>do a job that you don't care about >go home and do

It's as simple as doing something you care about. Create a S.M.A.R.T. goal where you accomplish something you're genuinely interested in.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

>>18482899
i have no hobbies or interests. And i dont know how to learn to find them.

>>18482880
I decided to do things I think would be "cool". It keeps me busy sometimes, while at other times, the existential dread sets in and makes me unable to get out of bed.

Op here

What im saying is, i dont just want a life where im basically distracting myself til im dead

I hate it when people set frivilious goals like "im going to participate in a marathon!" How isthat going to benefit you? your in fucking finance and finishing last in that race is going to be your athletic pinnacle

People who train for the Olympics or something, i envy them cause they have purpose. They have some gianticly ambitious goal they can work towards and eventually achieve. They can LITERALLY work themselves to death and either succeed or die

i want something to look forward to, not just bide my time til im dead.

>>18482915

It usually about exposure; if you want I can maybe recommend some things that can get the ball rolling. What are some things you like? As in shows, books, etc.

>>18482982
>shows
i like anime
>books
i read misery, that was a good book

I dont like music

>>18482960
>i dont just want a life where im basically distracting myself til im dead
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think you're going to get anything other than this. Life has no inherent purpose, short of, perhaps, reproduction - so all everyone ever does is distract themselves until they are dead. They may have delusions of grandeur and fool themselves into thinking they are worth something, but on the grand scale of things, they are not.

If you don't want to live a life of distracting yourself, you can commit suicide. That's the only other option I see, honestly. And it's not a "bad" thing to do.

>>18482960
The people you look down upon have goals that they can actually work towards, achieve and genuinly feel good about. Meanwhile you daydream about grandeur doing fuck all, having nothing to show for because you're trapped in a mental cage you've built yourself.

>>18482880
i feel you anon, life is a joke

i'll just waste it on minecraft

>>18482960

Yeah until the olympics are over and they got their medals and there is nothing left for them to work for. Apparently depression among these world class athletes is very common since they spent their entire life working towards a goal, and once it is done they just dont know wtf to do with themselves since their narrow focus on the sport was all they ever knew in life.

Not saying their live suck but yeah its not an automatic "my life is amazing" thing for them.

>>18482988

What genre of anime? What titles?
Also what else do you do in your spare time?
Would you be able to list one or two people you admire or look up to?

>>18483011
This
A guy I knew played volleyball professionally in east germany when it was still a state. He told me a lot of his colleagues became poor alcoholics after they've been burned out from the sport. After their short career they had no real wok experience, no higher education and often a damaged body to show for and thus were left with practically no perspective in life

>>18482999
thanks
i may consider this
>>18483008
so i need to just make arbitary goals? it can be literally anthing?

i guess i can make myself count to 100, then 101,102, ect. i will be totes achieving dem #goals


i want authenticity and something to ACTUALLY give a shit about that isn't made up and retarded.

>>18483011
they DID something though, they achieved something. Even if the rest of their life is doghsit, there is something monumental that most people can't/wont do and they did it. I would gladly be an Olympian who had 4 good years and 60 shit years if it meant i can be something.

versus Karen in HR went on the elliptical for like 5 minutes a week, and fucking peak there.

>>18483012
I dont really like alot of anime, i like TTGL and boku no hero academia.

ive recently been watching Serial Experiments lain, i feel its over stayed its welcome but its actually pretty intereting (not done yet)

>>18483026
i get being broke and having no job experience but its better than being the guy with a boring job who did nothing.

>>18483012
also about your other two questions, i watch alot of youtube in my spare time

I dont have anyone to look up to.

>>18482880
It's because you don't know what you want.

>>18483031

It's not about making arbitrary goals though, and it never should be. The goal needs to be tied to your personal interests and sense of purpose in life. It should be something you think has a high payoff for you personally, unlikely randomly counting numbers, etc.

I was in your exact position years ago, and to be really honest I would strongly recommend ignoring the nihilism in this thread because it's likely THE root of your problem. This idea that life is meaningless or ambition, inspiration or motivation are the effects of arbitrary goals is absolutely toxic and fucks over a lot of well meaning people. If you really want to get yourself out of this rut, you need to realize that you can/should give yourself your own sense of purpose, and need to do things that fuel it and are an end to it.

I don't know you, or your values. I don't know why you chose to live, or what reason you may give yourself. But from the interests you've listed some things you might be excited in doing include:

- competing against/with others in an academic or athletic setting
- fucking hot read heads
- computer programming, building computers, etc.
- writing horror stories
- making a journal that chronicles your life or thoughts
- traveling to weird places
- learning more about human nature via. books, etc

A meaningful and motivating goal can be derived from anything I've listed, granted it's something that meshes well with your personality.

>>18483031
>i guess i can make myself count to 100, then 101,102, ect. i will be totes achieving dem #goals
I meant you should get off your ass, out of your cage of anxiety and self loathing. You're turned off by the IDEA of doing stuff, see people doing things in videos on your computer screen and think that's nothing to care or brag about while sitting in your small comfort zone. Experiencing these things in real life is a whole other world, your mouth is going to hang open when you see two decent amateur boxers sparring in the ring while you stand beside it and have trouble keeping your balance while punching the bag correctly. Right now you picture in it in your head and think "nah, I don't want that", because all you have is your outside view on these things. But I know from experience that you can feel excitement like a little child while experiencing such things. You won't find authenticity if you don't search for it and have no eye for it.

>>18483101
how do you get an eye for authenticity?

>>18483086
This actually seems good

i really like art, but when i thought taht i can't make al iving out of it, and that ultimately its going to be set aside to focus on a career i dont realy want, i lost motivation to pursue it.

Was thinking of just playing vidya and rotting away, or doing what >>18482999 said

i want to do something, but most everything seems pointless. I like art, but i know ill never actually get it somewhere respectable, and even if i do it wont actually be something.

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Find something you're passionate about and keep working at it, like the other anons already said.

>I don't have many interests or goals, I don't know what to strive for

Your first objective will be to find something you're passionate about. Basically your goal is finding out what your goal is. There are many practical ways you can do this - try out every new thing you can. Open yourself to your surroundings. Go to a library, pick the first book that catches your interest and read it. Try out a new sport, or activity or whatever. You can bake cakes or decorate bansai pots or something dumb like that, be creative. I know it seems hard, and it is. But it's either that or living a life like you've been living so far - no challenge, no goals, no future, just distracting yourself to make the present more bearable. Humans are conquerors by nature. We need objectives to guide us, and the struggle is not only what fortifies, but also what satisfies. Your first conquest will be finding something you'd be happy to devote your time and effort into.

You can make it anon. The fact that you don't want to settle for an easy life like most people do proves there is some fire in your heart, no matter how small. You just need to find a way to use it.

>>18482880
From the replies you've posted in this thread so far, I gather that the things you want most are attention and, perhaps, feeling accomplished. I suggest becoming decent at some video game and being a Twitch streamer, as that should get you both.

>>18483137
>how do you get an eye for authenticity?
You go into the outside world and gather experienvce by doing and feeling actual stuff

>>18483137
I feel the same about art, OP
I use to be all enthusiastic about drawing but stopped after finding out that I couldn't monetize it and that I really suck at selling myself. I am slowly starting to get back into it (I am super rusty though). Even though it looks like lots of people know how to draw online very well and have neat digital art, I found that my simple doodles impress my IRL friends.
Maybe you can get back into it and try different media. Maybe you will create something that you are proud of and show it to people online or offline.

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>>18483148
>gurren lagann screep cap
you know how to pull my heart strings

I always liked art, and i do have financial goals. It just feels like they're frivilious, i wish i could work on animated movies like yoi yoshinari or gleen keane, but i know the reality is that won't happen

Those guys made some neat stuff people still talk about, i wanna make neat stuff. But i nkow i can't because i have a job that will eat up my life.
>>18483165
people IRL are impressed with my work, and say "anon your so talented!1!" but i know they just dont know what good art is and dont know much.

Pic releated is some shit doodles of mine.

i dont show normies this, but its a recent thing i have lying around my desktop.

>>18482880
>>18482988
>I don't like music

>boohoo nothing matters

Advice:Grow up, graduate highschool

>>18483173
graduated highschool

and im sad cause i feel like there really isn't anyting to pursue

Also what does not liking music have to do with this? I used to like music but grew out of it, if i find a band i like i listen to them for like a few days and then drop it, getting sick of it.

What if you just feel extremely empty and after every accomplishment, after everyday of living, when you lay down on your bed and put down a device/ pencil/ book/ you just feel that emptiness fill in and realize there is no point in doing any of this or in being happy or even trying to get pass the day

>>18483190
thats what im feeling right now man, i feel this way after work. i realize that my job that i wont care about is what the pinnacle of my life will be, and that makes me wanna die.

i need to do what >>18483148 said, i just hate the fact that work will truly dictate my life.

>>18483207
Work doesn't dictate your life. Money does.

>>18483216
you gotta give your life to a job to get money

it doesn't matter if i make 20k or 100k, ill be spending my life, and what should be my lifes work, towards dumb menial shit that doesn't matter to me.

I just wish that work could actually mean something to me, a challenge i can actually care about pursuing, but i can't.

>>18482880
food is good, my bed is pretty comfortable and i enjoy good rest, i have plenty of ways to keep myself entretained, i dont really give a shit about other people.
Why do you need a meaningful life?, people who live meaningful llives suffer a lot, work themselves to death and die unapreciated, there is no reward for it

>>18483137

You don't need to make a career out of art to enjoy it or dedicate time to it. You don't need to sell it either. It just needs to be something you really want to express personally, whether it's drawings of your OC, OTP, or a story/idea you want to share with others. Improving drawing skill is about improving your ability to express concepts, and the better you get at drawing the more you can express and the more inherent meaning drawing will have to you beyond career. So in this vein I would say you might want to force yourself to draw more; set aside a timer for 1 hour and every day draw until the timer runs out. However make sure you do studies and build skill in this time period as well as working on fun pieces. Consult /ic/ if you don't know what I'm talking about. To generate interest, consume media you really love and organize artwork from inspirational artists into folders/places you can easily draw from. You might also want to visit /co/'s drawthreads or comic threads, I personally find them more motivating and gentler than /ic/ drawthreads.

Even vidya can have meaningful goals associated with it. Like you can decide that your purpose in life is to become some ultra-nerdy vidya expert that goes to things like E3 religiously. You can probably make a good amount of friends through this sort of route as well (nerds are impressed by others' nerdy knowledge and hobbies), and live an enjoyable life through this granted it doesn't get in the way of providing a decent living or your responsibilities. If you go this route you might want to build a decent PC that can play games well and be active in the steam community.

>>18483222
Why can't you find something that is?

>>18483229
I wanna get gid at art, and i used to have hella dedication towards it. Back then my idea was to git gud and get a career doing it or go bust. All or nothing.

I was stressed but i felt like there was something for me.

Now that i gave that up, not really much left. Nothing really fulfills me like that did.

Also i dont want to dedicate my life to nerdy stuff, i wanna get fit so it can justify my nerdy behavior.

>>18483235
I have yet to see/hear of a career that does so, also most people hate their jobs and the "follow your passion" meme is mocked on no matter what, so yeah, its a dead end.

>>18483246
>Nothing fulfills me like it did.
This is pretty much textbook depression.

>>18483229
im so tired of the art is this magic solution to bad fee fees meme
take a stroll through /ic/ if you want to see through misery, plus art requires real commitment and hard work, you dont help people with motivation and attachment issues by making them practice art you just set them for failure
here is a realistic alternative, buy a guitar and search youtube videos to learn to play it. Way eaier, way faster you caam see results in weeks

>>18483255
the thing is i actually look at art and like it

versus i dont even like music dude, theres nothing i wanna play.

im not even looking for an easy life, i will gladly take a miserable strife filled life if i means i can find meaning. Not just playing an instrument int something i have no interest in so i can feel better.

>>18482880
I feel this everyday. I guess this is why people end up having kids and a family. Makes sense, but just seems like a hassle.

>>18483252
i dont wanna go around claiming im ""depressed"" like some typical millennial.

I just wanna find something to give a fuck about.

>>18483296
im pretty this is why most people have kids, desu though i dont see myself being a father.

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>>18483255

Art and guitar share a lot of good benefits:

>Art (and guitar) allows for continuous progress and improvement allow you to feel good about yourself, even if you're not good yet
>Art gives you tangible results you can show people which they will be increasingly delighted by as you improve
>Art takes up a lot of time that previously would've been used to sit around feeling bad and puts it towards productive use
>Art can ultimately be lucrative if taken extremely seriously, getting you work which is a major source of happiness for many people

But art has a few edges over the guitar, in my opinion

>Art usually leads to one getting outside to find subjects and settings, both of which are away from one's depression lair
>Art can be social and there are public clubs and group classes allowing you to meet large numbers of new people as you learn
>Art skills are sexually attractive to the opposite sex
>Art is a good small-talk conversation point
>Art can ultimately be lucrative if taken extremely seriously, getting you work which is a major source of happiness for many people

Guitar is great too but art wins out for the depressed, anon.

>>18483297
You're not though. Those people do it for the attention being a victim gives them. Seeking care for it isn't any different than going to the doctor for a suspected health condition.

>>18483280
>the thing is i actually look at art and like it
its not the same as actually making it
if you start learning now it will be years and tons of hard work before you make something you can show other people.
Im not saying dont do it but are you sure you can handle it now? its a serious comtment that people struggle with s it is without depresion and other shit on top

>>18483298
>Art usually leads to one getting outside to find subjects and settings, both of which are away from one's depression lair
not necesarily
look at digital artists, most of them spend tons of hpurs locked inside alone working on top of the regular lonely time
>Art can be social and there are public clubs and group classes allowing you to meet large numbers of new people as you learn
you wont be comfortable in that kind of enviroment for a really long time until you are already as good as the average in the class
>Art is a good small-talk conversation point
it is with other artists, regular people just ask you why dont you get a job
well i mean its good to impress strangers but friends and family stop giving a shit after a while

guitar is better at every single one of those points

>>18483301
Trying to git gud at art actually gave me a passion and put a fire in my belly. It sorta taught me self discipline. But whenever is started working i fell out of it and been f laundering about. Trying to get my license so i have more free time and get get a proper schedule together.
>>18483298
>>18483312
im not looking to distract myself , im looking for something i want to pursue and dedicate my life to .

>>18483318
I know you want it right now but that doesn't mean you will feel this way in a month or a year
Art is not something you can hard work your way into, you will notice that the harder you try the less you achieve Wich is pretty fucking soul crushing
A lot of what making art takes must be learned by failing until you understand it and can't be explained or shown it's like trying to wire your brain in a different way and that's completely out of your control all you can do is keep repeating the same mistakes over and over until you get it with cero progresion
Once you can spend months screwing up every single thing you make and I mean absolutely ruining everything and seeming not only not getting better but actually getting worse and after that you still wake up and say I'm going to draw today like nothing happened then you can start the right path to being an artist, it can take years to achieve

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>>18483337
i used to browse /ic/ awhile ago

i didn't study as much as i wanted to/should of, but i managed t improve over the last couple of years, just not as much as i wanted to.

Im well aware of the soul crushing feeling of it.


are you an artist, do you have a tumblr/blog?

btw heres my """progress""" im still dogshit.

>>18482880

Religion.

>>18483364
No blog, I'm not an artist since I don't get paid for it and I'm not at that level yet
I know the struggle but it's something I finally managed to conquer, I don't need to force myself to draw or try and keep track to make sure I'm doing enough
I started having to force myself to do 6 hours a week, I moved on to drawing like 18 a week naturally and now I draw like it's a part time job and that kind of comfort is something you earn by fucking up and questioning yourself a lot
Honestly I have improved so much this year I almost feel like the two previous years didn't matter
If you can afford it (and trust me it can be cheap) get private tutoring, the self taught meme is a meme. Having someone keep track of your development and give you input is a real bonus even if it's just two hours a week

>>18483397
there are some private tutors locally, maybe it will also help me make some friends as well?
>>18483383
Atheist, dont believe in God

>>18483406
I would totally consider my tutor a friend if it wasn't because I pay him, we spend the entire class talking about cool shit but that's just my personality, if you are into the same stuff I am I will chew your ear off no matter who you are.
I went through a shit ton of different classes, I started in a group thing and learned nothing, I tried art school and pushed myself but feel behind, I tried this older guy who had a pretty impressive career and now I'm getting classes from a dude who is 4 years older than me and it works perfectly
Find whatever suits you, the best teacher isn't necessarily the best teacher for you

>>18483406
I would totally consider my tutor a friend if it wasn't because I pay him, we spend the entire class talking about cool shit but that's just my personality, if you are into the same stuff I am I will chew your ear off no matter who you are.
I went through a shit ton of different classes, I started in a group thing and learned nothing, I tried art school and pushed myself but feel behind, I tried this older guy who had a pretty impressive career and now I'm getting classes from a dude who is 4 years older than me and it works perfectly
Find whatever suits you, the best teacher isn't necessarily the best teacher for you

>>18483418
>>18483420
im sorry, i meant classes ,not a 1 on 1 tutor

you think private classes could work as well?

>>18482960
>What im saying is, i dont just want a life where im basically distracting myself til im dead
Then kill yourself because that is all that life is

>>18483406

Right, but in case it wasn't clear I'm just saying people deal with what you described through religion.

You need to have a purpose. Whatever that purpose is, find it.

The truth is, we're all laymen, plebeians if you wish. We're all cogs in a system that does not require us, but I'm sure you're fully aware of that.

The only thing left to do is to make the most of it.

It sounds cliche, but the only way you, as an individual can be happy, is by doing something that makes you happy.

Perhaps it's time for a career change?

>>18483424
thats the thing about group settings
those are great but also are for people with a higer level
when it works its great and time flies by, it feels like there is a creative aura and just by working near so many artists you feel motivated to do more and try harder
but if you are considerably below the others you are going to feel pretty bad about it instead, and those groups often have one or two students with a decade of work with the averagee artist being 4-5 years at the very least
the beauty of art is that you spend your entire life getting better but the hard part is at the start

>>18483435
desu i rather be dead.
im not going to settle for mediocrity, i wanna be great in something. Or die trying