Life: Do you do just enough to get by, or push hard?

[island911]

You are right, supe. I really didn't want to delve into all of the 'whys' for self/body abuse. It's just that was one aspect of motions post.

Have you seen he movie "Limitless"? ...it's all about burning bright and fast; but for a very long time. iirc the protagonist (guy with all the brain power) figures out it's best to keep a low profile. --surprise.

[tabs]

I was going to say before Nostatus beat me to it...It depends upon what interests me or what I find to be important..to devote the time and effort or just make do.

I have lived by the following rule since I was 20 years old, WHAT DOES IT GAIN A MAN TO GAIN THE WORLD ONLY TO LOSE HIS SOUL. To that end I have had a singular unrelenting purpose.

When one resolves ones internal conflicts then one can make a determination if the stress is internal or external and then one can take the appropriate measures..(this one is for you Nostatus)


.

[LakeCleElum]

My personal Mission Statement:

I strive to TRY.............

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Superman

Food for thought, Island: Some folks feel the fact that we are candles....fires that burn and burn out. They know it in their guts, and they strive to BURN. They want brightness more than longevity. They're not trying to die. They're trying to really LIVE.

Horse Manure....

What a RUSH it is to jump off the top of the Empire State Building...

[tabs]

Everybodies perceptions about reality let alone the pursuit of life, liberty or happiness is skewed in either the major or minor. Everybody has their opinion.

One can get it down to to the level of whether or not one likes Peanut Butter or some other trival thing. It is a fools errand to try and go beyond that level as it is like asking wheher one likes breathing or not. It is only when we give up this life that the veil of misperception falls away and we get to see things as they really are..some call it seeing the light...

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by tabs

What a RUSH it is to jump off the top of the Empire State Building...

Absolutely (as long as you have a good BASE rig on your back).

Just because some people think the actions of others to be crazy/stupid/reckless (or that said folks have a "death wish") doesn't make it so. Could you die BASE jumping off of the Empire State Building? Possibly. Not likely with proper preparation/planning/skill/experience though. You could also die by choking on a chicken bone at the buffet. Again not likely, but possible. However the "life reward" for successfully negotiating a chicken leg without choking on the bone pales in comparison to the "life reward" of successfully BASE jumping the Empire State Building. Yes, one could argue percentages/probability, bit I hope you can connect the dots there (risk vs. reward).

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

My personal Mission Statement:

I strive to TRY.............

Sorry man, someone had to do it:

[madmmac]

Push hard when needed.....enjoy the rest.

Things, skills, learning have all come easy for me. It may be a blessing or a curse. I believe blessing.

I have a livelihood so I can enjoy my life, not the other way around.

I promote the slow burn. It allows me the time and energy to enjoy and engage the people, places, philosophies, arts, personal thoughts and feelings of others and myself.

Without time to give each its due, you are stealing from your own being I believe.

[Baz]

I charge - just as hard as I can!!!

I own my own business and do a lot of the work myself as well as overseeing everything that happens on my projects.

I have a plethora of positive testimonials from satisfied clients which of course fuel my drive. I don't advertise so most of my work comes from word of mouth and I'm always busy with several projects going at once in some stage or another.

I also take a lot of pride in my work which fuels me even more.

When I was working in corporate sales I routinely won sales awards and my store was always a leader in gross profit % and dollars - busting my budgets every year. I did that for 10 years and learned a ton from it.

My personal life is a bit mellow these days - haven't really gone on tour for about 3 years now but hoping to get something going this fall. In the meantime I always have home projects going on so I guess that's a form of ambition away from my day job. Plus I still surf and cycle as much as possible.

I haven't lost any of my drive to exceed current levels of workmanship and production. Why slow down as one gets older? Life gets way more interesting with age. It how one handles adversity - and also the positives - that shapes one's soul I've always felt.

Great thread Motion....stay hungry!

[Danimal16]

It has been my experience that too many "champions" only know what it takes to win and haven't a clue about what it takes to do the right thing.

[Aurel]

For me, it is all about balancing achievement with stress and quality of life. I was on my way to be a University professor on the east coast. In fact, I had just been promoted associate research Prof. at Rutgers when I decided to drop out of the rat race. I did not want to write research proposals all week-ends long, we had no quality of life, took few vacations, paid a big mortgage for a not so big house.

When a senior scientist job poped up in my field, but in the private sector in New Mexico, I jumped on it. It is slightly below my previous position, but lots of room to grow. I am always home by 5:30, never work on week-ends, have a bigger house with smaller mortgage payments, take vacations...The quality of life has tremendously improved.

I want to grow some more to bigger roles in the company, but in a natural way. I am not pushing for it, still learning the ropes. And I will never do things that push my stress to unmanageable levels, that is the bottom line.

As closing argument, I have never heard of anyone on their death bed who wished they had spent more time in the office...

[mikeesik]

Push.............................................. .......................-without comprimising time with my Son.
Do all my sweat at the job during the week and breaks so the boss cannot ***** about anything when it comes to my Son.
THIS IS WHY I HAVE TO PRODUCE MORE THAN ANYONE.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Superman

I want to be a good father. I want to be a good friend. I want to help people...make society more secure for people and their families. I want to play music and terrorize autocross cones. I want to read thrilling literature. I want to receive the love of a woman, and return the gift. I want to know who I am and what the Universe is. I want to see views from mountain tops and see what fish see. I want to eat, and cook, extraordinary meals.

To some, this means I am mediocre. To me, it means complete victory.

Awesome post, thanks.

[aigel]

I am always going WOT both professionally as well as in my spare time. I have had about a dozen hobbies where I reached expert level only to get bored with it and try something new. I have at least a couple of dozen hobbies left before I may get too old for them so I continue going! I work in high tech and have been blessed with exciting and mentally demanding jobs. I am not getting rich in the process but when you work hard, the money will be okay too. Life is great and short, so you have to go full bore!

G

[mikeesik]

Originally Posted by aigel

I am always going WOT both professionally as well as in my spare time. I have had about a dozen hobbies where I reached expert level only to get bored with it and try something new. I have at least a couple of dozen hobbies left before I may get too old for them so I continue going! I work in high tech and have been blessed with exciting and mentally demanding jobs. I am not getting rich in the process but when you work hard, the money will be okay too. Life is great and short, so you have to go full bore!

G

Braggart.

[mikeesik]

Just Kidding!

[wdfifteen]

"When I look back, what drove that? For me, mostly fear. Some was fear of being poor and homeless. Fear of being perceived as a failure or "mediocre." McLovin

Boy does that hit home. I grew up poor too and I never wanted to live that lifestyle again. Even if I had to be poor, I didn't want to be mediocre.
Post #22 is a great story. Thanks.

[recycled sixtie]

I have to use cliches here because it describes it for me best. It is the journey that counts as much if not more than the destination. Now I am retired I can do what I want(with occasional direction from my wife) and there is no work schedule on the fridge. However there is beer in the fridge. I just have to find a way of staying out of the old folks home on a permanent basis. Retirement is a different kind of journey. Don't have to push hard. Life is great at this pace.

[944Larry]

I push, and hard, when the situation calls for it. When it does not, I coast in neutral and enjoy life as it happens. As I get older, I enjoy the coasting more.

[Chuck Moreland]

Originally Posted by Aurel

I have never heard of anyone on their death bed who wished they had spent more time in the office...

That's an old saying that I've given much thought to over the years.

Implicit is an assumption that work is not enjoyable. And that time at work was at the expense of time spent having fun, with family and friends.

Work can be enjoyable, fulfilling, challenging, rewarding - fun.

I see my work as a large scale project, not unlike the model hobbiest that spends years completing a model. The hobbiest is not driven by the ownership of the completed model, but instead enjoys the challenge of the build. I view my work as the challenge of the build.

Perhaps the people who drive enjoy what they do, the others not so much.

The flip side - I've never heard of anyone on their death bed saying they wish they had accomplished less.