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- "God would never let me be successful; he'd kill me first. He'd never let me be happy.
-- "I thought you didn't believe in God?"
- "I do for the bad things."
Funny dialogue. There's an old Aesop Fable where the wisdom of the story is that when we come into some bad luck, we blame the sun, the earth and whatever deities we choose to imagine for our forsaken situation. But when luck comes our way, we seem to take all the credit. That really stuck with me for all these years because of how we perceive the world and life of our own. In a lot of our opportunities, we feel very modest about our ability to earn them. It's true that, in some way, we orient ourselves to be available for whatever happy coincidence strolls in front of us. Though when we face with the toughest and sometimes unbearable times, we wonder how the hell did we end up here. Were there any missteps or were we simply unlucky? Were we in an element that we could neither influence or control.
I can see how you'd be compelled to attach this ambiguous opener to recent events in my life but it is more to do with turning 25 and starting the second semester of my life. A quarter of my presumed lifetime has passed and I can neither say I am where I want to be [yet] nor I am where I thought I was going to be [fortunately so]. For years I was raised into thinking that the right frame of mind and consistent determination will get you what you want. But the presumption that it should come immediately has always been due to the comparison of those similar to my age and yet, much farther in their career and financial stability.
In truth, patience is a higher virtue than the dedication that follows it. I can be determined, confident and ready to take new steps in my life but that doesn't mean the next step is an actual footing away. I don't believe in destiny or predetermined outcomes of life but I do understand that times and places all fit in a fair line that I must follow. If my life tells me to take two steps back for that leap forward, then I should remain persistent in my direction; regardless if I am facing towards it or temporarily away.
My father will laugh at this quote, from years of shoving him down my throat, but Zig Ziglar once said: "There is no elevator to success…you have to take the stairs." (also good: "Success is not measured by what you do compared to what others do, it is measured by what you do with the ability God gave you.").
I'm still young and yet I pine nightless darks on a beaten keyboard and into the void of a message board; obscure from the realities of those closest to me. I've set up camp but cooled the campfire. What will my next endeavour be - my new hand of effort and curiosity. Is it learning C++? Is it trying Source Filmmaker? Improving at GO or playing ranked in Dota 2? The possibilities are endless and my time has opened up since being on standby for the current and coming months.
If you had security for a year, what would you do?
Regardless, it'll be a test of patience and confidence.
 
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Time is precious, waste it wisely.
Why don't you go try something new. Take flying lessons. How badass would that be.
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I'd travel (mainly around Europe and the Pacific Islands), because I haven't traveled much and many of my friends have had amazing times during their travels.
Also, happy birthday 
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On July 16 2014 14:01 omisa wrote:
Time is precious, waste it wisely.
Why don't you go try something new. Take flying lessons. How badass would that be.
I usually don't feel too interested in things unless it rewards me in a way that I see value in it to be used in the future. It makes enjoying an experience harder because I'm thinking what use it will be after.
I'm never going to own a plane (nor do I want to); so flying lessons don't seem to right for example.
On July 16 2014 16:12 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I'd travel (mainly around Europe and the Pacific Islands), because I haven't traveled much and many of my friends have had amazing times during their travels. Also, happy birthday
Yeah, I met a lot of people who are just drifting with change in their pocket and a backpack. For me, it's something I can't stand; living without the security of a safe home and a steady job. I don't think I have the adventurious core so many others are thrilled to hop around with.
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Some options:
Learn to code (you mentioned C++, but some C#/WPF or Ruby/RoR/Python/Django for web design could also be useful)
Learn a musical instrument
Go running/walking/cycling around where you live (is that possible? Is it nice there or is it just buildings?)
Learn a spoken/written language (KR -> DE Translations?)
Check out Coursera if you want to pick up something new. I'm doing Mathematical BioStatistics at the moment and it's pretty interesting. Chances are there's something for everyone
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On July 16 2014 22:04 Gowerly wrote:Some options: Learn to code (you mentioned C++, but some C#/WPF or Ruby/RoR/Python/Django for web design could also be useful) Learn a musical instrument Go running/walking/cycling around where you live (is that possible? Is it nice there or is it just buildings?) Learn a spoken/written language (KR -> DE Translations?) Check out Coursera if you want to pick up something new. I'm doing Mathematical BioStatistics at the moment and it's pretty interesting. Chances are there's something for everyone
Hey thanks! I'm going to be really honest. I don't know HTML, C++ or Python beyond those words (I don't even recognize anything else you wrote).
I was learning piano before quitting as I didn't want to buy the instrument yet, it's not something I want to visit now due to funds.
Do you know anything about Source Filmmaker? I was also thinking of learning photoshop
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What nobody tells you about getting older is just how boring it really can be. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but your middle twenties are an odd quagmire of feeling like you've failed relative to the people who've put in five more years than you but seem to be making exponentially more money than you and thinking you've moved mere inches compared to the kid for whom nepotism worked straight out of college.
The trick is really to keep the wheels spinning in some way, I've been working on Chess for a while now, as a means of keeping my cognitive functions up to snuff. I have seen far too many people in the offices I've worked in who are content to work, go home and watch mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, get up and do it all again.
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On July 17 2014 00:15 ThomasjServo wrote:
What nobody tells you about getting older is just how boring it really can be. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but your middle twenties are an odd quagmire of feeling like you've failed relative to the people who've put in five more years than you but seem to be making exponentially more money than you and thinking you've moved mere inches compared to the kid for whom nepotism worked straight out of college.
The trick is really to keep the wheels spinning in some way, I've been working on Chess for a while now, as a means of keeping my cognitive functions up to snuff. I have seen far too many people in the offices I've worked in who are content to work, go home and watch mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, get up and do it all again.
I'm not going to lie. My ambitions in life are pathetically small: Get a job I love, Buy a big screen television, own my own furniture and buy a console (Wii U).
That's the only thing I'm missing right now.
You pretty much nailed it on the head there with your insight. 4-5 years of more experience and I feel like they are miles ahead in terms of earnings, standards of lifestyle and more. I mean, I still have my projects and work that I can do to keep me "active" so to speak, but I feel like I'm limited in an area or two that could really bolster my portfolio.
But then again, it'll always be like that.
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Do some sport Its never too late!
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On July 17 2014 00:29 Torte de Lini wrote:Show nested quote +On July 17 2014 00:15 ThomasjServo wrote:
What nobody tells you about getting older is just how boring it really can be. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but your middle twenties are an odd quagmire of feeling like you've failed relative to the people who've put in five more years than you but seem to be making exponentially more money than you and thinking you've moved mere inches compared to the kid for whom nepotism worked straight out of college.
The trick is really to keep the wheels spinning in some way, I've been working on Chess for a while now, as a means of keeping my cognitive functions up to snuff. I have seen far too many people in the offices I've worked in who are content to work, go home and watch mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, get up and do it all again. I'm not going to lie. My ambitions in life are pathetically small: Get a job I love, Buy a big screen television, own my own furniture and buy a console (Wii U). That's the only thing I'm missing right now. You pretty much nailed it on the head there with your insight. 4-5 years of more experience and I feel like they are miles ahead in terms of earnings, standards of lifestyle and more. I mean, I still have my projects and work that I can do to keep me "active" so to speak, but I feel like I'm limited in an area or two that could really bolster my portfolio. But then again, it'll always be like that.
As far as I can tell the trick is to never become an adult, you can have adult tendencies, but to me an adult is this very rigid refusal to accept the unfamiliar, or worse yet not seeking the unfamiliar.
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On July 17 2014 09:31 ThomasjServo wrote:Show nested quote +On July 17 2014 00:29 Torte de Lini wrote:On July 17 2014 00:15 ThomasjServo wrote:
What nobody tells you about getting older is just how boring it really can be. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but your middle twenties are an odd quagmire of feeling like you've failed relative to the people who've put in five more years than you but seem to be making exponentially more money than you and thinking you've moved mere inches compared to the kid for whom nepotism worked straight out of college.
The trick is really to keep the wheels spinning in some way, I've been working on Chess for a while now, as a means of keeping my cognitive functions up to snuff. I have seen far too many people in the offices I've worked in who are content to work, go home and watch mind numbing, spirit crushing game shows, get up and do it all again. I'm not going to lie. My ambitions in life are pathetically small: Get a job I love, Buy a big screen television, own my own furniture and buy a console (Wii U). That's the only thing I'm missing right now. You pretty much nailed it on the head there with your insight. 4-5 years of more experience and I feel like they are miles ahead in terms of earnings, standards of lifestyle and more. I mean, I still have my projects and work that I can do to keep me "active" so to speak, but I feel like I'm limited in an area or two that could really bolster my portfolio. But then again, it'll always be like that. As far as I can tell the trick is to never become an adult, you can have adult tendencies, but to me an adult is this very rigid refusal to accept the unfamiliar, or worse yet not seeking the unfamiliar.
I think in the end; it's an idea of learning to look forward but also to know that each step towards what you want doesn't come immediately even if you're ready now.
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EPT
