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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

#31

Post by skeeter2020 »

First, I recognize that the opportunity for this sort of focus is an incredibly rare and selfish privilege. Very few people are afforded to opportunity to not be all-consumed with just surviving. I'm not saying it's bad or that we should feel guilty, just that it is very important to recognize the reality and be thankful.

Second, I focus on two things: riding bikes and building stuff. I stay on track by examining the artifacts produced, but focus on the act of doing. Progress encourages practice.

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

#33

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

> 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 me, when I started interviewing, after leaving my previous job, of almost 27 years.

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 pretty much certain that it’s because I’m older, although it may also be the zeitgeist of today’s tech working culture.

Made it clear, that, even if the company hired me, they would be treating me with disrespect.

So I took my toys and went home. Very grateful to have the means to do so.

And I’ve gotten used to setting my own agenda, without insecure middle managers or cow orkers crapping all over my work.

I never stopped “working.” In fact, I’ve “worked” harder in the last four years, than I ever did, when I was earning a paycheck.

But it barely feels like work.

I plan to keep "working" until the day I pop my clogs. The coroner will need to rub "YTЯƎWϘ" off my cheek.

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

#34

Post by fullstackchris »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #31

First, I recognize that the opportunity for this sort of focus is an incredibly rare and selfish privilege. Very few people are afforded to opportunity to not be all-consumed with just surviving. I'm not saying it's bad or that we should feel guilty, just that it is very important to recognize the reality and be thankful. Second, I focus on two things: riding bikes and building stuff. I stay on track by examining the…

Definitely. Part of this priviledge should truly be sharing your knowledge and helping others in need. It's almost a given in my book.

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

#36

Post by golergka »

barrucadu wrote: post #21

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.

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

#38

Post by 52-6F-62 »

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 surprise, especially when you can make such a great living targeting people in ads better, roping them into buying more useless crap by confusing their own personal philosophical journey while stumbling face-first into your own.

Everyone has to face down the abyss at some point. Usually at many points. It's interesting to hear about the 'journey' from people who've spent their careers heaving people into that abyss (metaphorically speaking, of course)...

I agree, though. If more people faced the reality that: they do not know why any of us are here, and that there is no rule that dictates tomorrow, that we didn't exist at one point and one day will die (and even further, how we figure we are at all extricable from our surroundings)... then I think people would make vastly different choices.

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