. So I accepted that who I am is who I'm going to be, for the most part, and I might as well make the best of it. That opened up a lot of doors for personal interest that I hadn't even noticed previously.

So predictably I started woodworking.

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tempodox 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

> realizing that there was no future "grown up" version of me

Should you get older (which is probable), you’ll be amazed at how wrong that is. Development doesn’t stop at 30, it just gets a little slower.

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jamestimmins 2 days ago | parent [-]

That's very exciting to hear! I'd be delighted to be wrong about that.

Edit: Although, just to clarify, I didn't really mean that I think I won't change as I get older. Moreso that if growing a mustache or getting involved in international diplomacy was going to be in my future, I'd likely have some indication of that by now.

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nasmorn 2 days ago | parent [-]

Wrong. I never ran more than 5 times a year until I was 30 and now I have run ultra marathons. It is my spiritual calling and I didn’t know about it until 34. Now I am 44 and probably in the best shape of my life.

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conductr 2 days ago | parent [-]

I hated manual labor as a kid/young adult, associated it with chores and whatnot, now in my 40s I build homes as a hobby/side gig. I like to be as hands on as possible with it and do about 70% of the work myself on every house. I work a knowledge worker job during the day and need something physical to feel like I’ve accomplished any real which helps my overall fulfillment. Most people think it’s strange, but I do most of the house work between 10pm-3pm. After my job and family duties are complete for the day, I’m somewhat nocturnal and it’s not as hot at night (Texas). I’m usually fine with just the 6 or so hours of sleep but it’s kind of like I have a whole second life at night lol

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sharadov 2 days ago | parent [-]

Its quite amazing, that you have the energy levels for it.

	▲	conductr 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Admittedly, it's because my day job isn't very stressful/taxing at all. I'm in an executive leadership position, so I mostly just have a few meetings a day and make sure my teams are all moving things along/help block and tackle within the organization. There's certain times of they year I know I will be fully consumed by the day job and I just plan the house stuff around it. For example, I've poured a slab foundation before a busy season at work and just didn't come back to the slab for about 6 weeks to start the framing, I'm in no huge hurry.

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Hunpeter 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

A somewhat more depressing take: "There comes a time in everyone's life when you look into the mirror and realize that what you see is all that you'll ever be. And you accept that fact - or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking into mirrors." (Babylon 5, quoted from memory, so probably not 100% correct)

As I'm nearing 30, still in the "I can be anything I want" phase, I wonder when this time will arrive. And whether it is true for everyone - maybe some people possess the ability to reinvent themselves no matter their age. But can you even do that without giving up some contentment?

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prerok 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I think you are always in this phase of being able to be anything you want. Even as you are growing up, there are usually more choices than you can see. What experience and age gives you is a broader understanding that that really is the case and then, speaking from personal experience, you start feeling foolish for not realizing this before.

That said, changing things is never without some loss of contentment. Even if status quo is abysmal, we humans seem to prefer it over changing it. It is worth exploring, though, even if it is uncomfortable.

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FearNotDaniel 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

"It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself: 'I shall never play the Dane.'"

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/mar/29/richard-grif...

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noisem4ker 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

That first "or" coordinate was really uncalled for.

	▲	vinyl7 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Its true though, unless you can find your purpose in life. Gotta be more to life than transient hits of dopamine

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ponector 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

>>so predictably I started woodworking

Making your own doors now!