u/ValRosenstein

TL;DR: I’m 28, educated, employed, and doing “fine” on paper, but I feel stuck, anxious, and unfulfilled. I want to build a personal brand through content creation on the side, and eventually create a third income pillar strong enough to replace my job and give me more freedom. I just don’t know how to approach it.

I’m 28. On paper, my life probably looks pretty good: I have a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, I work out, I have a decent physique, and I have a fairly well-paying job, although the hours are long.

But internally, I feel miserable.

I deal with a lot of anxiety. I’m ambitious, but I’m also inconsistent and procrastinate a lot. That combination has held me back for years.

Before my current job, I was unemployed for a long time. I applied for jobs and learned some basics of shooting videos and creating content, but looking back, I feel like I wasted most of that time. I only posted five videos in five months and got nowhere with it.

Now I’m working a lot, but I don’t feel free. I want to become more independent, travel more, and eventually work from anywhere. I’ve travelled to some places and ever since then I sometimes get this strong feeling that there is a whole different life out there that I’m missing out on, while I’m stuck in my current environment. I know this might partly be FOMO, but the feeling is still there.

Freelancing or building something online appeals to me, but I don’t feel like I have a clear skill I can monetize, despite having two degrees.

My rough plan right now is this: I want to keep my job for financial stability, build a personal brand through content creation on the side, and create a third income pillar that could eventually become strong enough for me to leave my job. Ideally, that third pillar would be through monetizing some skills and work as a freelancer, but I don’t know what it should be yet or how to approach it strategically.

I don’t want to quit impulsively or run away from responsibility. But long term, I don’t want to depend on a traditional job forever either. I want to build something that gives me more control over my time, location, and income.

I feel like I wasted my twenties, and I don’t want to keep going like this.

I have ideas and ideas, but no execution plan. And that sums up my life.

Goals and no execution.

For people who have felt lost in their late twenties: how did you find direction? How do you figure out what skill to build, what path to take, and how to actually become more disciplined and independent?

Any practical advice, frameworks, or personal experiences would really help.

TL;DR: I’m 28, educated, employed, and doing “fine” on paper, but I feel stuck, anxious, and unfulfilled. I want to build a personal brand through content creation on the side, and eventually create a third income pillar strong enough to replace my job and give me more freedom. I just don’t know how to approach it.

I’m 28. On paper, my life probably looks pretty good: I have a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, I work out, I have a decent physique, and I have a fairly well-paying job, although the hours are long.

But internally, I feel miserable.

I deal with a lot of anxiety. I’m ambitious, but I’m also inconsistent and procrastinate a lot. That combination has held me back for years.

Before my current job, I was unemployed for a long time. I applied for jobs and learned some basics of shooting videos and creating content, but looking back, I feel like I wasted most of that time. I only posted five videos in five months and got nowhere with it.

Now I’m working a lot, but I don’t feel free. I want to become more independent, travel more, and eventually work from anywhere. I’ve travelled to some places and ever since then I sometimes get this strong feeling that there is a whole different life out there that I’m missing out on, while I’m stuck in my current environment. I know this might partly be FOMO, but the feeling is still there.

Freelancing or building something online appeals to me, but I don’t feel like I have a clear skill I can monetize, despite having two degrees.

My rough plan right now is this: I want to keep my job for financial stability, build a personal brand through content creation on the side, and create a third income pillar that could eventually become strong enough for me to leave my job. Ideally, that third pillar would be through monetizing some skills and work as a freelancer, but I don’t know what it should be yet or how to approach it strategically.

I don’t want to quit impulsively or run away from responsibility. But long term, I don’t want to depend on a traditional job forever either. I want to build something that gives me more control over my time, location, and income.

I feel like I wasted my twenties, and I don’t want to keep going like this.

I have ideas and ideas, but no execution plan. And that sums up my life. Goals and no execution.

For people who have felt lost in their late twenties: how did you find direction? How do you figure out what skill to build, what path to take, and how to actually become more disciplined and independent?

Any practical advice, frameworks, or personal experiences would really help.

I understand that official political recognition is very unlikely, largely because of Armenia’s historically close relationship with Russia, even though that relationship has weakened in recent years. Russia denies the Circassian Genocide, and from what I have seen on Russian subreddits, many Russians deny it as well; some even appear to justify it, which I find deeply disturbing.

Georgia has already recognized the Circassian Genocide, and Ukraine has done so too, although, to be fair, Ukraine’s recognition came only after Russia’s invasion. Turkey has referred to it as a genocide, but there has been no official recognition. A German MP with Circassian roots has also raised the issue in the German parliament.

So I am curious: how is this issue generally viewed by the Armenian public? Is it something people are aware of or is it largely absent from public consciousness in Armenia?

I wanted to introduce Arda Saatci to this subreddit.

He’s an endurance runner from Germany who takes on a new extreme challenge every year. Last year, he ran the full length of Japan. He’s pretty well known in Germany, but I’m not sure how many people here have heard of him. You could describe him as a German version of David Goggins.

This year, his challenge is to run from Badwater in Death Valley to the Santa Monica Pier in under 96 hours. He’s basically running almost non-stop, only taking short 30-minute naps along the way.

Since he’s a sponsored Red Bull athlete, the whole thing is being livestreamed on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/live/l0X5R1hRw8g?is=THkwVVtP9dpTavaM

You can also just search for “Arda Saatci” on YouTube and the livestream should come up.

I’m a third-generation immigrant, born and raised in Germany with Turkish roots. I also spent a year living in Istanbul, so I’ve had the chance to connect both with the Turkish diaspora in Europe and with people actually living in Turkey. My social circle (and even my family) spans a wide political spectrum—from very conservative to very liberal—so I feel like I’ve seen quite a range of perspectives.

From my experience in Germany, where I’ve met many Turks and some Armenians, it often felt like people in the diaspora (not everyone, of course) tend to have more negative views of “the other side.”

However, when I lived in Istanbul, my impression was quite different. Many Turks I met there either had a neutral or even somewhat positive view of Armenians. For example, after the assassination of Hrant Dink (turkish-armenian journalist), thousands of people in Istanbul protested with signs saying “We are all Armenians” (Menk Polorys Hay Enk). I honestly have a hard time imagining a similar reaction among parts of the diaspora in Europe.

I also met a few Armenians living in Istanbul who said they feel equal and don’t experience discrimination in their daily lives and do not feel any hatred. One person told me that while their grandparents held resentment due to past experiences, the younger generations are growing up side by side without those same feelings.

On top of that, Armenia’s current leadership under Pashinyan, who has shown openness toward normalization with Turkey, still seems to have public support.

So my question is:
Is my observation accurate that diaspora communities tend to have different—often more negative or rigid—views on each other compared to people living in Turkey and Armenia themselves?

I’m really hoping to get some input because I’ve been dealing with this for 9 months now and I’m honestly getting pretty frustrated.

About 9 months ago, right after shaving, I physically over-exfoliated my neck. After that, my skin started reacting badly — redness, tightness, irritation. What confused me was that this reaction happened even when I applied my regular moisturizer, which I had used for years without any issues. Minutes after applying, my skin gets red and irritated and sooths after 30min to 1h.

I went to a dermatologist, but to be honest, I wasn’t very satisfied with the visit. She prescribed me a barrier-repair moisturizer for atopic eczema (dexeryl creme) and told me to stop exfoliating completely and never use my old cream again. I tolerate the new cream fine, eventhough my skin is more on the oily side.

But ever since then:

• I can’t use my old moisturizer anymore → it causes redness and burning immediately
• I can’t tolerate perfume at all
• My skin still feels more sensitive and not “normal” like before

It’s been 9 months, and my skin barrier still doesn’t seem to be back to where it used to be.

What bothers me most is that:

• I used to have zero issues with my old products
• Now I react strongly to them
• And I really miss being able to wear perfume normally

Long term, I’d at least like to:

• be able to wear perfume again without irritation
• and maybe eventually exfoliate again

My questions:

• Has anyone experienced something like this after over-exfoliating?
• What was your routine to overcome this?
• And most importantly: is it realistic that my skin can fully recover from this?

I’m planning to see another dermatologist, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve gone through something similar.

Thanks a lot 🙏

https://preview.redd.it/6u6r5t0bbyxg1.jpg?width=717&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4709948a4aad8375c73fe4ad111c3a2afc8940d3

I’m really hoping to get some input because I’ve been dealing with this for 9 months now and I’m honestly getting pretty frustrated.

About 9 months ago, right after shaving, I physically over-exfoliated my neck. After that, my skin started reacting badly — redness, tightness, irritation. What confused me was that this reaction happened even when I applied my regular moisturizer, which I had used for years without any issues. Minutes after applying, my skin gets red and irritated and sooths after 30min to 1h.

I went to a dermatologist, but to be honest, I wasn’t very satisfied with the visit. She prescribed me a barrier-repair moisturizer for atopic eczema (dexeryl creme) and told me to stop exfoliating completely and never use my old cream again. I tolerate the new cream fine, eventhough my skin is more on the oily side.

But ever since then:

• I can’t use my old moisturizer anymore → it causes redness and burning immediately
• I can’t tolerate perfume at all
• My skin still feels more sensitive and not “normal” like before

It’s been 9 months, and my skin barrier still doesn’t seem to be back to where it used to be.

What bothers me most is that:

• I used to have zero issues with my old products
• Now I react strongly to them
• And I really miss being able to wear perfume normally

Long term, I’d at least like to:

• be able to wear perfume again without irritation
• and maybe eventually exfoliate again

My questions:

• Has anyone experienced something like this after over-exfoliating?
• What was your routine to overcome this?
• And most importantly: is it realistic that my skin can fully recover from this?

I’m planning to see another dermatologist, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve gone through something similar.

Thanks a lot 🙏

https://preview.redd.it/fn8wnsy5byxg1.jpg?width=717&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9871a3ccf39254505d95a0eb949c164c7d995497

I’m really hoping to get some input because I’ve been dealing with this for 9 months now and I’m honestly getting pretty frustrated.

About 9 months ago, right after shaving, I physically over-exfoliated my neck. After that, my skin started reacting badly — redness, tightness, irritation. What confused me was that this reaction happened even when I applied my regular moisturizer, which I had used for years without any issues. Minutes after applying, my skin gets red and irritated and sooths after 30min to 1h.

I went to a dermatologist, but to be honest, I wasn’t very satisfied with the visit. She prescribed me a barrier-repair moisturizer for atopic eczema (dexeryl creme) and told me to stop exfoliating completely and never use my old cream again. I tolerate the new cream fine, eventhough my skin is more on the oily side.

But ever since then:

• I can’t use my old moisturizer anymore → it causes redness and burning immediately
• I can’t tolerate perfume at all
• My skin still feels more sensitive and not “normal” like before

It’s been 9 months, and my skin barrier still doesn’t seem to be back to where it used to be.

What bothers me most is that:

• I used to have zero issues with my old products
• Now I react strongly to them
• And I really miss being able to wear perfume normally

Long term, I’d at least like to:

• be able to wear perfume again without irritation
• and maybe eventually exfoliate again

My questions:

• Has anyone experienced something like this after over-exfoliating?
• What was your routine to overcome this?
• And most importantly: is it realistic that my skin can fully recover from this?

I’m planning to see another dermatologist, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve gone through something similar.

Thanks a lot 🙏

https://preview.redd.it/m7wqt1jsnwxg1.jpg?width=947&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e1e6a5702d6a6b9c10a7b8d85cb48fb81d27a11