My first mid-life crisis hit early and hard.

In 2016, after only a year working in IT and optimizing some abstract business processes, I was questioning everything.

Sitting in a boring office, surrounded by old hardware and an even older mindset that stopped chasing and started settling rather sooner than later in life.

That's how I imagined living as an adult.

After doing the same boring stuff all day and only dreaming of the world behind the windows, I kept looking through to get a more hopeful glimpse of what's possible.

But it had to stop.

And I made it stop by using three little tricks that helped me to pursue something meaningful in life.

Dare to be different

I know it doesn't feel like it, but trialing and erroring your way through life is the best thing you can do.

Now, at the end of my 20s, I realized that most people who seem to have figured things out from the beginning have never dared to do something remarkable.

They took the easy and comfortable route.

The route you get applauded for because you do as others wish.

But that's boring and, even worse, depressing.

Dare to be different, do things others wouldn't, and don't care if others are already checking off their hamster wheel checklist.

If you don't have your answers, you haven't tried enough.

I've tried for most of my 20s, and:

did student jobs, including working in Primark and delivering furniture,
studied business informatics,
worked in IT,
tried to become a digital nomad in Bali,
worked in a bar,
worked in recruitment in London,
started my own writing business,
almost drove it against the wall,
stopped having faith in writing,
got a SCRUM master certification,
moved to Munich, returned to Stuttgart, and
finally regained my faith in writing

In between, I often felt like I had no idea what I was doing.

Who am I kidding? I still feel this way.

But every step helped me determine what I need and want from life. It has sharpened my perspective and enabled me to focus on what matters most.

And I only achieved that because I finally understood my friend's advice seven years ago.

Keep moving, no matter what

Stillstand is our worst enemy.

It's like a personal invitation for depression and negativity creeping into your life - without you even knowing it.

I've been there.

I remember having dinner and drinks with my friend Mo back in 2017. We talked about his law studies and how frustrated I was studying business informatics. He just said to me:

"No matter what you do, keep moving. Keep doing things."

Back then, this BS advice frustrated me even more.

Now, I know he was right all the time.

Struggles aren't the real problem; giving up is.

Surrender means stillstand, and stillstand means depression, negativity, and an enormous debt of willpower chaining you to your doubts and fears.

Don't.

Instead, do this.

Find an anchor activity (or two)

In retrospect, it all makes sense.

I've been working out regularly since 2012. I started doing curls and crunches in my parents' old basement to impress my first GF.

But I kept working out, started going to the gym, devoured books on nutrition, and learned how to do the exercises.

It became my anchor in life in the last ten years.

The bars, tracks, and cycling routes let me blow off steam, get inspired, and reflect on life.

Working out has helped me get through identity crises', breakups, and building my own business.

It has strengthened me to tackle more difficult things in life.

Now, I found another one in writing.

Find an anchor activity that will keep you strong, even in bad times when nothing seems to work.

Because this will keep you on track and help you get the necessary insights to find your next step.

Then, all you need is one more thing.

Patience to let things untangle themselves.

Thank you for reading.

What has helped you to stop pursuing something meaningless?

Let me know in the comments.

Before you leave:
Stay tuned to get my new Medium stories straight to your inbox.

Join 45+ solopreneurs in my weekly newsletter to learn what it takes to become a full-time writer.

3 Simple Tricks to Stop Wasting Your Life Pursuing Something Meaningless

The all-in-one writing platform.

Write, publish everywhere, see what works, and become a better writer - all in one place.