The internet is a mean drunk. As someone who is in the latter category, working 55-60 hours because it's your business and you care, versus because that's the job, are two different things.
Anyone want to go tradesies for living near the poverty line on hourly wages with a full-time schedule but no benefits? Anyone?
My wife and I moved to this tiny assed island in the middle of no-fuckingwhere and it was the best decision we ever made. She worked at a law firm and could easily have made the jump to a £60k a year salary. I could have done the same thing in tech. But we would have still been miserable, living in England, having a 2 1/2 hour train journey daily, barely seeing each other and digging deep for the energy to be civil when we did. Instead we live in a two bedroom house on what could be described as a paradise island. I make £20k a year now and she doesn't work. I have never been happier in my life. Its not about the money. Its not about the toys. Its about the quality of what you've got and the people that you share it with. I didn't get how people here always say 'Manana, manana' or 'We're all family, its cool, no problem'. I thought they were full of shit. But they're not. They are modest people who will share their nothing with you, go fishing and whatever problems come up can wait until manana to sort out.
I think your another one of those fence sitting posters who rarely puts himself personally in the the mix. I think I want to know what your favorite song, artist, city, biggest fear about the life your living, and girl in the world you most want to see naked is.........and I want to see it now. I think you won't do it. Just a guess.
Also your social security number, your girlfriend's phone number, your home address, your credit card number, and your place of employment. DO IT YOU PUSSY.
You mean I'm not supposed to be listening to Kim Kardashian? I think I have some mom jeans to return. I mean, "high-waisted pants."* *I don't really own them.
Look I'm sorry that two guys who have been posting here consecutively for literally three and a half years have not supplied your hillbilly ass with enough personal information. Don't you have moonshine to be drinking and cousins to be fucking?
Dude. You need to calm down. It's about being happy. Nothing else matters. Find your place in all of that garbage you posted above that makes you happy. ........and then get back to posting porn, bad judgement jokes, and other various internet drivel; which also makes you happy.
It's not all bad. It also comes with a sweet cat mansion. Mm, empty hostels. They have stopped feeling weird and started feeling familiar.
Allow me to weigh in on this money and work debate with a visual representation of my goals: Spoiler I like living in a nice place. I like good restaurants and good wine. I like to travel. I like doing what I want to do without having to worry about how it will impact my finances. Those things make me happy. In the future, when I have a family, I want my kids to be exposed to the world. I want them to eat well, to travel, to go to good schools without worrying about taking on massive debt. I want them to have nice things and be comfortable and never want for anything. That will make me happy. I've got no problem with the fact that I am going to have to work to make that a reality. I work hard now, but I hope my career progresses such that I work even harder and earn accordingly. I have a lot of respect for people who willingly choose a path that leads to less money because they're passionate about what they do. But the idea of taking a mediocre job where you can phone it in for 40 hours a week in exchange for a mediocre salary, so you can go home and have three beers and watch TV or whatever else you do in your off time is alien to me. Fuck that noise. Maybe I just don't get it, but as long as you're going to play the game and work within the system, why not really work it and make some cash? I suppose I am living up to ballsack's stereotype of my people: Spoiler
I go out of town for a day and everybody's throwing Falcon Punches. I think we should have an international meet-up, and just have a big fuckin' kickboxing tournament. While on electric kool-aid acid. In that grassland down in Florida with those snakes that are bigger that the Grab'oids from Tremors. Then we'll see who's the bitch.
What is so personal about a song, artist, city, fear, or girl? Why did you carry something that simple to the other extreme? I think your another one of those fence sitting cherry picking posters who rarely puts himself personally in the the mix. I think I want to know what your favorite song, artist, city, biggest fear about the life your living, and girl in the world you most want to see naked is.........and I want to see it now. I think you won't do it. Resorting to calling me a hillbilly cousin fucking moonshine drinker? Really? C'mon, you PUSSY. At least throw out a song you like. A city? Girl you want to see naked? Heaven forbid....your biggest fear? You're a fence rider and you know it. You should probably have drink. Here's some music.
Why cant' you have both? Who said anything about a mediocre job and phoning it in? I have a good job that requires me to work 40-45 hours per week, and I do my absolute best during those hours. And I make a pretty decent salary doing so. I like to travel, I like to eat well, I don't spend much of my time worrying about money, if I want something, I am usually able to buy it. Now I probably could make an extra 20K or so annually if I had chosen a private practice job where I had to work longer hours, but considering I have all of the things I just mentioned, why would I want to do that? I was at a party last week and the line up of handbags was one Louis Viutton after another. Is that why people do it??? No thank you.
I think y'all are leaving out a (very small) part of the population: the people that work long, hard hours, make good money and actually LOVE what they do. My dad is one of those people. Some of his co-workers are his closest friends; our families have vacationed together and are like "family". A group of them create companies and sell them. For some super-nerdy reason, they really enjoy it and don't seem to mind working the occasional Saturday and/or Sunday. That lifestyle doesn't appeal to me, but to each his own.
What I'm saying is if you think that, see the three years of posts revealing just about every opinion under the sun. We just know when no one cares. But since you insist, "The Seed 2.0" by the Roots or "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, Magritte or Kandinsky, Vancouver, a life of quiet desperation, and your sister,Christine Hendricks, or Kate Upton.
I've seen a number of studies that identify $75k/year as the magic number where happiness and money stop being so correlated. And that's household income, not individual. Obviously there are about a million factors, but once you make enough money to take care of the basics, those other factors become more important than money itself. Which is good, because I'm going to school for social work and won't ever make great (any) money.
Most of you folks seem like you are pretty financially savvy, but for those of us with about as much financial sense as a hobo who can decide to spend $2 on a truck-stop shower or a cheap bottle of wine, I want to plug this financial blog. mrmoneymustache I think he presents some pretty solid advice.