HN Explorer

Ask HN: What did you want to do before *life* got in the way?

23 points by meagher ↗ HN
Did you have plans to do something you really wanted, but never did it? A trip, start up, date with a someone?

Why didn't you? Decided it was just a dream, got sick, or something else?

21 comments

[ 2.2 ms ] story [ 66.2 ms ] thread
spcelzrd
I wanted to be a novelist. I still do. But I spent a lot of time on goals that weren't related to this. I wish I had put this goal higher on the list.
toepitt
What would have helped put this goal higher on the list?
roryisok
Same here.

I've wanted to be a lot of things growing up, but writer and programmer are really the only two that have stayed the course of time.

Here's some advice toward that: Don't combine your hobby and job like I did and build a writing app, I spend more of my free time now developing, debugging and adding features than I do writing.

existencebox
Throughout said life, and incrementally "ruined" by said life, I wanted to...:

- Be a train. (realized that I was 3)

- Be a breakdancer. (realized that bodies age)

- Be a DJ. (realized I liked employ-ability and stability)

- Be a classicist/anthropologist (realized once again that I liked employ-ability, and wasn't excited about becoming a Vatican priest)

- Be retired so I can go back to A. (still working on it.)

You may have wanted to focus on specific occurrences, but all my biggest/most unfulfilled "regrets" are by nature more long term, and don't have "easy fixes" as e.g. my dream of doing a cross country road trip, or starting a massive fruit garden (I've partially realized both those goals)

jaredsohn
Being three shouldn't have prevented you from being a train. There are plenty of trains older than that (some googling suggests the oldest 'living' train may be 161 years old right now, although admittedly it spends most of its time in a museum right now.) There is still hope :)
pryelluw
Please tell me your name is Thomas.
fspear
Music...I've always loved music but never learned to play an instrument, the few times I tried I got so frustrated because I'm always hearing melodies/rhythmic patterns in my head and could never replicate them with my rudimentary skills and terrible hand coordination, and growing up I never had enough money for lessons. In my 20's I was working and studying full time so I had no time whatsoever for hobbies and now in my 30's I have money and time but no energy or passion for music like I did when I was younger.
partisan
I wanted to be a priest. At some point, my relationship with faith soured and I no longer saw it as a calling.
roryisok
Interesting. Can I ask what field are you in now, and did that come after the souring of faith?
partisan
I am a programmer. I think I veered into the sciences because there were rules that made sense. I have trouble with being told, "this is just the way it is".

I went to church for the second time in years this past Sunday. I am moved by what I hear, but there is a silence when I try to listen for God's voice.

RUG3Y
I wanted to be a musician, but musicians don't make any money. Some of them do but you know...same thing with being an artist. I do art, but art doesn't feed the kids.
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
Viz4ps
I wanted to be a poet. Hard to make money tho. And takes a lot of time to get good I guess.
roryisok
There can't be many professional poets in the world. I would bet most of them have another job. You can still do that one
monknomo
I keep wanting to do a Ludum Dare game jam, but I've got a kid, and a wife, and friends, and work, and housework, and there is just never the time for it
roryisok
Surely your wife, kid, friends and job wouldn't begrudge you taking 2-3 days off? Go do it!

I do nanowrimo every year, and it means setting my family a little less for November. You give them the rest of your life, you're allowed some time off

sotojuan
Play more video games and read more books.
roryisok
Since having kids I've had to let games go. The last thing I played was skyrim when it came out. I miss them sometimes.

On the other hand there are more books on my to read list than I'll ever have time for in life. If I left my job and family and lived alone in a library for the rest of my life I might just manage it, but probably only if the rest of humanity stops writing more books I want to read