You’re feeling down because you don’t have the time, you don’t have the energy, and you don’t have the foundation you feel you need to be successful. You’ve arrived too late; you are too far behind to catch up to the person you want to be.

Nobody told you and you didn’t know any better at the time—you really can’t blame yourself, but it still feels unfair. The younger we are, the more opportunities we have, yet the easier it is to waste those opportunities.

I wish I would have spent a summer or two learning how to repair houses or cars. I wish I knew more about political affairs. I wish I had started exercising, eating right, and saving money a long time ago. I wish I would have figured out my career interests without years of trial and error. I wish I would have held on to certain friendships. I wish I were bringing more to the world than I currently do. I imagine how the focus, drive, and vision I have today could be applied to my less-focused, less-driven past with amazing results—and I feel useless. I’m so far behind now, what’s the point? Others whose lives have worked out better are leading the charge instead.

Yet…we very badly need me and we very badly need you. You are right that if you could do it all over again you would likely be measurably further along by now (in some ways at least). You are right that many fortunate others figured things out more quickly, locked into their perfect career, became more worldly, and made too many friends to keep track of. Compared to you and the rest of us, they appear to be stronger, more knowledgeable, more secure in their future, and happier. In many ways they are who we want to be. But your struggle, your loss, and your pain give you a perspective on success that the fortunate ones do not have. You will likely not advance as far in your late-start pursuits as the individuals who got on the right road immediately. But you can better appreciate the road. You can capitalize on your outsider’s perspective to create your journey in ways they cannot. There is immense value in missing out, and it is not just the most decorated individuals who lead and succeed in profoundly important ways. People like you have a tendency to take others by surprise, and in the process quickly earn a lot of respect.

Would it have been better to travel the straight, smooth path? You veered off course and have at last been blessed with the opportunity to become your best self. Your struggle, grief, and nagging sense of being forever behind constantly threaten to drag you down. However, you can leverage the perspective your experience provides and become an incredible asset to the world. We unquestionably need you.