How can I succeed in life?

[Abelard]

Hey guys, I used to post on this site as 'nanosage' if anyone remembers but I forgot my information. Now I have finally turned 18(yes I was breaking the rules haha). And I have an issue that I need help with.

Basically, I left highschool, I go to an alternative program which allows me to still graduate, walk etc... And not get my GED. But lately Ive been having a new outlook on my life. As a kid I loved learning about physics and psychology, and I still do. I read books non stop, fiction or not. I love all kinds of music.. Not to be conceited but a far as anyone KNOW in my age group, I am the most open to things.. Since being on the internet though Ive leaned that Im not the only one.

I feel like I have potential to be moderately successful.

BUT, I had a huge problem with drugs haha, I was addicted to dxm for a good 8 months. Took ADD medicine for two months or so and quit. Went through brief periods of alcoholism. Benzo/opiate addiction.. Lately my problem was synthetic marijuana I smoked it daily and just kicked it a week ago. Too much of a toll those substances.

Now I will only touch marijuana on a not very regular basis(weekend thing), and use psychedelics whenever I am sure of their quality. I am comfortable with this and my life has been relieved of so much stress its redonk. I finally actually remember my dreams again, allowing me to go lucid.. I am going to start meditating, I used to.
Anyways thats my drug information I feel like it will help.

Now I want to be either a psychologist or a physicist.. Is it possible to do both? I would love going to school for those so I feel like thatll be no problem. I just cant afford it. Im going to end up having to go to community college. Is there a chance I could do that and then go to a university? I NEED to change my life around... Ive wasted too much thought power on petty feel good substances. Why?

What do I do? :/

Thanks guys and nice meeting you

 

[oko]

Hey,

Being 18 myself, I know I can't have a retrospective look on a lifetime of experiences and advice you "do this", or "don't do that". However, I feel that you should first redefine what it means for you to be "sucessful". The sentence "I feel like I have potential to be moderately successful." is either scary or incomplete:
scary if you meant "successful in life". Everyone has the potential to be highly successful: it just depends on the goal you set yourself. Don't let it be the goals society wants you to have.
Incomplete if you meant "successful professionally". In this case, well, you know you're probably not gonna achieve the highest levels of your future professional field...but does it really matter?

Secondly, don't worry about being the only open-minded person in your generation ; that's not true. You're maybe just surronded by common people, or people you think are common because you don't know them well enough.

As for the drugs...I'm not a specialist, and I've taken far less than you've had in your life. But if your feeling is that " Ive wasted too much thought power on petty feel good substances", you should consider seeking help and definitly stopping. Except for hallucinogens, which, used in a controled and responsible manner, can only help you discover your own mind.

P.S: I think that being a psychologist AND a physicist is great. Good luck.

 

[Abelard]

But could I do them both? Ive recently quit all drugs I dont know if I said that. I only smoke marijuana whenever I need to write music, or have mindblowing ideas(I Feel like a genius if I have no tolerance and then smoke), and as far as psychedelics Ill take them whenever I am sure of their quality and know Ill have a good time.

I meant professionally. I need a job where Im not rich to the point where I have everything, but love my job, have basic necisities on my own,a family.. I want true wealth. Not just money. But a decent amount of income would help greatly.

I realize there are open minded people everywhere, and if you call yourself open minded I dont really think you are.. Its kinda like calling yourself an artist, ya know

Thanks for the help though man I appreciate it!

 

[ophiuchus]

"I just cant afford it."

look into grant money. in GA there is this grant called a "Pell Grant". all one has to do to qualify is to fall below a certain income amount (ones parents included in this) and then one can come pretty close to a full ride through school, depending where one ranks.

but that's not the only one, there are literally thousands of grants for random shit. writing left-handed for example. search around a little bit and your problems could be solved.

 

[Mrjelly]

Go to school knowledge is the second best thing you can achieve, learning how to think critically for yourself is number one! Rethink what it means to be successful, if you have a roof over your head, food on the table, and people around you that you enjoy you are a head of the game. If you can find someone to share your life that you love that is a bonus, if you get to do what you love to do that is bliss regardless of the money you end up with!

Find a way to get educated, there are ways to pay for your college. Do not subscribe to the opinions of others even if they are your role models. In the end if they are really good mentors they will encourage you to think for your self, even if they disagree. You will find this in the education system but you have to keep your eyes open.

 

[ophiuchus]

"how can i succeed in life?"

dont stop moving, and don't take no for an answer.

 

[zgoat69]

A college degree will take you far. It has benefited SWIz, and he got his degree AFTER he got out of prison which, by the way, made it harder to get a job. But it has helped emmensely. Knowledge is power no matterf how "behind in life" you think you are.

 

[ophiuchus]

it works for some people, but would not work for me and my life plans... it's not for everyone.

 

[Mrjelly]

You know I had a math teacher in college, I went late in my 20's after driving my life like a stolen car. I was in Trig and arguing over the validity of the formula for the surface area of a cone... long story short... He said something profound! He said that he was not teaching me math he was teaching me how to think (critically and outside of the box). It shut me up and I listened as he explained what my education was about.

Considering that a lot of our knowledge has been proven wrong through time I do not think that learning a current philosophy on any subject holds much value. What education does (if you are lucky to get teachers that teach you to think) is perpetuate our ability to prove the current education wrong in the future. Learning how to think is paramount to progression in this human experiment. Does everyone need to go to college to learn how to think? Probably not but it helps to get a group of people together that discuss topics and expand upon them. It is probably being in an environment that challenges us and being around people who force us to abandon our preconceived notions and consider alternative solutions for seemingly concrete algorithms and equations.

Just thinking out loud

 

[ophiuchus]

word. too many teachers forget just that.

 

[Logetorenk]

i would say work and strong determination is key to success whatever you plan to do let it get completed fully as that will only help you a lot in getting the success in your life

 

[toogoodforyou]

I feel like I have potential to be moderately successful.

If the feeling is there you probably DO have the potential to be moderately successful, besides success is something very personal, it's definition will vary according to the person. Don't get caught in the trap where you're constantly comparing yourself to others as we're conditioned to do so, that will make you miserable no matter what you achieve.

BUT, I had a huge problem with drugs haha, I was addicted to dxm for a good 8 months. Took ADD medicine for two months or so and quit. Went through brief periods of alcoholism. Benzo/opiate addiction.. Lately my problem was synthetic marijuana I smoked it daily and just kicked it a week ago. Too much of a toll those substances.

Now I will only touch marijuana on a not very regular basis(weekend thing), and use psychedelics whenever I am sure of their quality. I am comfortable with this and my life has been relieved of so much stress its redonk. I finally actually remember my dreams again, allowing me to go lucid.. I am going to start meditating, I used to.
Anyways thats my drug information I feel like it will help.

Quit all addictive drugs which have no other benefits than temporary pleasure completely. Use psychedelics in moderation as well, besides once you have expanded your consciousness using psychedelics a few times you needn't do them again and again, instead just integrate those experiences in your day to day life through work, art, meditation. Weed can be pretty addictive psychologically, excess use will de-motivate you in your career and rob you off all your energy. If you want to be a productive member of society you cannot let weed control you, you have to be the master of your mind. I know quite a few people who are lacking in their careers cause of excess weed usage, I know a few weed users who are extremely successful as well and the successful ones are not abusing it. Do not make weed or any psychedelic the main goal of your life, they are just the icing on this cake of life, meant to be used rarely.

Now I want to be either a psychologist or a physicist.. Is it possible to do both? I would love going to school for those so I feel like thatll be no problem. I just cant afford it. Im going to end up having to go to community college. Is there a chance I could do that and then go to a university? I NEED to change my life around... Ive wasted too much thought power on petty feel good substances. Why?

Choose one career and stick with it sincerely for a while at least, a wavering mind will not help you achieve much in life. Take a loan and go to a regular college, not only will you have better chances for a career but you'll LOVE the college experience if you do it right.

See, you know you've wasted a lot of time in a haze of drugs, and you're waking up now, on the way to achieving your goals your mind will doubt, fear and even hate on the new goal. Your job is to stick with it and not fall back to your old ways, this will take a lot of discipline as its very easy to fall back into old habits. Discipline yourself with exercise, work, meditation, yoga and reading/studying.

Everything I mentioned is easier said than done and it takes immense effort to actually put it into practice, I've experienced this first hand. I graduated from a top college for under graduation in my country and passed out with decent grades, after which I joined another top college where my life collapsed after an affair and breakup with my fiancé. All this let to me getting into a lifestyle of weed abuse, from which I've recovered and have been getting back on my feet since the last 2 years. Finally I feel my life is entering into a positive phase after waiting for all this while

In the end you have to surrender to life and let life do its own thing, remember it's about enjoying the journey not just getting to the desired place. Hope my post helps you, Good luck!!

 

[Mrboxey]

How to succeed in this life...

Here's a really simple way.. Well it isn't really simple, but it's worked for me, and is pretty much the best way to go.

1. Be true to yourself - don't compromise your values or your value systems even if you feel it might get you ahead more quickly
2. Treat others how you would wish to be treated
3. DON'T JUDGE - Don't be judgmental, or jump to conclusions on something too quickly, you might miss a really good opportunity because you scoffed it off
4. Don't take yourself too seriously - you need to realize to enjoy life, without always constantly worrying about where you are, or where you're going.. Life has a way of moving you to where you need to be.
5. Have Goals - Have goals, but remember that things can and do change all the time, so be prepared to adjust your goals accordingly.. Remember if one door closes, two more doors open up.
6. Don't get discouraged - success does not happen overnight, be prepared to sit "spinning your wheels" for a little bit here and there, and don't become too downhearted when it happens.
7. Wake up every morning and think about what you are happy and thankful for and spend a good 5 minutes doing just that.
8. Always stay POSITIVE - this is the hardest step, but if you can do this, you will be successful

I like this creed:

I will keep my thoughts positive because my thoughts become my words,
I will keep my words positive because my words become my actions,
I will keep my actions positive because my actions become my values
I will keep my values positive because my values become my destiny.

 

[SamRivenbark]

For succeeding in life, there has to be few things. Confidence, destination towards goal, education and moral support are really important to become something in life. And of course always be positive in any situation.

 

[pitachok]

A college degree will take you far. It has benefited SWIz, and he got his degree AFTER he got out of prison which, by the way, made it harder to get a job. But it has helped emmensely. Knowledge is power no matterf how "behind in life" you think you are.

knowledge is key

 

[taper99]

I meant professionally. I need a job where Im not rich to the point where I have everything, but love my job, have basic necisities on my own,a family.. I want true wealth. Not just money. But a decent amount of income would help greatly.