Posted by MFPoor on January 07, 2013 at 05:07:46 from (72.4.0.230):
In Reply to: Ambition? posted by jhilyer on January 06, 2013 at 15:27:06:
Welcome to the world we ALL live in.
Life, and how it works out is often a matter of attitude. Here's the cliff notes version of how I approach life, and how it's treated me. Sure not saying I did things perfect, or that I couldn't do things better. Just throwing out a few ideas.
We ALL eventually get older (except for those who die young..Not a good alternative) Our "best years" as far as productivity and energy happens early on in the game. Some people get motivated while in their early teens, but MOST wait until their "adult years" to get with the program. Having a family USUALLY gets people motivated, but not always. And in recent years, a family doesn't seem to spark that ambition in some that it did years ago.
As we get into our middle years, we (hopefully) learn to use our "smarts" to compensate for what our muscles begin to struggle with. A few lucky folks manage to stay in good physical condition through their mid life and combine both mind and body to keep climbing.
At some point in the game, we start to wear down. If we played our cards right, we're in a position where we have enough "head above water" in our lives so that we don't have to work like a dog. Where I once kept a 5 to 9 schedule, now it's 9 to 5 (or some such.)
I'm 65. No, I can't go out and dig post holes from sun up to sun down like I once could. But I've managed to work hard enough so that I can now afford a post hole auger. That's how it's supposed to work. (And no , B&D, it's not a skid steer mounted hydraulic auger)
With an ever increasing frequency, people seem to be suffering through set backs in every day life. A divorce can put you back to square one. The loss of a job can do the same. And anyone who says neither can happen to them is just kidding themselves. Those events strike like lightning, out of nowhere.
As my dad used to say, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes the game gets rained out".
As I said, I'm 65. I worked a day job for 43 years. I farm still and have since I was 19. And I own 2 small business', one ran by my son and 2 son-in-laws. I've learned to delegate responsibility. With that, I had to learn to accept what I got as the best effort from people who don't always do things exactly the same way I would have. (That's the hardest thing I ever had to do) I got married young and we stayed together every since. My wife is my best friend, my business partner, and the best thing that ever happened to me. 3 kids, 9 grand kids, and 1 great grand child (w/another on the way) Life has been good MOST of the time. (but not all a bed of roses) At the end of most days, I'm so tired I can't hardly drag myself to bed at night. Obviously I like that or I wouldn't continue trying to do what my wife describes as "way too much for a man my age".
Am I happy? You betcha I am! Things worked out better than I could have expected. That said, not much worked out like I THOUGHT it would back when I first set out on my own. To me, being happy isn't about what I have or don't have. That's easy to say when things are going right. To me, being happy is about my family first, then taking advantage of opportunity and being able to give every day my best effort, regardless of what that effort produces. In my book, being happy isn't the result of success, it's the CAUSE of success.
I hope 2013 turns out to be the best year you've ever had.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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