posted on Feb, 4 2017 @ 03:53 AM
I know the feeling, I remember it when I was young.
Funny, later, I realized I had lots of desires, passions and interests, that I just hadn't been ....connecting to when I was young.
I didn't know what I wanted exactly, nothing got my motor going. I actually had trouble thinking only of myself and my desires. Becoming a parent got
me going - it gave me something to act for. I came to the conclusion I just was not wired to be totally self centered ... I need to be including
others happiness or well being too, in order to act with any gusto.
Having been raised in an era where the popular thought was letting kids grow without having expectations projected upon them, so that they "follow
their own individual dreams",
I came to the conclusion that having your parents or caretakers direct and mold you when young might not be such a bad thing - the parent who projects
their own unfulfilled dreams upon you gives at least that "other person" to think about and motivate you. It also provides a template on how to go
about achieving and building something of yourself.
Then it provides a mold to break out of and revolt against too, like a cocoon, when that is approprate.
Sometimes you start out finding what you want by determining what you don't want.
After I experienced living and acting for others (as a parent and spouse) I then found myself able to be self centered and suddenly in touch with my
very own passions and desires, that were just barely under the surface before.
But I suspect that being a young adult, it is maybe wired into us to be more motivated by acting for others than ourself. It is when our bodies are
best suited to procreating, doing physical work, and being a potential physical force for our community and our society.
Some people get through stage by giving up on trying to find their goals, and instead focusing on service to others - do volunteer work in a poor
country or something. Sometimes changing your focus for a while, has the effect of bringing what you were looking for better in view.