Don't criticise yourself too much, my dear.

Just focus on what matters, what really matters to you. As I stumbled upon this phrase, " how much of what is weighing you down isn't yours to carry?"

What gives you joy? What makes you relieve? What makes you think "oh, life is beautiful!"? You mind might tell you follow the predictable paths, because that's rational and logical, while your heart tells you however I am afraid I love different things. You might be criticising yourself, that's irresponsible and irrelevant, you should aim all to be successful. So you will not regret in later years. Because you will have all the wonderful and beautiful things later in your life. They are protection. Make sure you have something to fall back on when you fail. Maybe in the end, what has been holding you back is your fear. Your fear of having nothings in the end while others are building a successful life. But ask yourself, be honest with yourself, is their life what you want?

Jung said, sacrifice is the foundation of what to come. I thought his mean was sacrifice today's pleasure for tomorrow happiness. However Nietzsche tells in his work, one cannot bear a meaningless life. Human being can live with suffering. What they cannot live is with meaningless suffering. Suffering for no reason at all. 

One likes philosophy, doesn't mean he must become an philosopher. One is interested in maths and science, doesn't mean he must be a mathematician. One likes investing, it doesn't mean has to be an investment analyst. One likes to sing, it doesn't mean he has to be a singer. But figure out the core intelligent-self that you aren't aware of. You might be a deep thinker. You might be still figuring things out at your own pace. As Jordan Peterson says, compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today. that's just so irrelevant and self destructive. 

You can always design you own life plan that makes you exciting and that might look interesting. "Try and do something more than you might think you are capable of, you will surprise yourself. " "It took a lot of work" - Peggy Whitson