Unless you're a hideous monster which you aren't, not being good-looking is the biggest motivator there is.

Being good-looking is a drug that's hard to come off. You get used to it and aging is brutal. Seeing yourself inevitably lose this power and not being able to do anything against it. Constantly trying to preserve it as you attached your identity to it. Coasting through life until you're 40 without developing other crucial skills of social skills or skills of other nature because you didn't have to. Now you're getting older, your looks are starting to fade while other non-good-looking people had to develop themselves in various ways.. Skills, traits and attributes that have much longer longevity than looks which fade so rapidly. Now you can't rely on your looks anymore and everybody around you could snowball you with their competence and personality. Developing deeper intrapersonal connections as a consequence.

When you get older, you realize it's true what all the ancient traditions say : External validation is not the solution.

Plus, I'm not coping as I'm not bad-looking. I just see average dudes around being happy as fuck all the time. Meanwhile a friend and I constantly worry about the loss of attractiveness through balding and what not.

Think about it. The most interesting people are never the best-looking people. The funniest people are never 6'3 chiseled greek gods because they don't have to be. You don't get interviewed for hitting the asthetic lottory. "So, what was it like to be born like this?" No, you get interviewed for overcoming hardships, being creative and helping people.

Cheers, my friends