51–60 of 223 posts
The majority of my life has been out of my hands or control. So it doesn't feel like "my life", rather on a ride I can't get off or interface with. For me to find value in something, it should grant at minimal autonomy.
My goal is a simple one: to just enjoy the life I have. I don't care about leaving behind a legacy, bettering the world, or becoming mind-bogglingly rich. But I do care that I never wake up in the morning and think "why am I doing this?" More concretely I'm working towards FIRE and would like to get a dog. After that, who knows? I'll decide when I get there.
This was my conclusion as well. "Enjoying your life" may seem self-indulgent to some at first. But then you realise that a normal human being has morality, desire to help others and build something built-in, and in order to enjoy life to the fullest you have no choice but to do those things as well.
I wrote this back when I was 18, in response to the question “what kind of life do you want to live?” but I always come back to it. Something about it still resonates with me. “What kind of life do you want to live?” “A life full of color. I couldnt bear to have a boring life: I want my days to be full of joy and pain and laughter and success and failure and broken hearts and love. To be honest I don’t care where I e…
To become one with God, through his commandments, mostly by loving, clothing, and feeding my neighbor. However, my performance is woefully inadequate. Luckily, my God is a loving God, and has me on a PIP, so hopefully we see some good progress with the time I have left.
In the end it's one of those "chop wood, carry water" situations.
Big emotions are only useful for a while.
I quit my job a couple months ago (have a side consulting gig that pays 80% of my expenses for minimal hours) and I have been loving it. I’m so busy! In the past week I have been working on perfecting a French omelette, started sprouting some heirloom seeds for a patio garden, hosted a dinner party, going on hikes/back in the gym. Previous two weeks I went to a few different cities to see old friends (one I grew up with and we had not even spoken for almost 8 years).
I do fine financially, but will never be rich by my own hard work. Maybe I’ll get lucky, but I can’t control that. I don’t know if it is age or the pandemic, but I am very committed to living better now. I am doubling down on healthy measures, working out and being outside more, eating better, and getting away from drinking (took 3 months sober last year and about to go into another 1-2 months sober before summer).
I am making an effort to connect and see old friends and especially family. Lots of phone calls and trips when it works out. I was just on the phone with a sibling for 3.5 hours last night, which was wonderful.
I am splurging on gifts and experiences for family/friends to spread some joy around. I have thrown out a huge chunk of my wardrobe and have been updating that, I’m sick of wearing jeans and a T-shirt and want to feel/look great everyday (I’ve spent about 20k in the last 6 months on awesome clothes/shoes).
The one thing for me right now is people. I’ve missed them. I want to feel great about myself and I want to be with people. Talk to them, enjoy them, help them. “Work” outside of being around people I love will only be for money right now. Don’t want to innovate or care or solve problems for anyone else’s bottom line.
I’m still young enough that I can see this approach to life changing in 2-5 years, but right now I just want to be with and appreciate the many people in my life I have or had great relationships with.
> Basically, I want to grow old doing what I love, not feeling that I am working. That’s where I’m at, now. I was forced into that, but, after a few years, I’ll admit it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m not rich; and likely never will be, but I’m going to be fine. I was considering working for another ten years, and adding more to a pile, but it would have cost me my soul. This was made quite clear to m…
I'm not particularly old (30s) and I am noticing that maybe not the people, but the workplaces are becoming hostile and condescending. Perhaps software divas have earned us the kickback, but it's been enlightening in that it's clear I need to make sure my life and my contentment outside of work is what I'm building up, as that will come with me no matter what I'm doing.
Things that won't be affected if I quit tomorrow include: My fitness achievements, skills on the bike, progress into learning game development, progress into teaching myself a new spoken language, personal relationships, cooking skills...
You get the picture. If you lay it all on the line for work, then you have everything to lose at every job.
The majority of my life has been out of my hands or control. So it doesn't feel like "my life", rather on a ride I can't get off or interface with. For me to find value in something, it should grant at minimal autonomy.
The only real rules are those the universe provides. We may not get to choose our place in the cosmos, but on our own planet? You have autonomy here.
Eh.. In the end it's one of those "chop wood, carry water" situations. Big emotions are only useful for a while.
> Basically, I want to grow old doing what I love, not feeling that I am working. That’s where I’m at, now. I was forced into that, but, after a few years, I’ll admit it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m not rich; and likely never will be, but I’m going to be fine. I was considering working for another ten years, and adding more to a pile, but it would have cost me my soul. This was made quite clear to m…
> Many companies were openly hostile and insulting; right out of the starting gate, and I found that I inevitably ran into at least one person, in subsequent interviews, that started the bullying. I'm not particularly old (30s) and I am noticing that maybe not the people, but the workplaces are becoming hostile and condescending. Perhaps software divas have earned us the kickback, but it's been enlightening in that i…