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I decided that I must live my life on my terms

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Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#181

Post by hugohamelcom »

slothtrop wrote: post #104

The language used suggests to me a possible cycle of ennui -> "a-ha" moments of emotional investment -> confusion as to why having rationalized a purpose doesn't lead to consistent gratification, or uncertainty over said purpose -> "what is my purpose?". Repeat. What you specified as something you love are abstractions, removed from the action/labor. There are many jobs that solve problems, there are many ways to inn…

I love that framework! I definitively agree that I could be more specific, and overall, my pleasure is in building things and improving things. Independently of what it is, from coding to manual work. I simply love having these small success and accomplishments.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#182

Post by hugohamelcom »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #164
tehnub wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main thing I take issue with in your comment is the criticism of "Making the world a better place". What exactly is wrong with that? Nothing, I say. Maybe you're thinking of those who have co-opted that phrase to do bad, selfish things. There's nothing wrong with making your surroundings, your community, and beyond, a better place.

"Making the world a better place" is a trope that Silicon Valley was making fun of. Every startup thinks they're making the world a better place and the phrase has lost its meaning. https://youtu.be/B8C5sjjhsso https://danielfschmidt.medium.com/is-your-startup-trying-to-... Unless your goal is to eliminate poverty, homelessness, disease, hunger, human trafficking, climate change, or assist with any other humanitarian…

I totally agree, that "making the world a better place" has become more of a placeholder than anything else. What I was referring to, is more of about finding problems to solve that will help people. It doesn't have to be a world impact, but if I can help 1 person do 1 thing only 1% better, that's good enough. Because, then, this small improvement can do the same and snowball into something massive that later on could have a ripple effect. That's mostly my goal.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#183

Post by hugohamelcom »

yoyonamite wrote: post #174

True liberation is non-attachment. By attaching yourself to doing something that you love, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. Is this really what I love? Is my solution actually helping anyone? Will I have to make compromises to better monetize my solution? I've been working on this project for a year and don't feel like I've made a meaningful innovation. Some people go down this path and everything w…

That's definitively a good perspective, and a great reminder!

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#185

Post by Dayshine »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #164
tehnub wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main thing I take issue with in your comment is the criticism of "Making the world a better place". What exactly is wrong with that? Nothing, I say. Maybe you're thinking of those who have co-opted that phrase to do bad, selfish things. There's nothing wrong with making your surroundings, your community, and beyond, a better place.

"Making the world a better place" is a trope that Silicon Valley was making fun of. Every startup thinks they're making the world a better place and the phrase has lost its meaning. https://youtu.be/B8C5sjjhsso https://danielfschmidt.medium.com/is-your-startup-trying-to-... Unless your goal is to eliminate poverty, homelessness, disease, hunger, human trafficking, climate change, or assist with any other humanitarian…

I spend my free time making IDE tooling used by thousands to make game mods played by millions. Am I making the world a better place?

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#186

Post by bjelkeman-again »

jacknews wrote: post #65
bjelkeman-again wrote: post #25

Good! For me it is working on stuff, that others seem too think is too hard, that make a difference. The last few years it is about improved food production systems. Tight nutrient loops with better food, in every aspect, as the end result. It seems to be working too.

Please tell. I'm also interested, in the grand-scheme intellectual side, but also in the practical side, particularly where it's applicable to smallholders in 'developing' nations.

Heart of the system is aquaponics. Fish and veg in closed water loop. Some internal waste from the plants, plus wheat bran, become food for insect larvae. They make up to 40% of the fish feed. We complement the feed with locally grown mussels, which take nutrients back from the sea, into the system.

Instead of a nutrient loop that stretches across half the world (for example phosphor from Morocco to Brazil, chop down rainforest to grow soy, soy to fish feed for Norwegian salmon, dump the excess nutrients in the sea), we can create a local/regional nutrient loop, with extremely little leakage to the ecosystem.

It will look different for a smallholder in a poorer country, you have to research, but I think it did possible there too.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#187

Post by sjg007 »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #38
cosmiccatnap wrote: post #10

I think many frequent users of HN should really consider this more. I'm glad you are enjoying Vue but it's also your kids 3rd birthday and your dad's 68th and neither of those things hit you as hard as transpiling some js? Priorities are lost in the hustle culture that silicon valley built and you are punished for not doing it constantly. It's toxic and we need to do better, there are more important things than a com…

In this very thread there are people spouting pop-philosophical aphorisms who spend their working days building out machine learning algorithms to help target people in ads better. It's more than toxic, it's ailing. It's not just HN, it's the general inability of people to perceive themselves. These things are taught in the humanities, a field of study that's pretty poo-pooed in the tech world as nonsense. It's no su…

That ML and those targeted ads may help identify a depressed teenager and help them get help. A lot of folks who are depressed, especially kids, do not know that they are. And many adults in their lives do not see it either.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#188

Post by 8bitsrule »

No argument with the wisdom in those words. Be vigilant in protecting your choices. Events and misunderstandings will arise at inopportune times, mistakes will be made. Moments will test our resolve, try to confuse us, to throw us off-balance. Move aside, then regain the course.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#189

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

s5ma6n wrote: post #180
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #108

> I've spent my whole life trying to find my purpose I've always been puzzled at how so many people expect to find "purpose". Nobody has "purpose". You weren't placed on Earth for a reason. You only exist due to the luck of your parents getting laid. And quite frankly, 99.9% of the population will be unremarkable, even if you restrict that 99.9% to first-world countries. I don't expect to have an impact on the world…

But why would the money or the minimum wage job that one has should change their ideals or "endgame" goals? Maybe in other words, why would anyone should ask to grow old doing something they don't love?

Your question isn't grounded in reality.

For nearly everybody, money determines if you can achieve your "endgame" goals. If my "endgame" goal is to retire on a cruise ship and travel the world while sipping Mai-Tais by the pool, I'm not going to achieve that working minimum wage.

If my ideal life is just sitting around playing video games, I'm not going to achieve that without doing some work somewhere to pay the bills.

The romantic notion that people should stop working jobs they hate and just do what they love only works in one of three scenarios:

1. You have enough money saved that you don't have to make a wage to pay the bills

2. "What you love" also happens to be very profitable.

3. "What you love" is living in a tent downtown begging people for change so you can eat your next meal.

Re: I decided that I must live my life on my terms

#190

Post by kentlyons »

FinanceAnon wrote: post #85

I've never heard of Alex Hormozi, but from googling it looks like he is a typical youtube guru selling scam courses on how to get rich. Seriously, I wouldn't listen to anything that he says.

He totally is a sales guy. But his is clearly wicked smart. He has also had a good deal of self made success rather early in life. Beyond that, he also has a rather interesting perspective - not that interesting is enough to warrant following of course. I'd suggest watching the podcasts he did not too long ago with Graham Stephan. I'm not sure I'd follow what he says, but his perspectives are thought provoking.
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