From ff19c3fb50106d0d9905f6e07d96777d20589334 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Cayden Schwechten <4884755-caydens@users.noreply.gitlab.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2026 12:29:11 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] goals too early message

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+---
+title: "Achieving your dreams: what next?"
+category: "personal"
+date: "04-08-2026"
+---
+
+# I achieved most of my dream goals much earlier than I expected. Now what?
+
+I'm in a pickle mentally; this is a situation in which I was never truly expecting to get to where I am at currently.
+
+I would like to preface with the fact that I have always put my best foot forward. Image is incredibly important to me,
+but work is paramount; if you are unable to hold up both to the best of your ability, I believe one will fail.
+
+## Past, Focus, and Dedication
+
+I started at a young age in Cub Scouts, before quickly climbing the ranks and moving on to Boy Scouts. I quickly became
+the troop's Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL), and I took on additional responsibilities such as leading troop
+meetings, organizing campouts, miscellaneous administrative tasks, and teaching my fellow scouts valuable safety and
+personal life skills.
+
+Past my scouting life, I have dedicated multiple years of my life to building safe-space communities for all on
+platforms such as Discord and in real life, even creating and leading the south's largest interest-based community.
+
+## You _will_ swim - sinking isn't an option.
+
+_You are never too young to succeed. It just matters when you start._
+
+I am _incredibly_ hard on myself as an individual. This is generally not a good tactic to have on yourself, as it can
+cause failures to feel much worse than they actually are. I just haven't learned.
+
+Part of my dedication to my craft is that I will dedicate 100% of my time and power to it. I take on projects as a
+personal mission every time if the project aligns with my interests; anything less than perfection means failure, and I
+will not rest until I have achieved my goals.
+
+This means that I am very often obsessing over small details on my work and do regularly end up re-writing my work or
+plans many times. The reward of having it _just right_ is absolutely worth the effort.
+
+## How did you maintain work?
+
+I have maintained relative proof of my achievements and have been able to demonstrate my skills and work to a great many
+people. This is incredibly important and necessary; you may be able to vouch for yourself, but other people won't see
+you for who you are if you can't back up your claims.
+
+Keeping track of everything has enabled me to move very far very fast in life; I am now a software engineer working in
+the medical industry at just 20 years old, and have achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a developer since childhood.
+
+## And what about nowadays?
+
+In all honesty, it feels kind of... empty, honestly, knowing you've achieved what you set out to do.
+
+Work is good and fun, and I am very happy with where I am now and the work that I have to do. I've set myself up to be
+able to comfortably live where I am and work on these projects, but I am finding that the lack of future goals is
+leaving me ambitionless.
+
+I am beyond happy and excited to shape my new future, and I look forward to contributing to amazing projects and
+spearheading innovation where I can.
+