IgnoredOne
Well-known member
Its interesting to return sometimes to where I have passed through before. Its interesting to see, for example, how evanescence has gone from needing help with confidence intervals for statistics to a moderator of the forums. Way to go!
I'm no longer lonely, depressed or all together that shy - I dislike the term of the word 'happiness', but I am quite a bit more positive about life and have everything that I once sought. My obstacles are different, and sometimes daunting in its own way: seeking to change the world for the better, trying to advance my knowledge in a substantial way, and continuing to improve myself.
I have this that I would have given in advice to my younger self, if I was to speak to him now. Perhaps you might find it useful as well.
More than anything else, I would have told myself to be brave and to take joy even in defeats. For it is far better to have attempted a great thing than never to have attempted it at all; and life is to be lived in honor, not shame.
I hope these words may prove of some aid to you as well. No one deserves to be unhappy, not if they have a good heart and good intentions. I hope that you, too, also find your peace and discover joy in living, rather than despair.
Sincerely,
No Longer Ignored
I'm no longer lonely, depressed or all together that shy - I dislike the term of the word 'happiness', but I am quite a bit more positive about life and have everything that I once sought. My obstacles are different, and sometimes daunting in its own way: seeking to change the world for the better, trying to advance my knowledge in a substantial way, and continuing to improve myself.
I have this that I would have given in advice to my younger self, if I was to speak to him now. Perhaps you might find it useful as well.
- Be courageous. Courage isn't something that only soldiers need; it is something that any of us require, dealing with daily life. There is fear in everything - in meeting new people, in failure, in ourselves; the best that can be said is to be brave. Brave, but not stupid. Learn from your mistakes and and move on; forgive yourself and focus on improvement, not on berating yourself.
- Learn. There is saying in the British SAS: knowledge dispels fear. If confronting fear is to be understood as such an important part of progress, then so too is learning. Learn as widely and are much as you can, and then try to apply the knowledge. Try to see what works and what doesn't, and you'll find a path that'll work for you.
- Try not to be as inwardly focused and base all belief on yourself. Deep down inside, my depression always had a strong component of "well, I am just fine and correct except for some unchangeable part of myself, so now I'll bemoan it." Its was an intellectual cowardiance to believe that I had already explored all possible options, because I hadn't. Once I stopped thinking so much about how /I/ thought the world /should/ work, and began to observe how others explored and understood the world, without judging, I began to slip into a new role and mold my fortunes accordingly.
More than anything else, I would have told myself to be brave and to take joy even in defeats. For it is far better to have attempted a great thing than never to have attempted it at all; and life is to be lived in honor, not shame.
I hope these words may prove of some aid to you as well. No one deserves to be unhappy, not if they have a good heart and good intentions. I hope that you, too, also find your peace and discover joy in living, rather than despair.
Sincerely,
No Longer Ignored
