What's the point of working your ass off your whole life?

[Shockwave]

I dont really care about how other people live.

I simply honestly dont understand WHY people work to get a bigger TV, house and car. Whats so great about about that compared to having more TIME ?

Some people don't value time as much as you do. People have different priorities, some people don't enjoy having free time or living a slow life... some people do.

Its not one size fits all... some people look at what you do and think "why the fuck would I want to waste my time doing that, when I could be doing *insert whatever here*?"

Thats the point.,,, everyone has different ideas on what makes them  happy, and no 2 people are goign to agree.'
'
I personally enjoy a modest, easy going life, but I would never, ever want to backpack across Europe. Not my thing.

Im in Germany right now on business, and all I can think about is getting home to my wife.

[kofo]

Some people don't value time as much as you do. People have different priorities, some people don't enjoy having free time or living a slow life... some people do.

Its not one size fits all... some people look at what you do and think "why the fuck would I want to waste my time doing that, when I could be doing *insert whatever here*?"

Thats the point.,,, everyone has different ideas on what makes them  happy, and no 2 people are goign to agree.'
'
I personally enjoy a modest, easy going life, but I would never, ever want to backpack across Europe. Not my thing.

Im in Germany right now on business, and all I can think about is getting home to my wife.

Sure I get that.

But aint it a bit sad if a person doesnt even THINK that "I wish I had more time to *insert whatever here*" ?

[Shockwave]

Sure I get that.

But aint it a bit sad if a person doesnt even THINK that "I wish I had more time to *insert whatever here*" ?

Not if they don't feel they need more time for whatever it is. If they feel they have adequate time to do whatever they enjoy and still work full time, then I guess they're happy. I know I personally wish I didn't have to work 40hrs week, but I do to support my family and have enough money for us to go do things with our free time.

[kofo]

Not if they don't feel they need more time for whatever it is. If they feel they have adequate time to do whatever they enjoy and still work full time, then I guess they're happy. I know I personally wish I didn't have to work 40hrs week, but I do to support my family and have enough money for us to go do things with our free time.

I believe most people work a lot to buy toys because they are brought up that way and because society works in that way.

Its not like they make a conscious choice, should I work or explore, they just act on autopilot.

[dustin]

Can't wait til Dustin and shocks kids turn out to be ingrate burnouts and squander everything

Nah, not at all, man. Everyone else our age complains about their rent payment bouncing or not understanding where their last paycheque went. But that's not us. No one in our family will ever become ungrateful through being spoiled. They'll get the same hard lessons we did. We grew up BRUTALLY poor and everyone in my family learned from it. Wife's family came here from a refugee camp in Thailand and all her siblings all bought houses in cash before their 30's.

None of us are ungrateful for anything and no one's coasted by on someone else's hard work. Thanks for your concern though. If you move to the west coast then let me know. I'll have more rental properties if you're interested. You sound like a renter. Must have good references though, I don't like deadbeats.

[Tedim]

Another fox and grapes thread.....

[MCWAY]

Why do people spend so much time at work.

Why not spend less on house, car and stupid stuff, and work less ?

That extra time could be spent with friends, family, excercising, making healthy meals, engaging in hobbies and interests, talking a walk, trekking and camping, fishing, hunting, travel. I mean, just living your life...

Are we brainwashed by the system from early age. Having to spend most of the day in school and then do homework. Like that we should not develop time comsuming interests that could conflict future working "career".
The media and commercials brainwash us into this comsumer spending trap. But I am starting to wonder if it really makes us happy.

Who are you kidding? You want the 'toys'; you just want the government and/or your parents to give them to you vs. you busting your @$$ to get them.

It appears you're the one who's brainwashed by lazy liberalism.

Camping, fishing, hunting, traveling, etc.........That ain't free and certainly not cheap. You're buying into the BS that SOMEBODY ELSE should work hard; so that you don't have to do so.

At some point, SOMEBODY is paying for this mess.

Besides, you act as if it's an either/or routine. For years, I've put in 60+ hours a week working. Yet, for some reason, I've managed to pump iron 4 times a week, go on date nights with my wife, vacations with my wife and my kids, etc.

Doing all these extracuricular activites is much easier when you have MONEY in your pocket. With regards to the iron thing, for some reason I found that the harder I work and more money I make, the easier it is to train at the gym, buy food (steak, chicken, fish, veggies), get supplements (notwithstanding my affinity for finding clearance sales at GNC) and so forth.

BTW, Ronnie Coleman won 3 Olympias while working as a full-time cop. I'm just sayin'.

Or just live low and work less, with less savings of course. But with a well lived life ?

Been there, done that!! It's called being PO'!

No thanks!!!

[MCWAY]

    An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

    “How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.

    “Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.

    “Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.

    “I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.

    “But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”

    The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”

    The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

    “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

    The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”

    To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

    “But what then, senor?”

    The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

    “Millions, senor? Then what?”

    The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”

Would these be some of the same Mexicans, breaking their necks to sneak into the United States?

[MCWAY]

Sounds like a bunch of underachieving lazy bums trying to justify their life style while making fun of those with a work ethic. Keep voting Democrat and maybe they will take more taxes out of the producers to help you out. Remember those nice vacations and car you wouldn't be able to afford if you weren't living free in your Mom's house.  Houses cost money. Food, house taxes, cars, electricity, heat, furniture, water, vacations, taking care of children, and the list goes on cost money. Have you figured what it cost to feed a family of just 4 for a month?

I worked hard working all kinds of crazy shifts sometimes driving over 100 miles to work. What did I get for this? A 3000 sq ft house that excludes the other 1500sq ft that I have for a  gym with an in ground pool. Two new cars and I retired at 52.

No one is going to give you anything. Work is called work. I know some of you won't work because you think your college degree entitles you to an office with a secretary. No it entitles you to an entry level job that you can work up from. A college degree today is the high school diploma of my youth.

TESTIFY, BROTHER!!!

[MCWAY]

I find working 40 hours a complete waste of time. I only work my shitty job because it offers me good health insurance. Maybe if I had a better job I would have a different outlook.

I haven't worked a mere 40 hours a week in YEARS!!! That's pratically a vacation.

[ProudVirgin69]

You know what we call people who work 40 hours a week?

SLACKERS!!!

What about fatso naturals like yourself that force-feed to get the scale to move up

[MCWAY]

What about fatso naturals like yourself that force-feed to get the scale to move up

You mean what about twigs like you who've been a buck fifty for years on end who can hardly bench their own bodyweight?

[MCWAY]

If you want to live the good life stay single, don't have any kids and save your money

Try (in this order):

1) Education
2) Job
3) Wife
4) Kids

It works great for a lot of people, myself included.

[cephissus]

Nah, not at all, man. Everyone else our age complains about their rent payment bouncing or not understanding where their last paycheque went. But that's not us. No one in our family will ever become ungrateful through being spoiled. They'll get the same hard lessons we did. We grew up BRUTALLY poor and everyone in my family learned from it. Wife's family came here from a refugee camp in Thailand and all her siblings all bought houses in cash before their 30's.

None of us are ungrateful for anything and no one's coasted by on someone else's hard work. Thanks for your concern though. If you move to the west coast then let me know. I'll have more rental properties if you're interested. You sound like a renter. Must have good references though, I don't like deadbeats.

haha, while i was kidding, my man.  i actually do have one piece of advice, if you're willing to listen: think twice before you attempt to instill your kids with the same exact values you had.  

i'm, in a sense, one generation "ahead" of you.  my parents were both quite poor, and they were the ones who worked hard and made lots of money.  your original post could have been written by my dad, and i wouldn't have batted an eye.  he and my mom took every effort to ensure my siblings and i got a severe upbringing, nonetheless, so that we would take up the values they cherished and believed in so strongly.

well, the fact is, like me, your kids will grow up in a different environment than you did.  it's VERY likely they won't ever see eye-to-eye with you.  and if everything works out with them, and somehow they adopt your attitude entirely, the struggle is going to be twice as great when it comes to their children.  assuming they acquire your wealth, your descendents will lose the values you try to pass down, sooner or later.

my advice is: don't try to force a square peg in a round hole.  it's futile.  understand that things are going to have to change.

anyway, i AM a renter (hope i never own a house), and i do live on the west coast.  we should get in touch

[polychronopolous]

No they wouldn't. I used to feel the same way, but what I have found over the years is that only a select few really want an alternative lifestyle of working less, but having more free time, along with more money.

They say they want it, ...but when push comes to shove, they're not willing to take the actions necessary to achieve this. They'd rather talk about it, ...but when it comes to actually taking the action steps to bring it into fruition, they instead opt for 'Dancing With The Stars"

The "system" has been extremely successful at pacifying & indoctrinating her slaves.

Just like the lifetime criminal who feels lost out in the real world who commits crimes in order to return to the familiar comfort of incarceration, most people welcome the familiarity of their slavery.

Man has been designed to work and labor since the beginning of his existence. It's as simple as that.

"By the sweat of your brow you will eat" -Book of Genesis

[dustin]

haha, while i was kidding, my man.  i actually do have one piece of advice, if you're willing to listen: think twice before you attempt to instill your kids with the same exact values you had.  

i'm, in a sense, one generation "ahead" of you.  my parents were both quite poor, and they were the ones who worked hard and made lots of money.  your original post could have been written by my dad, and i wouldn't have batted an eye.  he and my mom took every effort to ensure my siblings and i got a severe upbringing, nonetheless, so that we would take up the values they cherished and believed in so strongly.

well, the fact is, like me, your kids will grow up in a different environment than you did.  it's VERY likely they won't ever see eye-to-eye with you.  and if everything works out with them, and somehow they adopt your attitude entirely, the struggle is going to be twice as great when it comes to their children.  assuming they acquire your wealth, your descendents will lose the values you try to pass down, sooner or later.

my advice is: don't try to force a square peg in a round hole.  it's futile.  understand that things are going to have to change.

anyway, i AM a renter (hope i never own a house), and i do live on the west coast.  we should get in touch

Hahaha, nice!! Well for reals, if you're ever in BC then fire me a PM!

Very sound advices. I would listen to them on the day of the competition. I think the one good thing my wife and I have going is our upbringings. I'm so happy to have grown up so brutally poor because I'd probably be a real sack of shit if I didn't see the darker side of things. Some people crumble from experiences like that but I had a positive outlook, I kind of lucked out in that respect. I don't ever want my kids to experience that but I also want to make sure I don't cater to their every whim. My parents took no bullshit from me and I won't take any bullshit from my kids.

I'm really happy to have kids at a young age too. I'm turning 28 next month and I feel like I'm 16 half the time, but the other half I feel like I'm 60. My daughter's just turning 4 months old and we plan on having another one before or around we turn 30. My parents had me at a younger age and my wife's parents had her at an older age, so we've got a good mix going on. I'm just really pumped and I think that because we actually WANT kids, we're way better situated than most. Lots of people have uhh-ohh babies and they don't seem to fare too well if their parents have a shitty attitude. Me, I love the shit out of kids and family so I think when I fuck up (which is inevitable) we should be able to get on the mend pretty quickly.

Try (in this order):

1) Education
2) Job
3) Wife
4) Kids

It works great for a lot of people, myself included.

Same here. I'm extremely solitary and don't like to venture out too much unless it's in the company of family and close friends. I work my ass off but still feel like I get plenty of time with them. Maybe I'm just an asshole and I'm content with not spending time with them 24/7 lol... but either way, I'm genuinely happy. Got a new baby girl and my wife and I are working harder than ever. We've got a reason now and despite having our plates loaded up with tasks, we have far more energy and momentum to work hard.

It's reminds me of dieting and bodybuilding. Sometimes you need some downtime. But if you don't work hard the majority of the time, you shouldn't be allotting yourself too many breaks and shortcuts. Ultimately, hard work is what it takes to get you where you want to be. You can't coast and expect things to fall into place. I was really lucky to not have gracefully fumbled through all the tough periods in my life and come out with minor scrapes and bruises. I see others get hit with some drama or financial difficulty and wither up into a ball of shit and give up on life. I don't understand that sort of pussy aching bullshit. My parents worked 50 times harder than I do so I feel blessed every day I'm alive. People get blown to shit and live in warzones but I wake up to a hot wife in a nice house with unlimited food and luxuries. No complaints at all. I'd be a piece of shit to complain about anything.

[ProudVirgin69]

You mean what about twigs like you who've been a buck fifty for years on end who can hardly bench their own bodyweight?

It would be something like this, "someone who weighs more than you if you were ever to get lean"

[MCWAY]

It would be something like this, "someone who weighs more than you if you were ever to get lean"

Or more like, someone who risks tearing his so-called pecs, trying to bench his own bodyweight (even with a spotter).

[ESFitness]

holy fuck..

maybe I was raised differently.

there are things I want, and I know that to get them, I have to work hard and smart.

this "work just hard enough to sit around and do nothing" is complete fucking bullshit.

I dated a girl who was nearly 40yrs old, worked retail and would save up a little money and spend it all on 'vacations' a couple times a year.. then she was fucking broke for months. she'd go to vegas, she'd go to.. I dunno, wherever. but she still lived at home and paid her parents $200 rent, and had a new Hyundai elantra.

where the fuck are the long term goals? is your only goal to do nothing? fine... then work paycheck to paycheck and be fucking broke and resentfull of those of us who work harder and harder and enjoy the benefits.

do I have a 65in plasma because I want to show off to my friends? no.. I don't have 'friends' over for parties or whatever.. I'm a fucking adult, I don't party.

do I have a big german lux sedan so I can show off to my friends and drive them around town? no. I hardly ever have anybody in my car that isn't fam/gf. it's safe and solid.

would I work my ass off to have a Ferrari when I couldn't afford it? no.. I'd buy a $35k Porsche. to 'show off'? no... for the driving experience.

this mentality of "you only want these overpriced things to show off to people" makes me sick.

I hear that and I can picture exactly where you'll be in 20years... driving an old car, renting an apt, and working from paycheck to paycheck for somebody else alongside kids who are 20-30yrs younger than you... depressed, bitter, and resentful of those who live the lives you wish you could, trying to justify your own laziness, lack of ambition, lack of forethought, and deep seeded fear of risk (that was probably handed down from your father).

what would your grandfathers think if they heard you saying that "people work to hard" bullshit?

i'll bet dollars to doughnuts he'd be embarrassed as hell how you turned out, and hopefully he'd slap his son for raising some lazy liberal, wannabe French Socialist.

[dustin]

holy fuck..

maybe I was raised differently.

there are things I want, and I know that to get them, I have to work hard and smart.

this "work just hard enough to sit around and do nothing" is complete fucking bullshit.

I dated a girl who was nearly 40yrs old, worked retail and would save up a little money and spend it all on 'vacations' a couple times a year.. then she was fucking broke for months. she'd go to vegas, she'd go to.. I dunno, wherever. but she still lived at home and paid her parents $200 rent, and had a new Hyundai elantra.

where the fuck are the long term goals? is your only goal to do nothing? fine... then work paycheck to paycheck and be fucking broke and resentfull of those of us who work harder and harder and enjoy the benefits.

do I have a 65in plasma because I want to show off to my friends? no.. I don't have 'friends' over for parties or whatever.. I'm a fucking adult, I don't party.

do I have a big german lux sedan so I can show off to my friends and drive them around town? no. I hardly ever have anybody in my car that isn't fam/gf. it's safe and solid.

would I work my ass off to have a Ferrari when I couldn't afford it? no.. I'd buy a $35k Porsche. to 'show off'? no... for the driving experience.

this mentality of "you only want these overpriced things to show off to people" makes me sick.

I hear that and I can picture exactly where you'll be in 20years... driving an old car, renting an apt, and working from paycheck to paycheck for somebody else alongside kids who are 20-30yrs younger than you... depressed, bitter, and resentful of those who live the lives you wish you could, trying to justify your own laziness, lack of ambition, lack of forethought, and deep seeded fear of risk (that was probably handed down from your father).

what would your grandfathers think if they heard you saying that "people work to hard" bullshit?

i'll bet dollars to doughnuts he'd be embarrassed as hell how you turned out, and hopefully he'd slap his son for raising some lazy liberal, wannabe French Socialist.

These people are a dime a dozen, bro. They're happy to sit by the river complaining about gas prices and eating government cheese. They don't yearn for anything more and it's sure reflected in their work ethic. I'm not trying to put down lower income families. It's not even that. It's the poor people MENTALITY. They don't desire anything more in life. I have a shitty wage myself but really good benefits and a flexible schedule, so I just work with what I have and make things work for me. No one else is going to do the leg work, right?

My buddy moved to Canada just over a decade ago. He came from China and always gets me amped up. He went to school, got into finance, drives a 20 year old car and scrimps up every dollar until he paid off his education and bought a modest home. But he's the king of his castle. The 20 year old car and older home work, because he came here with literally nothing. He's almost paid his home off and did renovations to bring up the value. He's seeing returns on all his investments and it's all done on a minimum wage. Why can't others work half as hard as him and improve their standard of living? Instead, they want to raise minimum wage and want cut backs and handouts galore.

Any time I check into my finances and spending habits I consult with him. He always cusses me out and says I'm too frivolous with my money, so he really grounds me. He is a devilishly cheap bastard but his frugality really helped me out. I'm no where near as cheap as him but all of the best practices and perspectives he's given me has really changed my spending habits. Money should fuck up your life. It used to fuck up mine, but now it's given me freedom. I'm still far from being a financial guru but at least I'm not taking it in the ass like most people do willingly. There's always a better way.

[jr]

Try (in this order):

1) Education
2) Job
3) Wife
4) Kids

5 ) Wife cheats on you and divorces you.
6 ) Live in a shitty rented apartment sustaining yourself on instant noodles.
7 ) Pay child support and alimony to your wife.
8 ) Your wife lives in your house with her new boyfriend.

 

[insanity_bb]

Sounds very boring compared to 6 months of backpacking around the world.

would rather work my ass off, travel weekly for work, and have 2-4 weeks every year of staying in 4/5 star resorts around the world, a nice home, ski vacations, and a fun car.

6 months backpacking as a broke guy...no thanks. Fun as a kid, but I can only take so much of sleeping in shit weather and ghettos, crap food, etc. Luxury is much more enjoyable.

Just the ski vacations alone warrant a very good job. Skiing is fucking expensive. Add in resorts, plane tickets, new gear, etc....yeah, a 6 figure salary bare minimum if you ever want to take someone with you. I take my GF, and will eventually take my kids. Expensive. But worth it.

[kh300]

would rather work my ass off, travel weekly for work, and have 2-4 weeks every year of staying in 4/5 star resorts around the world, a nice home, ski vacations, and a fun car.

6 months backpacking as a broke guy...no thanks. Fun as a kid, but I can only take so much of sleeping in shit weather and ghettos, crap food, etc. Luxury is much more enjoyable.

Just the ski vacations alone warrant a very good job. Skiing is fucking expensive. Add in resorts, plane tickets, new gear, etc....yeah, a 6 figure salary bare minimum if you ever want to take someone with you. I take my GF, and will eventually take my kids. Expensive. But worth it.

Isnt it ironic though. Work so you can afford a vacation to get away from work. work 50 weeks so you can get 2 off? Thats fucked up when you think about it. LOL, I spent a week snowboarding in Colorado last year and spent like 3k.

[James28]

Isnt it ironic though. Work so you can afford a vacation to get away from work. work 50 weeks so you can get 2 off? Thats fucked up when you think about it. LOL, I spent a week snowboarding in Colorado last year and spent like 3k.

Haha, I love how you try and pass off 3k as a lot of money. So adorable 

[kh300]

Haha, I love how you try and pass off 3k as a lot of money. So adorable 

A ski vacation isn't expensive is what I was pointing out.