Doing something with your life

A phrase referring to the concept of having a steady job, doing work for the community, and owning things that society favors. The opposite would be a jobless, vagrant, boozing, or destructive person.

The idea is that if you dont fit into a role that society feels is beneficial to it, then you are wasting your life and burdening others. Parents often use the phrase to express satisfaction or irritation over the lives of their children compared to their expectations.

Having a steady job, doing what is expected of you and, in general, being a responsible adult is the easy way out. Don't do it. Follow your dreams. Scandalize your uncle and your pastor. Make the world a more magical place.

I am doing something with my life. I'm not a lawyer or a doctor ... I haven't saved anyone's life lately (or ever, as far as I know). I live a life that is, while interesting to me, no more remarkable than anyone else's.

Exactly!

I am doing no more than anyone else out there, and I am doing something with my life. We are all doing something. The way that we live, how we speak, what we do, every little moment of every day affects millions of other people.

By living, I am changing the world. Sometimes, I have to be reminded of that.