Well, you might enjoy doing some reading about “quarter life crisis”, which is probably closer to what you are going through. Very real, so check it out.

That being said, I read a book by a Fuller Sem. prof once (can’t remember it off the top of my head- lack of sleep) which stated that those people who achieved true fulfillment in their calling were those who did not find their central focus until mid-30′s to 40′s. They spent the first half of their life experiencing a broad spectrum. Don’t give in to any pressure to find “it” too soon.

Anyway, I will be praying for you as I completely identify.

Peace,
Jamie

A few things. As Jamie said, its quarter-life crisis, not mid-life. Unless you have planned to die by 52 (26*2).

As for what you want to be, here’s my answers:no, yes, yes, no, no, yes, yes, yes.

“My friend Seth says when you have this in your twenties it’s not a mid-life crisis. But an existential crisis. This means I’m dealing with my existence. Any help?”

I thought that’s basically was a mid-life/quarter-life crisis was: a form of realization that your existence is not permanent and that a substantial portion of it was over. I guess I’m not catching the distinction between the two (well, three).

Anyone else have this blog eat their comments? I think mine taste good.

welcome.

what would you do if there were no obstacles or expectations?

Try working a low-paying manual labor job for a few months.

Seriously. That’s what I fell into these days, and it’s slapping some reality/sense into me in ways I never knew I needed.

And if anything…you’ll definitely learn more about poverty and/or injustice that way.

i think agent b is onto something here.

i find it interesting that you pretty much consistently post on issues of social justice. you talk much about issues of the economy and the plight of the poor.

yet it would take 4.1 planets to sustain your lifestyle if everyone enjoyed it.

and you still seem to fall far short of the level of satisfaction you seek.

maybe you should start a “people not profit” or “kiva” or “heifer international”…

maybe its time to burn the ships

maybe its time to sell your possessions and give to the poor

maybe its time to work full time on the immigration problem or starvation in the world or an alternative to the status quo of economic growth and consumerism/materialism or

i don’t know,

just rambling

peace

thus the mid-life crisis.

there is no difference in “midlife” and “existential” crises. the latter just sounds philosophically cooler than the former. plus the former is sooo cliche’.

There is a great interaction between a couple of characters in Zach Braff’s “The Last Kiss” dealing with this mid-life crisis at an early age — I think it rings pretty true.

“Everyone I know is having a crisis. I know you’re not supposed to get them until mid-life, but I think somethings happened to our metabolisms… Yeah, I mean, the world is moving so fast now, we’re all chasing something so fast — that we start freaking out way before our parents did.”

The woman who said all the above then places Braff’s hand on her heart and points out how fast it is beating while saying, “It’s because we don’t ever stop to breathe anymore.”

You’re in my prayers Josh, as you’re dealing with a lot of the things I’ve begun to struggle with a continent away (in Oregon).

honestly…you need to just throw in the towel now. life will NOT get better. you’ll never figure out what to do. the best you can hope for is to live your life in the suburbs, trying to get control of your crazy dog.

If you had the answers to the questions you asked, would it help you, or is it in the asking that you are actually finding your way?

Not that I’m you, or you’re me, and what I’m about to say may not mean much, but, I didn’t really find out what I wanted to be when I grew up until my early to mid 30s. I’m with Jamie…enjoy the time you have now to enlarge your universe so you can identify (not necessarily have to agree with) a wider world of people…and enjoy the learning, stretching that occurs.
I’ve counseled a lot of people and for what it’s worth (even if it does sound a bit cliche), when there’s restlessness in a person, it usually points to God stirring something up in the person…which can be unnerving if you happen to be the person.
Hope this was helpful.

Saw your post because it’s the title of my new book…
Being one of the very first personal coaches in the U.S. and having coached several thousand people, I have some background in what you are experiencing.
Though all the advice you’ve gotten so far is useful, it might be good to know that the basic question that needs to be answered is “what’s calling me from inside that if I spent my life expressing it would be my greatest pleasure and fulfillment?” Most people never take the time to ask that question and keep investigating till they get an answer they love.
It’s also not a question that has a single answer. That’s why, whem people hit 40, they realize that the way they’ve been answering it is not a good fit for them now.
It’s an inquiry that you can do at any point in your life to start bringing up new possibilities and opportunities that would take you someplace where you haven’t been, where you are turned on in your life and having the ttime of your life doing what you’re doing.
Inquiries like this one may take a day or a year to answer. They take patience and stick-to-itivness. There’s no way to know when the right answer will show up. It’s important o practice staying in the question and seeing what shows up and what choices you can make that take you in the direction of your greatest pleasure and turn on.
As a practical matter, one way to get a speedier answer is to make an interruption in your life – take a week off and vacate, have orgasm every day for two weeks, go on a retreat, change locations for a little while, go to a different kind of movie than you normally watch.
When you stop doing what you normally do and do something completely out of the box, that’s when brand new answers and ways of seeing things show up.
You’re doing fine. Just relax and have some fun with this, rather than stressing over it. There are early, normal, and late bloomers. They all get there. YOU’RE NOT LATE. Enjoy the ride!

[...] to watch george, brad, matt, don, and bernie having a good time Josh and me discussing our mutual existential crises Smoking pipes in the evening on the [...]

holy crap…have an orgasm every day for two weeks?

that’s FARRRRR too short of a time. I say two months.

Geesh!

Who says that?

p.s. i had a ridiculously big series of quarter-life moments recently. here’s one on my myspace profile;

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=
blog.view&friendID=64754420&blogID=257199658&
Mytoken=42313C01-E0D9-4A8F-ABA3093E896DF22978486006

i split the link up so i didn’t screw up your page. only link to it if you’re ready for a healthy dose of melodrama

I’m 26 years too and like you well i’m having a serious quarter life crisis. I checked out the about you section and well you seem to have many dreams and the desire to live life to the fullest and to really be engaged positively for the world and not to just be ‘passing’.

The truth is that when the size of your dreams are big it is easy to get frazzled and pressured, especially if you want to ‘retire at 30′ it means you don’t have much time left!

I feel for what you are going through because I also have this 30 years old cut off line like i need to have my life figured out and all these amazing goals to be accomplished.

I recently experienced a loss which got me thinking where am I going and what am I doing… Now is very much a ‘crisis’ because it is about a general pervasive sense of anxiety in all aspects of life. I will only say though that generally people are confused when there gut is out of their goal and when they are too cerebral.

In the same boat here, I would say to shock yourself, get out of your head and eliminate the fear. Go bunjee jumping, do volunteer tourism in Africa, get dirty with life. Don’t stay on the sidelines wondering..it will only eat away at you.. you won’t get answers doing the same things.

Just my two cents..trying it for myself…will keep you posted.. really hope to figure stuff out soon and hope you would too!!