corsechris Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Wow, you guys worry far too much....in the grand scheme, absolutely everything we do is utterly and totally pointless.....enjoy your time however feels right for you. Just try not to be too much of a dick while doing it and I reckon you've done all you could. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Nobody gets out of this alive. As long as you have enough dosh to do the things you want to do, anything else is a bonus. After 26 years in the military and able to get the early pension and paying off the mortgage I'm in the happy position of working as much or as little as I want for myself. The freedom of not being in the rat race is liberating and I have no desire to work for anyone ever again! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue ass fly Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I spent my 20's climbing within a large company to a position i thought i wanted , then resented it as the people underneath me were far less stressed and generally happier with their lot I now do as much as possible to ensure i dont have anything to stress over and when i do sometimes think i want more i look around and take stock of what i already have Usually stops my greed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I'm quitting work next year. I'll be 56. Loads of folk ask how will I manage without working....they seem to assume that one has to keep up the same income. We'll have a roof, food, we've got a nice but inexpensive toy (Westy), we are happy with where we are living. Good enough for me. If I happen to pick up some part time work, great, we can then have a nice holiday somewhere hot from time to time. If not, no worries. Used to hate where we lived - holidays were the only thing we looked forward to. Over the year, average happiness was low, with short sharp spikes when we manged to get away. Now we've moved, we are so much happier all the time, so despite no longer having the happy holiday spikes, the integral of happiness with time is larger. Personally, I've never been afflicted with a career. I've only ever had jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarmanUK Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Every business needs the managers but it also needs the workers. I am happy to be a worker and I am happy for the younger ambitious people around me push for more. I work 8.00am to 4.00pm and then go home without stress. The managers all work longer hours and take work home. I am not interested in any of that nonsense. I like my free time to enjoy playing music is various bands and enjoying the car when I can. I can afford the things I want and want for very little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkFRST Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 There are people here that work all the hours they can find to 'succeed', what is the point? they cant enjoy life as they are always away from home staying in hotels - just so you can have a few expensive holidays in the year or the next new Mercedes on finance. If you can work enough to be happy and buy the things you need in life that's much better. See your family and have a bit of fun in the Westie while you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyonspride Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Some good points, but some of you assume that everyone has the typical "wannabe middle class ambitions", the management job, the German saloon on the drive, the 4 bedroomed detached house, the 2-3 kids, the German shepard and the horse/pony for daughter No1. My ambitions revolve(d) around creating things, solving problems and making a difference. If I happen to make a wad of cash on the way then so be it, but that's not what's important to me. Unfortunately people like me either get used by the above OR feared by them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwarks Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I worked hard, did bags of studying at night, did 2 nights a week at college for years to get my HNC in Computer Science, got various industry standard security qualifications, do I get any better thought of at work? Not one iota, I'm in my 50s now, I missed my kids growing up 'cus I was always working away doing what I thought was best, 'caveman scenario' I'm told where we are wired to provide .. As you mature you have a different view on life, priorities change, I don't work above my contracted hours these days, I see little point unless its for personal gain, I value my time at home with my family and dog .. and driving my Westy. I know its a well repeated phrase but "You live to work or you work to live". Do what makes you happy, you are only here once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhutch Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Should have been a tube driver.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Should have been a tube driver.... I was honestly shocked to see they were paid c.£50k with 40-something days holiday. Presume there was some usual 'artistic license' taken by the press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyonspride Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I worked hard, did bags of studying at night, did 2 nights a week at college for years to get my HNC in Computer Science, got various industry standard security qualifications, do I get any better thought of at work? Not one iota, I'm in my 50s now, I missed my kids growing up 'cus I was always working away doing what I thought was best, 'caveman scenario' I'm told where we are wired to provide .. As you mature you have a different view on life, priorities change, I don't work above my contracted hours these days, I see little point unless its for personal gain, I value my time at home with my family and dog .. and driving my Westy. I know its a well repeated phrase but "You live to work or you work to live". Do what makes you happy, you are only here once Should have done a useless degree in sports science or media studies, you'd be top level management by now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwarks Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Should have done a useless degree in sports science or media studies, you'd be top level management by now! ..... and how right you are, still I often sit back with crossed arms and say I predicted the global cyber issue 15 years ago .. I was told I was a doom merchant ... "Why on earth would places like China want my details ... whats in it for them ... ?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbaldbloke Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 "Should I worry about my lack of ambition..?" Absolutely not, be your own man, there is so much more to life than being what others expect you to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikef Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Some thoughts on ambition............. A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village and an American tourist asked the fisherman how long it took him to catch his fish. “Not long,” answered the Mexican. ‘So why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?’ asked the American. The Mexican explained his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked: ‘But what do you do with the rest of your time?’ “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go to the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.” The American interrupted: ‘I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. ‘With the extra revenue you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second and third and so on until you have a fleet of trawlers. ‘Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe open your own plant. ‘You can then leave this village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles or even New York. From there you can direct your enterprises.’ “How long would that take?” asked the Mexican. ‘Oh, twenty, maybe twenty-five years,’ replied the American. “And after that?” queried the Mexican. ‘That’s when it gets really interesting,’ answered the American. ‘ When your business gets really big, you can sell stocks and make millions.’ “Millions? And then what?” asked the Mexican. ‘After that you will be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and playing the guitar.’ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I've been thinking about this thread, and the interesting contributions. What we're all saying is that you need to make enough to be happy and not to sacrifice enjoyment at the altar of promotion and pay rises. Mike F's post above is spot on in that respect. I suppose one of the things that's making me think is 16 year old son. Bright, computer games obsessed, hormonally challenged in the true 'Kevin and Perry' tradition, but I have no idea what he wants to do with his future although he's murmured about becoming a recording/sound technician. We have never pushed him to do anything just because it is expected - if he goes to uni, fine, but if he's happier with an apprenticeship I'd be equally proud. I suppose the only thing I would want him to do that I did was to go as far as he could and to know what he was capable of. My fear would be of him getting to my age and looking back thinking 'if only.....' but I don't see any spark of ambition yet, and I don't know if I should be worried or not. I knew from the age of 10 that I wanted to join the RAF and got to a fairly senior level. I was working at the ragged edge of what I could do without burning out - I just missed out on being the staff officer who would have carried the can for the whole 'Iraq body armour' scandal when I turned down the post so I could see more of my family; a decision which effectively meant I jumped off the promotion treadmill. If I'd taken that job and come out in one piece I could have achieved at least one more promotion, but I would probably have been the embodiment of the 'Peter Principle' i.e. being promoted to a level of incompetence, and only then being found out. My professional satisfaction is in the most part realising that I know I went as far as I could go, so I had no regrets on leaving the mob and doing something I wanted to do, but which had a lot less money and prestige. In truth, I've not noticed the lack of either. I just hope my kids get that opportunity, particularly my son, because at the moment I don't see where the same opportunity for professional satisfaction will come from. All the jobs seem to be open plan office/call centre hell while all of the interesting decisions are made by machines, not managers and all the interesting things are made by CNC or 3D printers rather than skill of hand. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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