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| Thread: Calculated Living | |
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted February 03, 2008 10:31 AM |
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Edited by Consis at 10:32, 03 Feb 2008.
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Calculated Living
Imagine for a moment if you will, that life is more than simply being poor or middle or rich. Who defines success? What does it mean to you? How do you want to live? Is it a choice or is something we are given? Does everyone want to be rich and successful?
My response to these questions is that I live my life the way I have chosen. I am exactly where I want to be in my life at any given moment. The only times I ever felt that I was not in control of where I wanted to be was in school as a child and in the military as an adult. I was always looking for ways to get out of those situations so that I could follow my own path in life.
Here I am in my own home after having been given opportunities to advance a career in many different professions. I have to say that I feel I have managed it exactly as I wanted. I love how little money we have as a family. I love how little public attention we get. Under the current circumstances I feel my children are the safest they could possibly be while growing up. Because of our low profile and little income we have never been the target of burglary or theft of any kind. Neither have they nor will they ever, my children, be hunted by a team of bloodsucking photographers. My family is safe, I feel strong and healthy, and my wife's job seems to be somewhat secure with steady paychecks. I like the nature of our lives. I feel good that we provide each other with hugs and supporting phrases of comraderie. I also love the fact that our family is so utterly different from most and yet so divinely similar. I love being a stay at home Dad. My children are getting love and support from both their father and mother.
I would say that I do not wish to advance in any sort of career ladder at this time. Although I possess certain skills and a good deal of ambition, I want to stay right where I am in life. I feel like our success, though financially poor by many standards is still one of luxury. We do many things that many people can't do. We have enough money for school snacks for the children, family buffet restaurant lunches on the weekends, toys, clothing, cable t.v., internet service, phone & cell phone service, plenty of presents for birthdays and holidays, trips to distant lands during the summer, and even sometimes the random dinner at a restaurant. We also own two vehicles, a computer, and not long ago installed centralized heating/AC throughout our home. We also have installed new floors and threw out the old carpetting.
But if you met me you might say (as most people do) that I am a man of "humble origins". But I think I am rich. I am a person who lives within my means. That equates to being able to afford emergencies, accidents, and other unpredictable occurances without going into severe debt.
I think it's mostly good for our children because I see how awful some people are whom believe that money and connections are too important. My children will have a good life because I chose not to be ambitious and rather spend my time with them than the perks of a successful business or other job. I think this is the best way to change the world. More importantly I think parents should spend more time with their children, giving them more hugs, playing more games with them, and listening more to their heart's desires and inspirations. I think I live a calculated lifestyle. I want no more or less from life. I like it exactly as it is while my children are in this stage of their development.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
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posted February 04, 2008 09:24 PM |
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I think that main thing is inner happiness. If you have it, you are rich. As for wealth, the key is spending as opposed to earning. There are lawyers with large credit card debts and there are Joe averages with savings. Serious money is very rarely made out of being employed - look at the world's wealthy people and check how many did this though being employees. Employing is by definition using someone's effort for personal/corporate financial gain.
Money is like energy, which can assist in having an enjoyable life, and best be used wisely. I think there's a balance in how much one can have - being too rich will make lots of people want what you have, while being too poor will make life too difficult. So I think ideal is moderate prosperity, whatever you consider that to be.
Some people like to flash their cars and houses and yachts. I think they are seeking to prove themselves and to find hapiness somewhere where it can't directly be found. Often big debt comes on the other side of their fancy things. These days display of fancy things could mean that someone is actually quite poor, in big debt.
Money can help with finding happiness, but it's not the source. There's always more to strive for in career, wealth and posessions. One must know when to stop, like with gambling. Sometimes I imagine a possible course of my life and imagine myself on the death bed, asking myself if the life was well spent. As they say, very rarely do people wish they've made more money or achieved better career when they are dying. But having said that, one must have a solid financial foundation to support themselves, their dependants and activities which inspire them.
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You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
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Frick
Known Hero
and eternal n00b.
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posted February 04, 2008 11:32 PM |
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Edited by Frick at 23:35, 04 Feb 2008.
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Valeriy pretty much sums it up, I think..
I don't have much money at all. I'm unemployed, I live far away from home and family yet I'm surrounded by good friends and above all (at least from an economical point of wiew), my expences are extremely low. I'm not in a good emotional/mental state, but the funny thing is that life was no better at all when I used to have more money.
So, money makes life easier in many ways and can be a small source of happiness, escpecially when you have to choose between milk and bread (and there's no way you can buy both), but it's not the essential part of life.
I do understand why people want fame, money and success though. Life is empty in many ways, and people want to fill it. One thing to fill it with is those things. And as this world promotes the idea of "success+$$$+fame = happiness" it's not so strange that people developes this urge for it.
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Hey you, see me, pictures crazy, all the world I've seen before me passing by
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted February 05, 2008 02:06 AM |
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Edited by Consis at 02:09, 05 Feb 2008.
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What If....
There are some people who walk around with invisible graphs in their minds, and constantly make subtle adjustments to their own lives to better fit a graph? Graphs like:
Wealth
<-------------------------->
Health
<------------------>
Spirituality
<------------------------------->
Number of Children
<---------->
Number of Answered Questions to the Universe
<---------------->
Time Spent on Creative Art Projects
<-------------------------------------->
Number of Friends
<--------->
And so on and so forth.......I wonder if some people adjust their lifestyles to better fit their own self-defined graphs for living happily. I wonder if some people's graphs look all that different? I wonder what that means.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted February 05, 2008 04:09 AM |
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Despite its flaws, I keep staring at Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
Spirituality, Consis...? As in religion? If so, I'm doubtful it's a universal need. 
Where does freedom fit? 
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Totoro
Famous Hero
in User
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posted February 06, 2008 03:20 PM |
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This is just Maslow's opinion. None of it is absolute truth.
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Aculias
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
Pretty Boy Angel Sacraficer
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posted February 06, 2008 05:05 PM |
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Who cares. Life is a cycle.
Your born, you have kids & you die. What you do in between is your choice.
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Dreaming of a Better World
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