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I think yours is less a problem of how to keep up with the joneses and more a problem of realistically evaluating your circumstances and expectations. Whoever

I think yours is less a problem of how to keep up with the joneses and more a problem of realistically evaluating your circumstances and expectations. Whoever is telling you that you aren’t good enough is trying to pull something over on you at this point. It works well on people that can never be satisfied.

laidoffamazon 3y ago
I think the people that told me that aren't good enough are the admissions committees of the 2 elite schools I applied to that rejected me (I only applied to 4 schools in total). They've already decided that I have no "merit".
- sixstringtheory 3y ago
  Hardly a solid basis for self-worth. Revenge is living well, you need to get some perspective to realize you already are. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or habitat for humanity, and don’t forget to actually talk to the people who work those jobs full time and the people they are serving.
- MichaelZuo 3y ago
  To put it in another way, if you genuinely expect to be one of the world's major decision makers, wealthiest, etc., then yes there's close to zero prospects, given the stated background and age. But if your expectation is to have a happy life, a nice house in a decent neighbourhood, etc., then there's no reason to listen to them and self-flagellate.
  - laidoffamazon 3y ago
    Yeah, but it’s still within the realm of possibility for anyone that got into Penn or Brown or Columbia or Princeton or MIT because they are just inherently better. For the record I doubt I can have a happy life or a house in a decent neighborhood too.
    - sixstringtheory 3y ago
      > I doubt I can have a happy life or a house in a decent neighborhood too This is a pretty common worry for most people. It’s not Harvard’s responsibility to ameliorate it for every one of them.
    - pseudalopex 3y ago
      Your income at 27 exceeds 98% of Americans. A house in a decent neighborhood is within reach easily. A happy life also if you find perspective.
    - MichaelZuo 3y ago
      > Yeah, but it’s still within the realm of possibility for anyone that got into Penn or Brown or Columbia or Princeton or MIT because they are just inherently better. Not really, even the 50th percentile Harvard Law graduate, let alone Ivy league undergrads, has minimal chance of being a big shot in the world. Sure, it's many times more then someone from Iowa State, statistically, but that's idle fantasizing either way. They're a lot closer to any random office worker then supermen destined for the royal road. If, after some reflection, your still worked up about not enjoying a few tenths of a percentage chance instead of a few hundredths or thousandths, then you can always seek solace in religion/meditation/etc.

laidoffamazon 3y ago

I think the people that told me that aren't good enough are the admissions committees of the 2 elite schools I applied to that rejected me (I only applied to 4 schools in total). They've already decided that I have no "merit".

sixstringtheory 3y ago
Hardly a solid basis for self-worth. Revenge is living well, you need to get some perspective to realize you already are. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or habitat for humanity, and don’t forget to actually talk to the people who work those jobs full time and the people they are serving.
MichaelZuo 3y ago
To put it in another way, if you genuinely expect to be one of the world's major decision makers, wealthiest, etc., then yes there's close to zero prospects, given the stated background and age. But if your expectation is to have a happy life, a nice house in a decent neighbourhood, etc., then there's no reason to listen to them and self-flagellate.
- laidoffamazon 3y ago
  Yeah, but it’s still within the realm of possibility for anyone that got into Penn or Brown or Columbia or Princeton or MIT because they are just inherently better. For the record I doubt I can have a happy life or a house in a decent neighborhood too.
  - sixstringtheory 3y ago
    > I doubt I can have a happy life or a house in a decent neighborhood too This is a pretty common worry for most people. It’s not Harvard’s responsibility to ameliorate it for every one of them.
  - pseudalopex 3y ago
    Your income at 27 exceeds 98% of Americans. A house in a decent neighborhood is within reach easily. A happy life also if you find perspective.
  - MichaelZuo 3y ago
    > Yeah, but it’s still within the realm of possibility for anyone that got into Penn or Brown or Columbia or Princeton or MIT because they are just inherently better. Not really, even the 50th percentile Harvard Law graduate, let alone Ivy league undergrads, has minimal chance of being a big shot in the world. Sure, it's many times more then someone from Iowa State, statistically, but that's idle fantasizing either way. They're a lot closer to any random office worker then supermen destined for the royal road. If, after some reflection, your still worked up about not enjoying a few tenths of a percentage chance instead of a few hundredths or thousandths, then you can always seek solace in religion/meditation/etc.