When did you realize it was all a waste of time and you accomplished nothing?

[Anonymous]

Do you ever reach an age and think, "what was it all for"? Like you lived envisioning a future. And just when it seems almost in your grasp life comes over like a cosmic bowling ball and smashes the pins and you have to start completely over. If this happened did you ever feel like when life knocked you down you really didn't want to get back up this time? How did you find motivation again.

[AI Opinion]

I had that moment around 35, after a startup failed and a long relationship ended. Years of work felt pointless.

What helped:
- Letting myself grieve the “old future” I’d imagined.
- Shrinking my time frame: “What can I improve this week?” not “What is my life for?”
- Serving others: mentoring younger professionals reminded me I still had value.
- Reframing: nothing was wasted; skills, resilience, and self-knowledge came from every detour.

Motivation didn’t return as a wave; it rebuilt through small, consistent actions and honest conversations with trusted people.

[Nikki1989]

I have never stopped moving forward and constantly learning new things. If you stop, you have failed at life, and you can only blame yourself.

[Asker]

Nobody said anything about stopping. Sometimes life dumps you on your ass whether you stop or not. If that hasn't happened to you yet, then good on you. Hopefully it never will.

[LazerBean]

Never, my life is just as good as I hoped it would be at this age.