M4NTiC0R3X

I hear you say I can’t and I hear impatience and doubt. You CAN!! I understand being a doctor can soak up a ton of hours but seriously... why not both? Obviously one after the other. I’m a pro dog trainer, 7 days a week.. 8+ hours and walk 16+ miles per day. I’m also taking courses to become a licensed therapist. I hope to be able to bring the two together. I can train dogs for obedience, hunting, therapy AND be a therapist! I guess your choices don’t mix so well but my point stands. Also I am (or was, just rusty)... okay I should say I have potential as an artist and musician. These are all things I want to explore! The latter two more as just hobbies/fun. I suppose as you get older you will find you certainly can do all of the above and then see what sticks. ? edit: It’s about life fulfillment. For me, I get to be outside all day, mostly alone other than the dogs. Traveling, blue skies, rain or snow, mountains, the field the birds and flowers. Teaching dogs to hunt really brings a lot of joy and gives a sense of.. well I’m not sure the word but hunting with dogs has been around since basically forevers! The bond is such an amazing experience. At the same time, I’ve always been exceptional at getting inside other people and inspiring them if they’re open to it so I also want to pursue being a therapist.. I too want to help others it was my first career choice that I opted to put on the back burner at your age. Soon I can do both and IMO dogs and therapy go together very very well. Once I’ve created enough capital to build my own boarding/training facility that can run with less of my attention I can then put even more effort into helping/inspiring people. Anyway getting off on a ramble here, just thought I’d share my story and hope you can relate your passions to what I said. Take care and best of luck!

Personally I am my best friend. I live in my head unless I feel comfortable with another person, then I can’t shut up! Even then my social capabilities are random, limited and easily exhausted. Don’t worry about what other people think. A lot of times if people go out of their way to do something or go somewhere they normally would not good stuff happens (unless you shortcut the dark alley way.. don’t do that!!) like you meet a really great person ? I got a really nice card from a great gal I met not long ago: Sometimes saying here goes nothing is the start of everything! Seriously, drop your fear and step outside your limits.. you may be totally surprised at the outcome. Have fun!!

Late to the game here but I didn’t see anyone else mention it, maybe skimmed past. Others have said great things but I thought I could add: First things first, understand your parents are pushing you to be the best you can be. To take the initiative and make your life/goals a reality. To accomplish and succeed. With that said collect your true thoughts. Think of what’s important to you! Communicate that with them although I know how difficult that can be. Be nothing other than assertive. Secondly: don’t be immature and don’t make the mistake many many others have made. Don’t let the pressure eat you up, don’t let these moments define the relationship. Understand where they are coming from, forgive and shrug it off. You be you and it’ll all work out in time. Story: one of my best friends growing up had extremely competitive parents. Poor kids life was all about sports/academics/extra curricular activities.. being the best!!!! Y’know what? Though he is extremely talented physically and mentally he grew up to dress like a punk rocker and became a highly successful tattoo artist (one of the best IMO). He and his parents had a fallout but have since come to terms

If you have been an addict then it will take gobs of discipline to be able to still do it but not abuse it. I know from personal experience and yes there are times when absolutely never again is the right choice (looking at you hard drugs). I know several people including myself who can still have a drink and call it good at that. There are two points in drinking that matter, the first drink or two and somewhere after 15, LOL! If your addiction is controlling your life then it’s time to take a break! Balance is difficult but not impossible. If you like your addiction then don’t cut it off unless it’s completely necessary. You want to take a Sunday and play games all day? Do it, just don’t do it every single week or risk neglecting other aspects. Wanna get stoned? Go camping and take a doobie snack, laugh it up or meditate!! Setup guys night and get wasted with your pals, moderation is key here and being safe! Also being around people who respect you Awesome post btw Joseph, my younger self could not have described it better. edit: a question to ask yourself is why are you fulfilling this addiction? If you can answer that: say boredom for an easy answer.. then you need to get un bored in a different way.

Haha tons of dirty posts here, my two cents.. The first thing I did was build meaningful and respectful relationships with myself/others. There’s a hell of a lot more to sex than simply getting off (though that’s good too!!) Which takes me to the second thing I did, use my brain! Get all sensual. Turn that moment into exactly what I wanted it to be. I get it... porn does the thinking for you. Seriously though and I’m not trying to be mean when I say it: get in touch with what you really want. It’s a hard topic LOL! See what I did there? Not everybody is into the same things. Honest advice: find what you’re looking for and do your best to make it happen. Either that or spend the rest of your life skipping to the good bits and finishing in less than 5 min. Which is perfectly okay as well, just not for me.

Hey Tom! Although I can’t give direct points to the entire post there are things that come to mind after reading: a.) A lot of little steps eventually equal a big step in the right direction. b.) The best way to give a gift is without the other person (or persons in this case) knowing. Start small.. with your family and/or friends/co-workers. Work your way up to the community. Also remember people value a person who talks/projects less. It is fantastic that you want to help better humanity but you will have way more impact by not forcing your beliefs IMO. As far as actualizing everyone.. start by being observant of those around you. Not like a, “I need to get everybody on my side!” way of going about it. Some people will be receptive to living healthy/happy/peacefully/respectfully and others will be toxic and stay that way. Like Key Elements said, not everybody is on the same page. Create a network of like minded people and project a sense of safety. Anyway lol, don’t stress too hard on the big picture, focus on a lot of little ones first