Comments on: Man to Man Episode #6: Why Haven’t I Accomplished More?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:02:44 +0000

Brett, good comments–particularly wrt the “low hanging fruit” that science of prior centuries was able to pluck. I mean, c’mon, gravity? I’m sure it seemed so hard back then… The statistic on the age of Nobel prize winners was a great fact for backing this up, too. One comment that I would make: a lot of scientific discoveries are just being able to see past the obvious. (Newton and his apple, for example, speaking of low hanging fruit…) You hear a lot of people say, “I could’ve thought of that.” Yeah. Maybe. But you didn’t think of it. I think if you want to accomplish great things, you’ve got to be able to pluck the simple out of the complex. I think for Newton and that crowd, they were able to pluck the simple out of the hazy depths of what wasn’t well understood. Gravity, bacteria, atomic structure: these discoveries all place structure on the universe. Now, we’re just expanding on that understanding.

Also, your comments about comparing your accomplishments to others were spot on. Think about it. In five more years, you’re going to be standing up against Jesus, who (according to some of us) had died to save the world. Who needs that!? What I find useful for comparison are people I know who exhibit character qualities that I’d like to develop in my life. There’s only a few people (I could pick more, but I keep it simple) and the character qualities are very specific.

As for Sebastian: I wouldn’t worry about what I’ve accomplished. I simple try and live the best life that I can right now. If history has something to judge, cool. But don’t pass up the chance to touch the life of someone around you right now in favor of “bigger” accomplishments later.

By: Rick Ackerman

Rick Ackerman — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:21:14 +0000

Greetings Sebastian! Your question is a good one, it goes to the core of what life it about. Gaining wide renown is heady business…the little I made turned me into an arrogant bore, but if you have the kind of talent to add to the world’s knowledge, then you were intended to go for it. Some of these kinds of contributions last awhile, a few are remembered a very long time, most are forgotten quickly.

What about people as a work, an avocation? There is wide spread belief that there is another life after this one, and good reasons to think it’s true; people might be forever. I do all I can to ease the way for my spouse, and sometimes we take in teens awhile whose own parents reject. Boy Scouting has given me many opportunities to make a lasting contribution to many boys of 11-18 years old. As one old Scoutmaster said long ago: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.” -Forrest Whitcraft

From Rick Ackerman… having a great time camping, pulling pranks, and weaving into the heads of goofy boys ideas like: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean & Reverent. After only 12 years, the fruit is starting to show, and funny thing happened, I’m a better man than I was before, and more satisfied with my life.

By: AKeeler

AKeeler — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:47:36 +0000

I’m 20 now and studying physics and philosophy in college. I’ve come to think that there are a couple reasons for why it seems that people don’t accomplish so much at a young age. First is that there is so much more material to learn in any given field, and the related difficulty of having to push further to find any unexplored ground. Once Newton formulated his laws of motion, or Kant (though to be fair, he was a pretty late bloomer himself) articulates the concept of an active intellect, then that ground is covered, and you have to push even further to find something truly novel. Perhaps there’s also some hubris as well that thinks “we already know it all, there’s really nothing new to discover,” but the other thing is that people were expected to “grow up” at a much younger age then than they are now. Instead of being a college kid who’s just starting to learn about the “real world,” these guys were already working a trade for several years, probably married, and just generally had more exposure to their field than we have by the same age. It’s really like comparing apples to oranges.

By: Randy Mc

Randy Mc — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:29:58 +0000

Im one of those who constantly is thinking like Sebastian. At 30 im working on my second degree and about to start a family. The question of the “meter stick of accomplisment” has been on my mind for a few years now so I started to look at the difference between the prior generations and our current one. One of the observations I’ve made is that if we are not careful our time gets sucked away from us as opposed to us choosing to spend our time on something. TV and the internet are the biggest adversary to a person who wishes to accomplish much. They keep our minds busy so we think we are doing a lot but in fact its just wasting time. One of the smartest decisions I have ever made was getting rid of my cable. The time once spent flipping through the channels is now spent doing something productive. I’ve yet to cut back on the internet (as you can well see) but I think this is my primary step to becoming more productive.

I hope this helps

R Mc

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:45:32 +0000

I don’t necessarily buy the theory that we now need more time to acquire the base knowledge necessary to make major contributions. It assumes all great ideas are organically related.

I think it’s more about expectations — the INCREASING expectation of young people that society will provide for them and the DIMINISHING expectation older generations have on younger ones. We’ve built a cushy society for ourselves where adolescence can extend way beyond what nature intended.

By: Giablo

Giablo — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:57:12 +0000

Dear young friend

Here’s my 2 cents. Being 35 I find myself looking back and wondering wtf I did with those 35 years and not being thrilled with the answer. Here’s what I discovered from looking back:

1. Don’t measure yourself by other people’s standards. Measure yourself by your own standards. Just because the slacker friend of yours cruises through life doesn’t mean you should. Just because the smart hard working friend of yours has a 4.0 GPA doesnt mean you need that.

Looking at what other people achieved and trying to emulate that is a treadmill – you will never find an end to it and will never be fulfilled. Or even worse – if you’re in a group of people that are constantly p’d off and depressed – you’ll inherit their outlook if you’re not answering to yourself.

Ask yourself when you start something – be it an assignment, a career etc – what completion criteria would make YOU proud at the end of it, and meet those criteria. When you answer to yourself, you will be as solid as a rock mentally and spiritually, and you will inspire others around you to greatness.

Use the examples here of what others achieved at your age to inspire you, but don’t let it push you in the wrong direction for the sole purpose of ‘achievement’.

2. Fear of Failure. Learn to love failure because that is the way you learn new things. If you never fall down while learning to ride a bicycle you will always be frozen with the fear of falling, and won’t be able to enjoy the ride or go faster. Fear of failure keeps you in your comfort zone and will severely retard your growth in any area.

Deal with the fear by letting go of attachment to the outcome, and focus on the growth you get from the effort.

“The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.” – John Ruskin

Hope that helps.

By: Vince

Vince — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:48:40 +0000

Sebastian, I am also 21 and just today I was thinking the same thing.

I was sitting in a lecture and the admissions co-ordinator was detailing the achievements of some of the new students who she has admitted, from the academic to sporting fields and everything in between.

As I sat there I thought to myself, Jesus Christ, when I was in highschool all I was interested in was dealing drugs and fighting with the rivals, and I felt quite inadequate sitting in a room full of high achieving academics.

Then I thought of all the things I had achieved in the mean time, I completed an Arts degree with a double major and a distinction average, and am now completeting a Law degree with just as much success.

Now with respect to those others, perhaps I haven’t won as many awards as they have academically, but I sure as hell have had a hell of a life in the meantime, I’ve seen and done things that they could only dream about, or have only ever seen in movies, but at some point I decided to turn my life around, and now we are in exactly the same position.

My time to be remembered hasn’t yet come, and I’m sure yours hasnt yet either. Complete your degree, persue your career, secure your personal life, and be forever improving yourself as a man, and i promise you your success will follow.

Most importantly remember, you are not your idols, you may follow them so far as their ethos is concerned, but you are not and can never be them. You are your own man, and if you follow your own life’s path you shall be remembered as such, if in fact that is your wish.

By: BK

BK — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:36:26 +0000

I think most young men think this way, they wonder when their dare to be great moment will come along. I thought the same thing when I was in my twenties and now that I’m in my forties I still wonder when or if that moment will come along, but I am also content in the life I lead and won’t be too upset if that time never comes along. You have to remember you are really just starting your productive life and you have another 50-70 years to do something. As other people have already said, quit comparing yourself to other people, everyone progresses at their own rate so just because your friends are professionals, have nice cars and are getting married doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong, it just means it just not your time.

Finally, try judging your self by the good you have done and the lives you have made better, you will be happier in the long run.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:52:45 +0000

There is an ancient riddle that goes like this—Q. what walks on four legs in the morning, two at mid-day and three in the evening? A. Man, he crawls as a child, walks in his youth and hobbles with a cane as an old man.
This riddle has an alternate answer…Man! As a student, you crawl around on all fours (I’m talking metaphorically here, not about last Friday night!) slurping up raw data. As an adult, you take off running into the world on your own two legs, making waves, changing the system, discovering new isotopes of Helium, whatever, and start turning that data into useful knowledge. As a mature man, you can stroll contentedly with your walking stick (or an umbrella, your choice) looking back at the wisdom you have gained and continue to make contributions to society—fewer contributions perhaps than in your younger years, but most likely of greater significance.
My point is this—we have all reached the end of our 20’s and felt small when we compare ourselves to our heroes—that’s why they are our heroes. Just remember, life is long and your time will come.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:57:19 +0000

I am 27, and have had thoughts along the lines you guys have had. I do face regret once in a while, and wonder if sometimes where I’d be if…. But that can be a waste of time, and only is good for a fantasy novel. It’s taken several years of hard knocks and many false starts (and I’m sure I’ll have many more) for me to just start doing my dreams. Instead of dreaming about the business of my dreams, I am now building the business of my dreams, and working toward the goal of financial independence. And although you could say I foolishly declined the offer of a fully paid for ticket to college some years ago, I start again to realize my dream of a college education on my terms.

The thing you must do is understand what your talents and gifts and abilities are. Who knows, maybe as you try new things you might uncover new abilities. I discovered that when I learned how to play the piano by ear, I actually had a new skill I enjoyed. But I never knew that until I tried.

Be willing to try new things. Be open to life. And when you find what you are meant to do, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise that you can’t do it.