Afraid I will FAIL at life!!

[InaDaze87]

This is a big deal for me. Setting a life goal and completely missing it scares the crap out of me. I am a 23 yr old male majoring in Clinical Exercise Physiology who plans on graduating this coming May and hopefully getting into someone's Physical Therapy program with in the next year or two.

 

Sounds like a good enough plan right? Yeah, I mean many would consider me as someone who is doing good for himself and will probably "successful" in the next 10 years. The problem is what does that word really mean? Is it being someone who make 80 to 100 grand a year from a great career? Is it being married with a family by the time your 35? Is it being the best person you can be and helping others?

 

I just feel super unaccomplished at this point in my life because none of those things seem certain to me or even within my grasp. I can't help but fear failure like I won't meet any of those goal or milestones in my life. I mean..yeah I'm about to graduate from college in the next few months given everything goes well and I pass the few classes I have left (which seem to be the only thing in my path right now that won't just move), but big deal! There are tons of people who graduate from college every year. I just feel like I'm missing out on something that's bigger than what I have going on at the moment.

 

I look at some of my friends/peers and it just looks like they have it all together at this point in their life. They are so sure about everything and everything seems so convenient for them, within their grasp. Example(s), one friend walks on to an SEC program football team, earned a starting position, is a Chemical Engineering major with a 2.8 GPA, and is graduating this DECEMBER and also plans to enter the NFL draft!! Another friend super smart guy, Computer Science major top of his class, graduates in MAY, gets job offers from the likes of "the" NASA, C.I.A, etc. I even have the on friend who is a complete Frat boy, party animal, that seemingly does nothing but make a freaking 1190 on the GRE for Physical Therapy school to get it. And to top all this off the girl I'm considering maybe marrying, if we can get everything right, is in law school right now as I'm writing this. I know....FREAKING AWESOME these people are!! And these are just a few people I know. Some others even know exactly what they wanted to be in life, grew up and it seems to just fall out of the heavens into their laps on their first attempt..that is if they even had to attempt.

 

I mean give me some words of wisdom, encouragement, or something...At least a freaking break!! I have to know if I'm the only person out there that feels like this. I feel like I'm destined for greatness; not to be famous or some huge star, but to be a great person, husband, father, career person or whatever. I'm just afraid, even terrified I won't make it to be those things and completely fail at life.

[shes2smart]

He who dies with the most toys still dies.

 

First, take a deep breath. You are putting far, far too much pressure on yourself....and perhaps allowing too many outside influences to put pressure on you as well.

 

What we assume about other people from being outside observers is often not the truth. It is my firm belief that most people put put on a brave/happy face for public consumption when they feel anything but. We just don't tend to go around with our fears and guts exposed.....for some good and valid reasons and also for some not-so-good and not-terribly-healthy reasons.

 

What I'm not seeing in your post is any indication that you're enjoying what you're doing or planning to do....you're just looking to measure it and see that you're at or above some certain level you imagine you need to be at.

 

What do YOU think "success" is?

 

Oh, here's another little secret - at some time, in some situations, everyone feels inadequate or like a complete (bleep)-up. Everyone.

[InaDaze87]

I am actually happy with what I'm doing or what i have planned to do. I am currently in the middle of a internship at a physical therapy clinic and I really love everything about it. I even enjoy the classes I take that pertain to the field. I also think success is a combination of all the things I mentioned above, not just the career aspect. I guess it's more an issue of me being afraid I won't meet these standards I have set for myself.