> The problem is that by 35 you can't get by on novelty anymore because you've seen some version of everything there is to see.
This could not possibly be true. You have only just begun. The mere thimble full fo knowledge and experience that you have accumulated thus far is nothing compared to what lies ahead. But only you can make it happen. Make a decision. Take an action. The comments here are loaded with wonderful and practical advice. Louis Pasteur: "Chance favors the prepared mind".
Also consider this (this is a quote that I cannot give attribution for): "In youth we struggle with illusion of certainty. As we grow older we struggle with the certainty of illusion." We create the worlds that we live in. It is easier to follow a path that mimics and conforms to the structure of your environment. It is much more difficult to break away and define and follow your own journey. The feedback is not avaialble so you have to rely on your own internal compass. The choice is yours.
The novelty you experience when doing something new must decrease over time. To say otherwise is to say the world is infinite, which it definitely is not.
At some point the buzz one gets from the novelty of new experiences is not enough to make a satisfying life. That's when it's time to look for source of meaning for your life.
It's different for everyone. For me and the OP it happened rather quickly.
> The novelty you experience when doing something new must decrease over time.
It goes up and down at different stages in your life.
When you're a child, everything is new, so nothing is. Everything that exists in your childhood is Normal. It might be completely new to your parents, but you've never known otherwise.
As you grow up, you get used to this normality, and new things are novel, but not that novel yet, because they're still close to what you know as Normal from your childhood.
As you get older, new stuff gets increasingly removed from your Normal, and you're amazed by it. At some point, you get used to that feeling of amazement. You get used to getting new stuff all the time. And sometimes it doesn't impact you as much because you're already completely invested in all the old stuff. Although still there sometimes is new stuff that you can't avoid, and it uproots everything. (Think internet banking for old people who have banked on paper for all their lives.)
And then you start to realize that all the Normal stuff from your childhood was probably also completely novel at the time.
The worlds is big enough to keep finding new things! Not to mention all the new things that are constantly being invented! Recently I have been playing Flight Simulator in VR… just remembering how was to play Flight Simulator 95 back on the days to how it is now my mind is blown! Or better… with a bunch of friend we started enhancing our DnD sessions with very cool AR glasses that we got as backer of a very nice kickstart! The world is full of wonders! To find something new and amazing you have just to look for it!
This could not possibly be true. You have only just begun. The mere thimble full fo knowledge and experience that you have accumulated thus far is nothing compared to what lies ahead. But only you can make it happen. Make a decision. Take an action. The comments here are loaded with wonderful and practical advice. Louis Pasteur: "Chance favors the prepared mind".
Also consider this (this is a quote that I cannot give attribution for): "In youth we struggle with illusion of certainty. As we grow older we struggle with the certainty of illusion." We create the worlds that we live in. It is easier to follow a path that mimics and conforms to the structure of your environment. It is much more difficult to break away and define and follow your own journey. The feedback is not avaialble so you have to rely on your own internal compass. The choice is yours.