Do you feel ashamed of your lack of achievements? What do you regret in life?

Soldato
Joined
6 Oct 2004
Posts
18,766
Location
Birmingham
Sitting (standing) here, contemplating life whilst cooking dinner, thinking about what I've achieved in life, but I guess more what I could have achieved. Chances missed and opportunities never taken.

Having just ticked over the big four-zero I guess this is more a thread for some of the older members on here, and a chance to give some sage words of advice to the young whippersnappers who think they know everything (they'll ignore the advice, I know I did when I were a lad). Feel free to tell the old man to shut up :p

I guess I've not done too badly, I have a decent job I enjoy, 2 wonderful kids, partner who (sometimes) loves me, but I look at my brothers and i'm definitely the failure in the family.

I come from a very musical family, my mum can play... I don't even know how many instruments, one of my brothers is in a band - by no means big, probably nobody on here has heard of them, but they are bloody good, played several big festivals (recently supported Leprous), also does his own psychedelic/electro project where he's also played a few festivals, and for a job does some crazy cutting edge cardiology research I couldn't even begin to get my head around, the other can pick up a guitar and play songs by ear, works in R&D for a company I can't name but you've probably all heard of, also worked in the team which designed a product at least a few members on here have at home.

Meanwhile I work for a ****** SME which nobody outside the industry will have heard of, can't play an instrument to save my life (trying to learn but **** me at 40 with 2 kids it's hard work - if I can even find the time :cry:).

Anyway, I guess just a slightly contemplative & tipsy rant.

Regrets?

If you ever have the opportunity, learn an instrument.

Same goes for a foreign language. Yeah it may seem a laugh and waste of time subject when you are 15, but 20 years later it might open some doors to you...

#midlifecrisis
 
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Speaks 3 languages.
Photographed weddings in some amazing places, including St Paul’s Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Amalfi Coast, on a boat off the coast of France, by a Loch in Scotland, amongst others.
Built a couple of houses when I did Architecture, hopefully will be here longer than me.

No family yet though but seeing someone serious at the moment so who knows. But ultimately I think achievements or job titles are meaningless, what’s more important is to be kind, and be happy. There are lots of very influential people in history that are miserable and died alone.
 
Speaks 3 languages.
Photographed weddings in some amazing places, including St Paul’s Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Amalfi Coast, on a boat off the coast of France, by a Loch in Scotland, amongst others.
Built a couple of houses when I did Architecture, hopefully will be here longer than me.

No family yet though but seeing someone serious at the moment so who knows. But ultimately I think achievements or job titles are meaningless, what’s more important is to be kind, and be happy. There are lots of very influential people in history that are miserable and died alone.

Yes, wise words, I think most of it is coming from a position of a change of priorities/values as I've gotten older.
 
I don't really have any regrets, most things I would have wanted differently are due to force of circumstance, etc. rather than something I could go back and do differently.

One thing I would change is having initially pursued a career in IT and found I don't enjoy it as a job and ruins something I enjoy as a hobby, and spent the time instead going into something I was good at which I would have enjoyed as a job.
 
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