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

This topic has always fascinated me. I've always been amazed that in motorcycle and car racing, the field is separated by mere tenths of a second in qualifying. When you think of all the variables involved, and the fact that they occur over a length of say, 3 miles, .1 or .2 difference makes no sense. I believe it is more of a human factor, and the need to do "just enough". This also translates to other functions in life, like making money, relationships, your personal weight, fitness and diet, etc.

Of course, there have been people who do extraordinary things, and I believe that they might be immune to this syndrome, and somehow are able to extract something extra from within themselves, through training, education, curiosity, perseverance, etc. But, they seem to be the rare case.

Why then, knowing we have such a short time here, do we do just enough to get by?

Because it's a hell of a lot more pleasurable than being a rat on a treadmill, trying to beat the rat next to you.

So, you're ok with being mediocre?

I need to amend that right away...do whatever makes you happy. If competing for everything in your life makes you happy, go for it. It makes me miserable.

I'm far from mediocre. I just don't buy into the game that says, "I'm a big man/I have a lot of money/ I have a hot biotch/house/car/etc..."

I do what makes me happy. If that means laying around reading great literature while some other fool is pounding the floor on the stock exchange, so be it. I live with the mindset of someone who inherited 10 million dollars and can do whatever the fk he wants, just w/o all the money. :D

I won't competete in a lame game. Call me a snob but I'm above it. :cool:

Interesting that you interpret my post as being about money, and not personal achievement.

I struggle with this stuff every day. On the one hand, I work from home, sit out by my pool with a smoke and a beer, ride my awesome motorcycle in great weather wherever I want, pretty much whenever I want, take 1-2 overseas vacations per year for three weeks each, see my boss twice a year, talk with him once or twice a month. This is the stuff I dreamed about when I was driving a desk in downtown DC for years. Now I'm here, but I know I'm going nowhere career-wise. One thing I realized one day while staring up the humongous escalator in a DC Metro station was, even if I win, I'm still a rat. That motivated me to get out of the rat race. I still have to work to afford my lifestyle, but I love being left alone. I savor it. I not only don't care about that others think about me, I'd prefer they not even know who I am so they can't think about me. I'm trying to balance all those things, save for retirement, but bear in mind I could die way before retirement. So I need to make it fun along the way.

This evokes value judgements and if you choose to live your life based on how others think you should live it then you're not really living your life are you? Mediocre to one person may be a personal triumph to another. One of the factors that has been left out is luck or being at the right place at the right time. Sometimes no amount of talent, skill or ambition can make up for being at the right place at the right time and recognizing an opportunity.

Speeder was not just talking about money. His remarks very much mirror mine. I too have given this substantial thought.

First, let me point out that champion behavior (that's what I call it) is very unique. As they say, some competitors practice until they get it right, while champions practice until they cannot get it wrong. And then, they don't stop there. Every night, they ask themselves three questions. What did I do wrong today? What did I do right? What's my plan for tomorrow? These people typically have 3-4 hours of effort in before the rest of us are finished with our morning coffee. They evaluate every bit of information in terms of how it can be used to create just a tiny bit more advantage. They don't have 'hobbies,' they don't have leisure, they don't have distractions of any kind. And quite frankly, if you want to stand at the top podium where they want to stand, you will fail unless your devotion to the goal is at least as complete as theirs. I have known some of these people. National and world champions.

Speeder, and I, just want to be happy. And for us, the sacrificing of one's life to achieve a single goal....is not the recipe for happiness. So yeah, if you call that mediocrity, then we're mediocre. But we still might be able to kick your ass.;)

No, I interpreted it as being about competing. Which it was. You mention motorcycle racing, tenth of a second, etc... I could not give a rat's ass about that stuff. Makes me miserable to think about.

The key to life is to know one's self and not try to live someone else's life. Be true to yourself. If racing a bike around in a circle makes you happy, (or whatever else you choose to do), then do it but do not assume that others who don't share your motivations in life are mediocre. They might just care about completely different things.

The variations in human beings and their motivations, however slight in the overall picture, are what keeps life from being unbearably boring. I'm definitely in the minority in the way that I think about achievement, as well as a lot of other things, I've always looked upon the way that most people live their lives and scratched my head. I care nothing about the traditional meaning of a "career", I also have some genetic aversion to conventionality and behaving like pre-programmed robot in this life.

Whatever makes you happy. Am I happy at all times? Of course not. But I would be suicidal playing the game I see most people play. :cool:

The other thing is that if you base happiness on competing, you can only be happy if you are the winner. Unless there is something I don't know, you are not even in the running in the world of MC racing. I always assumed that it's something you do for fun, which is great if it makes you happy.

I have definite OCD and have wasted too much time on hobbies in this life. I've been to Willow Springs a few times with my street car and it's fun. You see the rich guys with better cars who can afford to go as often as they like or get into some club racing. I thought about it and decided that I would never want to get into that hobby. You only have so much time on this earth and that hobby will consume all of it. If not rich, you will spend a ton of time working for the $$ to pay for it and the rest at the track or towing a car around the country. I feel the same way about golf, FWIW. So many things I'd rather be doing.

I have close friends and cousins with almost unlimited bank accounts who have gotten into hobbies or competitive events 100%. Two of my cousins were world champion freestyle skiers, one of them was completely unbeatable for the entire time he competed. Their entire family is absolutely obsessed with competing in everything they do. I have no idea whether it makes them happy, it gives me a headache just to think about it...

I WISH I had the motivation of some to strive for "better than average" but I don't.

Had I been this way I would have made better choices in my younger years.

You can't turn back time so I have come to accept who I am and do the nest I can with it.

A very interesting thread. I never really thought about it this way - I will have to do so for a bit...

I have come across many "highly motivated" people both at work and at play to last me a life time. All too many of these folks haven't taken the time to be really good in the field in which they are espousing their own greatness. I will admit it is nice to find some one that has made the effort and really is good......even tho some of these folks are a PITA....those I can deal with.....unless they have no sense of humor.:D

This is the fate of the people I described in my post above. When you ask them how they did in the weekend competition, they nearly always smile and report that they "won." Once in a blue moon, they will hang their heads and report that they "lost." This means they came in second.

Motion, I guess one can continue to do one thing and perfect it like Tiger Woods. Start very early in life and be the best. A lot of the racers in your example have done just that. That covers the training part.

Education has put a lot of people in position to do great things. However, they need the push you imply. Many are driven and many aren't very well balanced.

Then there's the curious you mention. I have done a lot of things and mastered a few. I've failed at some, but never completely. Sometimes circumstances are all that are to blame. But the adventure is always good.

That leaves perseverance according to your examples. I have some of that. Patience is part and parcel of the process. I waited 4 years for the chance to fabricate my own version of a 911 bumper. Some say it was terrific; some said it was awful. Many didn't care to give it a second thought.

I'm glad I didn't put my life's work into something like that.

From what I have observed in life it is repetition of something successful that brings about achievement. For those that didn't bang the gong, it's just repetition.

You're calling that mediocre.

Some things just enough and others I really push. That said, who cares I only have to please myself.

I only work as much as necessary, in the traditional sense of work, meaning that you wouldn't do it for free. I run a small business, and as jobs go, it's pretty good. But if I didn't need income would I do it? No.

Most other things in my life are passion-driven - my music, family, car, I'd do all those things for no pay. In fact, I generally do do those things for no pay. In those aspects, I'm always striving for excellence, and 90% of my day's energy goes into those things.

I'm not competitive at all - I couldn't care less where I stand in relation to my neighbour, friend, colleague, etc. I'm competitive with myself - I'm always looking to do better - write a better piece of music than my last one, put down a smoother, faster lap than my last time. That's not to say I don't enjoy a competition, but that's within the realm of an actual competition, whether that's a music competition, or a game of Mario Kart with my wife. But the lack of competitive drive I think keeps me out of trouble. I don't focus on meaningless goals just to make more money or put up more sales than some other rat in the race, or try to be the fastest driver at the race track, or hammer my kids to get better marks in school.

I do believe it's true that money can indeed buy happiness, for some people, and for those people, that's great. No doubt I take pleasure in things I need money to buy. But it's not the only source of happiness, and, at least in my opinion, the key to life is finding those sources.

I want to be good at multiple things. And so, I am unwilling to sacrifice all those gooals except one, which is the price that must be paid for true victory.

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.

Motion, sometimes good enough is just that, good enough. But as a way of life I find it lacking. Maybe living with a handicap gives me an advantage that I wouldn't ordinarily have but there it is. Although I admit that I push harder in my personal affairs than in my business affairs.