I missed some pretty big opportunities like co-founding a startup that went on to go public or joining a prestigious research lab at a FAANG. I was beating myse

I missed some pretty big opportunities like co-founding a startup that went on to go public or joining a prestigious research lab at a FAANG. I was beating myself up about that pretty badly for a while, but then I realized I still have a shot at doing something great and by missing these opportunities, other great stuff happened in my life. The grass is always greener on the other side, so one often romanticizes forgone opportunities because they represent an ideal world where you see only the upsides but not the downsides. So my advice is to keep looking for your upsides and don't over-idolize what could have been. And try to seek happiness and balance in what you do, in my experience these negative thoughts often came when I felt downtrodden and unbalanced, never when I had a good routine going and was feeling productive. Another thing: If you feel stressed out by seeing other people succeed and thinking "why not me?" just stay away from social media (including HN) for a while, being constantly bombarded by awesome success stories can have a really detrimental effect if you're struggling with your life already.