Do you feel like you are going nowhere? I was like you.

Throughout my childhood and teen years, I could not appreciate anything I had experienced or done of which to be proud. I was always comparing myself to other kids -- coming up short.

In truth, I had done a cool thing or two, but most of the time, I would not allow myself to see it. I felt my life was uninteresting.

If this sounds like you, I am here to tell you not to worry, and not to give up. Life is rich and delightful. For many of us, it just doesn't "get rolling" until we get out into the world on our own -- as young adults.

Let me say this to you. I am now 38 years old, and adulthood has been a blast. Here is why:

--I attended a major university (which, by the way, I had to start part time, because I did not have the grades, so hang in there!)
--made a diverse range of friends
--had a roommate we all called "Heavy D" who was loads of fun
--made Iggy Pop smile :-D
--took a semester off to be a ski bum in Colorado (and never regretted it)
--returned to school and made the dean's list
--got my hair dyed orange in NYC
--met my childhood hero, David Thompson, who was also Michael Jordan's childhood hero
--became the first in my family to graduate college
--married a descendant of the president of Eastman Kodak
--moved from Raleigh to Seattle
--skied on Mount Hood, in the summer!
--moved from Seattle to Boston
--survived living in Boston, lol
--survived a divorce
--swore off serious relationships
--survived a house fire
--celebrated life in a German beer hall
--skied in the Alps
--worked for a dot-com, in the heady, crazy days of the late-90s
--fell in love again, much to my surprise and delight
--survived a layoff from the same dot-com
--pitched screenplay ideas in Hollywood
--moved to Northampton, Mass. (which I much prefer to Boston, sorry)
--married the descendant of one of the founders of the U.S. (yep, two marriages -- no regrets! The second one is going swimmingly!)
--worked as Associate Director of the Northampton Independent Film Festival
--skied three dozen locales, and looking forward to many more
--enjoyed a martini in a tunnel converted into a swanky bar
--owned multiple very cool cats -- purrr
--became friends with a WWII vet, who is in his 80s and full of life (as is his wife!)
--became manager of a staff of ten people
--quit that job to work for myself (the only career pursuit that makes me happy)
--won $25,000 on Poker Dome Challenge (you'll see my name on the wikipedia page for Poker Dome)
--planned a move to beautiful Burlington, Vermont in 2009 (a town you really must visit)

Suffice it to say, I am very happy with my list of experiences. It has been a diverse, fun adulthood up to now, and I look forward to what may come in the years ahead. All this for a one-time teenager who thought his life was boring, and that he had no stories to tell.

I've got them now, and you will have stories to tell, too. Embrace your life, and life will reward you with your own list of experiences that make you happy.

Have fun!

Reg Brittain offers a short, simple philosophy on his profile page -- http://www.xomba.com/user/reg_brittain