Thank you all for your responses!

What Im wondering at this point is: Can I change myself and my point of view first, and would that have a direct effect on my attitude towards working these long hours and supporting my lifestyle? OR would I simply be fooling myself into thinking that I am living a satisfying existence?

After all isnt what happens to you 20% and how you react 80% of what matters?

Could all this be in my head?

I guess I just need to figure out how I can work AND like what im doing....Just because your good at something does not necessarily mean you will like doing it...

--GS

You are all incredibly lucky to even have jobs. I can't even get my foot in the door and I have completed a fair amount of college and am certified as a cabinet maker and furniture designer. Still, nothing to be had. It probably doesn't help that I am in Florida where everything sucks unless you have a bachelors (I am working on my A.S in web programming still).

I can't even get into WALMART! Did I mention I am 25!

The fact is that everything we do in a western economy is unnatural. The worthless currency, the over-consumption, the imaginary hierarchy, the "work week", the restaurants, the bars, the liquor stores, the strip clubs, the drugs (dear God, the drugs) and the lottery.

The question is; was our species ever designed to live naturally? It is so very difficult to survive let alone thrive alone on this Earth. Perhaps we were designed for slavery, and that's why we do it so well.

A job=servitude.

Work is done when energy is used for displacement.

I remember it always being difficult, difficult to pay for everything, difficult to come out ahead, difficult to convince myself it was worthwhile. But I really didn't have much choice except to work, find the best job I could get and work.

The pay-off seemed to come from pushing through the difficult parts, pushing through the drudgery that was necessary just to have money to buy what I needed or wanted. I remember doing jobs I didn't like, especially jobs I had early-on and wondered if I could get past those kinds of jobs. But after I pushed myself through those and they didn't bother me anymore I was able to move on to better things.

Even when I ended up in my career doing what I liked to do it was still difficult keeping the routine of days and hours, weeks, months, and years on end. And in that time my priorities changed about what I thought was important.

Eventually came a time when I had everything I wanted, could buy anything I desired without looking at the prices. And after a few years like that, still not always liking that I had a routine of going to work regularly but not bothered much by that, I expected I would probably work another ten years and retire with house paid-off and not debts or obligations. Then the bosses came around taking volunteers for early retirement with a separation bonus so they coulod cut the workforce without lay-offs. I had seniority so It would not be me to get laid-off, and out of my whole shop I was the only one without excessive debt - other than house and car payments - so I took the retirement deal.

I was 53 when I retired. For someone 24 that sounds like almost another 30 years of drudgery but 53 is young when you can leave the workaday world behind. I sold my house before the crash, moved to the highlands of Mexico where the weather is always great, cost of living low, and a government that doesn't interfere with your personal affairs. I have been retired five years now and love every minute of it.

I can look back and remember when I was in my twenties and it seemed impossible to make it this point 30 years down the road. I remeber it wasn't always terrific. I remember it didn't seem natural or worth the trouble. I do not feel worn-out, I feel lucky to have made it out as young as I still am and have a hundred little projects to keep occupied with. I take trips when I want and even with a reduced pension for retiring young I have plenty of money to do the things I want to do.

Looking back it doesn't seem all that bad. It may seem impossibly far down the road to you yet, but I wish you the best of luck and good judgement and that you can get ahead of the odds and do as well as I have. I didn't plan for these days I am living now - the best and most enjoyable years of my life - I merely kept pushing through when there seemed no end in sight. And I made it!

deleted - double post

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro

Looking back it doesn't seem all that bad. It may seem impossibly far down the road to you yet, but I wish you the best of luck and good judgement and that you can get ahead of the odds and do as well as I have. I didn't plan for these days I am living now - the best and most enjoyable years of my life - I merely kept pushing through when there seemed no end in sight. And I made it!

Erongaricauro,

I must say that your post resonated with me simply because it probably the best balance of realism, cold hard truth, and at the same time contains a positive message. The most "Common Sense" reply on this thread so far. This is the real life advice I seek! Because really how many of us are gonna sell everything we have, move to Alaska and live off the land? Thats right pretty much none of us here.

Thank you very much for sharing, it gives me a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark world.

Regards,

--GS

The fear mongers say you need to work to live. It's all about the $$$$. Those who can't understand the truth know you can live without $$$$$$.

Originally posted by GeminiSky

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro

Looking back it doesn't seem all that bad. It may seem impossibly far down the road to you yet, but I wish you the best of luck and good judgement and that you can get ahead of the odds and do as well as I have. I didn't plan for these days I am living now - the best and most enjoyable years of my life - I merely kept pushing through when there seemed no end in sight. And I made it!

Erongaricauro,

I must say that your post resonated with me simply because it probably the best balance of realism, cold hard truth, and at the same time contains a positive message. The most "Common Sense" reply on this thread so far. This is the real life advice I seek! Because really how many of us are gonna sell everything we have, move to Alaska and live off the land? Thats right pretty much none of us here.

Thank you very much for sharing, it gives me a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark world.

Regards,

--GS

Erongaricuaro's advice is the best advice you can get to survive in they system - you need to not worry about it, keep your head down and push through it. My post pointed out it get's harder and harder for future generations because the game is designed to let those up the top gain a bigger share over time because money makes money, so while you should push through because there is no end of this system in sight - just remember that your odd's are going to be worse for your future generations so they will likely need your help just to stay afloat and if you can create a self sustaining enviroment for them that would likely be the best gift someone in the future could recieve. Just my 2c though

I personally think being born and having to make sense of where you are in this great big mysterious world is unnatural if you really want to think about it. the programming for man is "WHY I ?" its indecipherable, so this is where you take advantage and make up the rules as you go along...whatever floats your boat, however you choose to pull it off, and get away with it, while on the path of least resistance

just make it worth your while or the entire ride will be for nothing

Originally posted by byteshertz

Erongaricuaro's advice is the best advice you can get to survive in they system - you need to not worry about it, keep your head down and push through it. My post pointed out it get's harder and harder for future generations because the game is designed to let those up the top gain a bigger share over time because money makes money, so while you should push through because there is no end of this system in sight - just remember that your odd's are going to be worse for your future generations so they will likely need your help just to stay afloat and if you can create a self sustaining enviroment for them that would likely be the best gift someone in the future could recieve. Just my 2c though

What you say is true the same as it was true in my day, it keeps getting worse. By the time of the mid-70's the cost of buying a home had skyrocketed. It seemed it was going to be impossible. I remained a renter until I was over 40 but eventually I could afford a home. California coast is an expensive area to live in.

The recent crash of 2008 has made it difficult right now, but I will almost guarantee there will be a time when the curve comes around or catches up. It will always be worse for the next generation, if today's standards are applied, but economics is not a straight line, and moves like a dolphin. I either got lucky or got smart, probably both, but opportunities come around that can give you an edge if you see them and act on them in time.

It is difficult but not impossible. TPTB quit being powers when it becomes impossible for everyone. They need you to win sometimes.