Rich Dentist Realizes His Life Is Ruined at 42, Advises People Not to Make His Mistakes

A 42-year-old wealthy dentist took it to Reddit after realizing the mistakes he had made in the past. He shared his story to warn other users, so they don't ruin their lives by repeating the same things.

Thousands of Redditors could relate to the man's post since he publicly accepted his mistakes, and most people don't have the confidence to do that.

He had also updated his post, saying he never imagined that so many people would pay attention to his golden advice. He aimed to prevent other people from doing things that he did in the past.

The Redditor with the username waste_of_life_12345 posted his story saying he had "wasted his whole life" and realized that at the age of 42. He introduced himself, saying:

"I am Joe, I have been a lurking for a while."

He confessed he created his Reddit account only for posting this story and didn't know what he was trying to achieve by posting it. He only knew he wanted to help people who were stuck between "passion and safety."

Before revealing his mistake, the man shared his life story from the beginning. At the age of 20, he had dreams of becoming an educator or social worker. He was a young man who believed he could change the world.

He confessed he hated every minute of dental school.

Despite being the popular one in school, he decided to date one girl who was now his wife. He cared for her and always considered her advice when making life decisions.

At that time, he was doing a job that he loved, but it didn't pay him well. Worried for him, his parents and girlfriend asked him to quit his job and pursue a profession that would pay him well. He explained:

"They convinced me to take dentistry and I did."

In hopes of earning a good living, OP (Original Poster) chose dentistry over teaching, but he wasn't satisfied with it. He confessed he hated every minute of dental school.

People around him kept reassuring him that his dental degree would enable him to earn well. Ultimately, he graduated as a dentist, looking forward to becoming wealthy.

He got a 9-5 job and married his girlfriend. His life had become exhausting because he didn't enjoy his work and his monotonous lifestyle started taking a toll on his mental health. He explained:

" I did not want to be in a place where my back would ache, neck would ache and it was not solving the real cause of the problem, but just the result of what happens after people let go of their teeth."

He revealed that even after earning millions, he couldn't solve his problems. He was suffering from chronic pain, and his children weren't interested in connecting with him.

OP also shared that his wife wasn't attracted to him anymore because he had gained weight. He also confessed she was cheating on him with an older man. He explained:

"I have seen her phone and confirmed this, but I will not bring it up because I don’t have anyone except her left in my life."

He believed if he confronted his wife, she would leave him, and so would the kids because they were closer to their mother than him. He was afraid of losing his family.

OP blamed his choice of choosing dentistry over his passion for all of his life problems. He believed he should have stuck to his passion when he was young, saying:

"I truly have made a joke out of the one life I was given by choosing money, stability, safety, other people’s opinions over my real passions."

After sharing his story, the man asked other users not to abandon their passion because of another career that would make them wealthy. He

:

"To all the people stuck between money/stability/safety and passions, just chase your passions because the safe path does not guarantee that you’ll live a life that was worth living."

Some users felt sad for OP, while others shared similar stories of leaving their passion for pursuing something that didn't interest them.

A Reddit user named zhenichka posted a list of steps for OP to follow. She believed he needed to consult a pain specialist, talk to his kids, and get a meal plan for himself. She also advised him to work with a charity organization as a dentist.

Most Redditors told OP he could still follow his passion. If you liked reading this article, you might like this one about a family who received a call from an unknown person claiming he was in their backyard.