lost and confused
how to start making progress in life
What the fuck is the point of all this?
Seriously. You’re here, on this massive rock, existing.
A blink in time. A moment in history. Insignificant.
Stuck. Lost. Wanting more.
Stuck between where you are and where you want to be.
You feel it. The frustration, the stagnation. You want to move forward, but you’re not sure how.
Maybe you’ve hit “success” and still feel empty. Maybe you’re still searching for direction. You want to move forward but have no idea how.
Have you ever wanted something so badly, only to get it and instantly chase the next thing? Yeah, me too.
Ive been thinking… maybe that’s the point, not just with ~stuff~ but with ourselves. Maybe it’s not about achieving any one thing, or any one moment, but about growth, evolution, and progress.
Maybe the goal is to keep growing, to keep learning, to keep progressing, to keep loving. Maybe it’s about constantly evolving our relationships, health, and hobbies.
In my experience, it seems like the moment we stop “growing,” we stop (truly) living.
❝
“Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.”
— Unknown
This quote hits home. Not just because I'm 25 but because I find myself wondering when the hell I lost my spark? I’d gamble you feel the same. When you’re 9, every day is a new quest, an adventure.
Growing up, you are exposed to so much. You are constantly growing, literally and figuratively.
Your mind, knowledge, skills, and abilities evolve rapidly. You aren't sad or stressed, you aren't lost or confused, you’re just leveling up.
You go to school and learn, you make tons of new friends (and lose them). You play sports or instruments, you read, you try new things, you do whatever the hell your little heart desires.
Where did that go?
Somewhere around college you put yourself in a box (or society does).
At 18, you choose your career. But not just that — you settle into hobbies, friends, a city. Comfort takes over.
Why explore? Why change? It’s eeeeassssyyy.
If that doesn't kill dreams, I'm not sure what does.
You think you’re lost now?
You were always lost.
At 12, you felt the same, but you weren’t stressed about it… Why?
Because you were actively trying to figure it out.
Anxiety is quieted with action.
Big test coming up? That worry disappears when you start studying right?
You’re not lost because you should have it all figured out — you’re lost because you stopped looking for it.
This idea that your going to work the same job, with the same people, and the same hobbies forever is smashing your skull. It's mind numbing.
You need to be building something. You need to be making progress in something that matters to you — growing, learning, evolving.
Without it, life becomes repetitive, predictable, and ultimately unsatisfying.
I know you want to start making progress. You want to feel like you’re moving forward.
Progress fuels motivation. When you’re improving, you’re happier.
Complacency fuels regret. So ask yourself, are you living, or just existing?
Imagine waking up 30 years from now and nothing has changed. Seriously. How’s that feel?
❝
"If you do not change, you may end up where you are going"
— Lao Tzu
I felt that way not too long ago — stuck in my health, my relationships, my career.
That mindset is a slow death.
If I had kept going, I’d be out of shape, stuck in a job I hated, and disconnected from the people I love.
If you want to make progress, you need to be building something — working toward something — or your mind will chew itself into 10 billion pieces.
“BuT I DoN’t kNoW wHaT tO wOrK oN!”
Then start with yourself.
Physical health
Mental health
Relationships
Career
Here comes the cliche answer to your problems…
Before anything else, start with regular exercise. If you feel lost, this is the first step.
Exercise is the key to regaining control of your life. It’s not just about bigger biceps — it’s about building discipline and creating results.
You lack confidence and don't feel capable of handling obstacles.
The reason you feel like you aren’t making progress is simple: you aren’t. You don’t feel like you’re in the driver’s seat. You haven’t seen yourself create an outcome in years, and you don’t believe that when you act, something will follow… so you do nothing.
Right now, you feel like a loser—and, honestly, you probably are. But once you start winning, that changes. I promise, you’re a winner — you just don’t believe it yet.
Exercise teaches you that you can take action and that you can create outcomes. It’s the first step toward changing everything.
From “The Five Types of Wealth,”
“Suddenly that all changed. I had a mindset that the entire world was open to me. I proved that I could press a button with my actions and create change in my world, and if I could do that with my health, I could do that anywhere.”
— Sahil Bloom
Gurus (me) aren’t telling you that exercise will change your life for no reason. We’re saying it because we’ve experienced it ourselves.
When I started exercising regularly, I experienced exactly what Sahil Bloom mentions above. I finally started to feel like I was in control. Once that happened, it leaked into every other area of my life. Before I knew it, I was tackling problems I never thought possible.
The added bonus? I found myself in great shape, robust health, and with a new life long hobby.
30 straight days. That’s the goal.
Just do something. Anything. Whatever you want. Whatever you like. Make it excruciatingly easy.
Drive to the gym and stay there for 1 minute.
Do 1 pushup every morning.
Play pickleball.
Run.
A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
“I don’t have time”
Yes you fucking do.
You’re awake for ~17 hours a day (119 hours per week)
30 minutes per day (3.5 hours per week)
That is actually 2% of all your waking time in the week.
Stop lying to yourself and do the work that will make you feel and look better.
You already know this is the answer so what’s stopping you?
Defeat yourself. Sign the contract. Stop negotiating and go change your life.
The only person who’s coming to save you is yourself.
(If you already exercise regularly, sorry, limiting video games was step 2 for me)
Thanks for reading.
-Dante