What If Money Was No Object?

[Commander_Undies 618]

 

This is a 3 minute video that I really enjoyed. I was just thinking of my future yesterday and I am so undecided with what I want to do when I finally go to school. I would rather do something I hate to get money, then something a love to do. But after watching this video, I can say that I think I've changed my mind. 

 

What would you guys do if money wasn't an object? Or are you already doing what makes you happy?

[Drifter 851]

Mike I have never seen that video before but I gotta say wow. What a great video. I actually just saved it to my bookmarks. And honestly that describes me and the way I have lived my life for the past 8 years to a tee. There's one line in there where he says -

 

“If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you'll spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things you don't like doing, which is stupid. Better to have a short life, doing what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way."

 

That's something I have been saying to my family and friends for the past 8 years. Some of them understand me and some don't. For the first 15 years of my adult working life (from age 19 till age 34) I did "What we are supposed to do" which was to have a career. I did not come from a rich family and I was just getting out of high school about the time a lot of you guys here were just being born so back then there were less people that went to college than in this current day and age. So not going to college I went into the learned trades field and I became a welder/fabricator. I did that for about 15 years and then about eight years ago when I lost my job welding I was bringing home close to $500 per week, which for a single guy without a college degree in 2005 was pretty decent money. When I lost my job I could have pretty easily went to another place and got the same type of job because I was an experienced certified TIG welder and that is a trade that is always in demand, but I decided not to do so.

 

I ended up taking about six months off of doing anything and went up to my cabin on the river and spent some time there just fishing and thinking about life and what I wanted to do. When I came home I had made the decision that I was tired of spending 50% of my life doing something that I did not "want" to do, getting up at a time I did not want to get up at, taking orders from someone I did not even like (I hated my old boss) and simply was just tired of throwing away half the time in my life in exchange for money. So what I did was I decided since my true love in life, the one thing I loved to do more than anything else in life was to fly fish and to enjoy everything to do with fishing and the outdoors, then I would take something that I enjoyed doing (building custom fly rods) and turn that into a business so I could do something that was related to something I loved. So that's what I did and have been doing for the past eight years.

 

The real trade off there was giving up a steady income and not making money the goal in my life. Because back then I worked so I would get that paycheck on Thursday. Now the past eight years I really live pretty much month to month. Rarely do I have more than a few hundred "extra" bucks in the bank after I pay the bills each month. I don't have any real insurance if I get sick, I have something called "care credit" which is basically a credit card used just for doctors which I pay for entirely myself like you would a credit card. Yet I'm happier now doing this than I ever was when I was making good money as a welder. Because I enjoy what I am doing

 

There's times when I actually work longer hours now than when I punched a clock, perfect example was today. It' Sunday, yet I worked on rods from 1pm till 11pm today so that's a good 10hrs of work today. But it's different when you enjoy what your doing. While working today I had on some fishing videos, had on a couple movies, watched "Deck the halls" to get into the Christmas spirit since that is coming up, and just did my work while enjoying movies and shows. So I built rods for 10 hours but can I say I really "worked"...I dunno, you be the judge.

 

This lifestyle is not for everyone though. I'm single, no kids, not looking for a wife and not looking to have a family of my own, don't care much for fancy namebrand stuff or any of the other high dollar items or such. I call those kind of people "plastic people" and that's just not me. But I understand people that want wives and families or big houses and all have to do careers they may not enjoy, that's just not me though.

 

Like I said I don't have the money I use to have, but that's fine with me. As long as my bills are paid each month and I have the few things I enjoy like my immediate family, my aquariums, and being able to go fishing when I want then to me that's all I need to have an enjoyable life. Money is something that is man made and is the cause of a lot of pain and suffering IMHO.

 

Just my .02

 

 

 

 

[Plumbers Crack 4,058]

And long may you continue your lifestyle Steve as you have obviously found something so many people haven't.......contentment.

[deterioration 443]

What would you guys do if money wasn't an object? Or are you already doing what makes you happy?

 

I’m not entirely sure if being happy is even an option anymore for most people ever since the economy collapsed.  It used to be employers needed people and would pay them accordingly but it’s been upended. Now people need employers and employers are exploiting it happily.

[Commander_Undies 618]

 

I’m not entirely sure if being happy is even an option anymore for most people ever since the economy collapsed.  It used to be employers needed people and would pay them accordingly but it’s been upended. Now people need employers and employers are exploiting it happily.

 

 

Well, of course. Money is money, and people need it to survive. They will do what they can to get it, even if it's something they hate doing.

 

A lot of the true stories I read or watch, about success, it usually always starts with struggle. This economy is the struggle right now. But, I'm sure someone will come out on top of things.

 

I met a CNA in the hospital, she did a great job taking care of my mom. While I don't think she minded her job. She was doing what she really loved on the side and that was making quilts and selling them. I admire that. 

 

I'm sure i'll have to do plenty of jobs that I hate doing before I end up doing what I really want to do. I know kids would be the thing that would hold me back from that. I'd like to think that when I have a wife that we'll be on the same page with our goals before we even think about having a child. I know i'd be a great parent, but I want to make sure I'm happy with what i'm doing before I start pumping kids out. Those things are just too expensive. 

[techno 3,507]

I have actually been thinking about this sort of lately, I hate my job... Well maybe the place I work I've been there since school so now its coming on 28 years its paid for everything I've needed and its given me the cash to bring up my kids who have recently left home.

Now its been a struggle but I've just recently got to a place where I'm financially not too bad, yes I have debts but its nothing out of the ordinary thing is works slack next year and I could end up with near 50% pay cut due to lack of hours but I can't leave as I need the redundancy I would be owed.

Now I have said to my wife if I was to be made redundant I'm done with that industry I am apprentice trained skilled engineer but I'm done, now I've been into fitness recently and what I've been trying to get to is I've read about all these adventures and way of living some people enjoy and I got thinking I missed out, if I'd only seen or thought about it earlier, I even thought I'd wasted my life so far when I was a little down, obviously I've raised some great daughters but it seems something was missing maybe it will turn up.

I ride bikes some people ask as its dangerous don't you worry, nope I would rather be glad I tried than regret I didn't.

Fair play to Steve for taking the path you did.

[deterioration 443]

I'm sure i'll have to do plenty of jobs that I hate doing before I end up doing what I really want to do. I know kids would be the thing that would hold me back from that. I'd like to think that when I have a wife that we'll be on the same page with our goals before we even think about having a child. I know i'd be a great parent, but I want to make sure I'm happy with what i'm doing before I start pumping kids out. Those things are just too expensive. 

 

 

Maybe, maybe not. Another scenario, like the one I’m in,  you absolutely love what you do but are consistently disappointed by the people you work with. Be it people who sleep at their desk, play games, on personal calls in the parking lot for hours, talking to other employees for hours about relationship woes, getting here early punching in and having breakfast for the first hour of work with others on the clock, people who can't come in on time, people who are computer illiterate and refuse to learn, on and on... Shit drives me nuts. I don't know why but it does?

 

You’re correct it’s important. My girl and I get along very well because we are like minded about finances and our future. I always bust her chops about knocking her up and making her take care of the kid 99% of the time.  So to bust my onions she went and created a chart of how much we need to save for the first few years. Did all sorts of research on cost of baby necessities. Then throws me not being able to get a PS4 if I want a kid in my face with a “That’s money we should save if you want to have a kid.” Sneaky fucker!

 

I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do!

[Commander_Undies 618]

If this comes out weird. It's because I'm mobile. So I blame that.

You don't have to say "people". I know you mean Kylebees. Hahahaha just kidding.

That sucks. I hate people. I don't know how i'd put up with that. That's a whole different problem in itself.

Oh man. Sucks about the PS4. But you have to look our for Joseph Jr. I hope I can be that financially organized.

Thank you, I appreciate it

[OTC Mike 53]

Simply put. If money was no object, I'd quit work and just go to school.

 

I like my job and everything, but there's just so much more I want to learn.

 

I got my degree in Applied Mathematics, with a minor in economics, but want to learn about Biology, Geography, Physics, Finance, History, Law, and Literature. I'm sure there would be others that I'd want to pick up as well. But those would be the starting few.

 

And I don't mean just taking a few classes in each, I mean full on Masters level education in each field.

[Harrison 202]

I posted this on the old forum! Completely forgot about this video, so good. Thanks for posting Mike!

[Commander_Undies 618]

Simply put. If money was no object, I'd quit work and just go to school.

 

I like my job and everything, but there's just so much more I want to learn.

 

I got my degree in Applied Mathematics, with a minor in economics, but want to learn about Biology, Geography, Physics, Finance, History, Law, and Literature. I'm sure there would be others that I'd want to pick up as well. But those would be the starting few.

 

And I don't mean just taking a few classes in each, I mean full on Masters level education in each field.

 

That sounds like a awesome idea! 

 

I posted this on the old forum! Completely forgot about this video, so good. Thanks for posting Mike!

 

You're welcome!

[deterioration 443]

If this comes out weird. It's because I'm mobile. So I blame that.

You don't have to say "people". I know you mean Kylebees. Hahahaha just kidding.

That sucks. I hate people. I don't know how i'd put up with that. That's a whole different problem in itself.

Oh man. Sucks about the PS4. But you have to look our for Joseph Jr. I hope I can be that financially organized.

Thank you, I appreciate it

 

No doubting Bees is a punk bitch of the highest order but every department has its own set of rules. We’ve talked in length about or feelings toward people’s behavior. It’s pandemic.

 

It is rough. I’ve lost sleep and been mad coming in but there’s nothing I can do about it and management allows it to happen so I’ve plainly become apathetic. I still care but I don't let anyone important know anymore. Sad really.

 

Nah she’s just flicking my bean bag. She knows I’ll go out and get it for myself if she doesn’t. Babies need to watch educational Bluray’s/DVD’s and play educational games. Plus I can work the hand eye training angle. Kid needs to develop skills early playing games that will translate to life. Like hitting baseballs and dribbling basketballs. What better way to build a solid foundation than with a next gen system. ^Ha ha that has stink lines coming off of it it’s so full of shit. Good thing there are studies about the hand eye benifit I can print out.

[spectre 633]

Alan Watts (the narrator in the video) has all kinds of good philosophical lectures to listen to.

 

If money were no object, I'd live in a cabin on a lake in the middle of Canada where the only way to get there was by plane. 

 

Whatever you decide to do, remember, there are certain industries that are always needed.  You should opt for a recession proof industry when figuring out what to go to school for. 

[Baabcat 1,646]

 

 

Whatever you decide to do, remember, there are certain industries that are always needed.  You should opt for a recession proof industry when figuring out what to go to school for. 

 

 

I read a book on the 'coming economy' fairly recently - talked about certain jobs that are always needed, and always needed locally - meaning learn a trade. Plumbers can't be outsourced to India

[spectre 633]

Exactly man. What is coming is an asset based economy. If you don't own assets, having a skillset will give you something to make up for that.  Think about all the trades and knowledge that has been lost because people think we don't need them anymore because technology has made us all fat and lazy.

 

lol.

[Drifter 851]

Mike...I wanted to bump this post back up.

 

Because I wanted to tell you.... after you posting this, I have actually been so into finding / listening / reading Alan Watts stuff. I've been watching all his lectures online over the past few months, and I actually asked for / got his book "The Way of Zen" for Christmas and just finished reading it last week. His teachings just seem so inline with how I have always tried to live my life, and his books help to take the belief even further. So just wanted to tell you, thank you for posting this, it's really had an impact on me since you did. And I really mean that.

 

Not sure if you have seen this one, but this is another one I found after you posted that really was just amazing to me (the last 2 mins are the most beautiful thoughts to me)

 

[Docwagon 856]

 Plumbers can't be outsourced to India

 

No, but illegal workers can undercut you in a heartbeat.  Ask carpenters.  Its tough to compete with someone paying no taxes, living 6 deep in one apartment, and not having to worry about a living wage in your local economy.  Ask the roofers and carpenters about it.  IT salaries were undercut by both outsourcing and insourcing via J-1 visas bringing Indians into the country.  But, I digress.

 

I mostly agree with the video, but I would add one caveat.  There's a floor of income that you need to support the lifestyle you want.  If you surf all day because you love to surf, but it pays so little that you can't afford to have your own place to live, marry your sweetheart and have children, you're missing out on happiness from one aspect of your life because you are so focused on the other.  To support the lifestyle I personally want requires about $50k a year.  I can take any job I want that pays at least that.

 

Knowing your floor, and keeping your commitments (mortgage, car notes, etc.) within that floor gives you choices and mobility.  My wife is a pharmacist.  She could bring in an additional $110k/ yr for our household pretty handily...but she's a stay at home mom now.  Why?  Because we both enjoy that more than we'd enjoy an extra $110k/yr.  We enjoy being able to travel and take day trips easily without worrying about another work schedule, we enjoy having someone around to take care of our son all the time without worrying about a day care, etc.

 

Years ago while she was working, she wanted to buy an expensive house that would have required us to both work to pay the mortgage.  I refused.  She was really mad at me for quite awhile...until she wanted to quit her job.  Then she was pretty happy about my insistence we live like we only had $50k a year coming in regardless of our actual income.

 

Now, as most of you know I'm a police officer, currently a detective.  I've tried being a soldier, a contractor, an EMT, an IT professional, and as side jobs I've been a carpenter, car salesman, fast food worker, farm hand, etc.  I liked being an EMT, but the pay wouldn't support the lifestyle I wanted.  I liked being a contractor, and it would easily support the lifestyle I wanted, but the travel got tiresome.  IT, pay was good, hated the job.  Being a police officer is the perfect balance.  I like the job, I can settle into one area, and it supports the lifestyle I want.

 

In short, its a balancing act.  Yes, you need to enjoy your work...but you also need to make enough money to enjoy your life outside of work.

[Sennex 1,903]

 

In short, its a balancing act.  Yes, you need to enjoy your work...but you also need to make enough money to enjoy your life outside of work.

 

This

 

One of the biggest things to remember is that if you look at your work week, commute time, and number of hours you sleep, etc, then most of us will spend more time with our coworkers than with our Significant other and kids.

So yes, you TOTALLY need to at least enjoy the people you work with.

 

I love to write, I don't really do any writing anymore though. The money isn't there, the people suck, the atmosphere/ industry is toxic for what I did. Hell, My wife and I ended up in counselling because of my writing and the stress I was under.

 

Now I sit back and write SQL all day. I hate the company I work for, genuinely hate it.However, my boss is amazing, the DBA I work with is actually one of my real honest to god, "Not just help bury a body, but help kill the bastard" friends. 

 

If it wasn't for them, I would hate what I was doing, but I get paid pretty decently for the area (Sadly not the industry), and I go to work everyday knowing I will have a blast.

 

The money from this crappy company means I can do silly shit, like buy my son a Compound Bow. Or drive his happy butt to the Comic book shop to spend money on random crap.

[Plumbers Crack 4,058]

Plumbers can't be outsourced to India

I ain't going nowhere!!

[Drifter 851]

 

There's a floor of income that you need to support the lifestyle you want.

 

True, but that returns back the main thing I was saying Doc, It is all about what you want (and by " you" I simply mean each individual person that has to answer the question for themselves".

 

I can only answer the question for myself. I find my income that I truly need to lead the life I want is becoming less and less each year, mainly because as I get older I find the things that bring me the most happiness are not really things that cost all that much money. I do not have a wife and kids so I do not have those things which I have to support, so I am able to get by with less than those that do have people that rely on them for income. I only have to support myself, but that's the way I like it. I use to be engaged and had a 3 bedroom home and three cars and all that stuff that goes along with it (I also worked 50hr per week and was stressed and tired all the time and spent very little time doing things I enjoyed)  and when I lost it all I felt like it was the worst thing that could have happened. Then I started to realize that I was simply buying into what I was told I needed to make me happy. Because truth be told these last 10-11 years that I am not tied down by those things have been the happiest I have been in many many years. And yet I find myself not requiring all the expensive stuff I use to feel I needed.

 

Point is everyone is different in what they desire, as well as require to be happy. I've been finding my happiness in spending time outdoors, fishing, and simple things that I use to take for granted. Obviously even those things as well as having "any" roof over my head require some form of money, but I have found that I can still make a living doing things I enjoy (my custom rod business and now aquarium backgrounds) for people where I do it when I want without having to work all the time, make enough money to pay whatever biil's and then have time to take off on a fishing trip for however long or go somewhere and enjoy myself for X amount of time. I'm sure some of you remember the pictures of my 69 GTO I've worked on for the past 12 yrs, I've actually just recently decided to put it up for sale this spring. Mainly because I just find myself content these days to have my little corner of the world with the man cave/shop, enough stuff to enjoy what really makes me happy (outdoors/fishing/aquariums) and stuff outside of that I'm not all that interested in at this point in my life. So things like the GTO I plan to sell to be able to use that as income to continue with the other things I enjoy as well as a cushion on monthly bills.

 

Who knows some day I may do the family thing down the road, but for the time being I have been moving deeper and deeper into this sort of life where I don't value the things that most the people in society today day to the extent that they do, and I am liking it this way. It doesn't work for everybody though and I don't expect it too. You do have to give up certain things, but as long as what I give up does not outweigh what I enjoy, that's how I feel I am balanced well.

 

Basically what I am saying is that there is no right or wrong answer to the question. There's many paths to happiness. Some paths require more money, some less, I simply am finding mine is taking less money and less materials objects than it use to as I move further in my life is all.

[Commander_Undies 618]

Mike...I wanted to bump this post back up.

 

Because I wanted to tell you.... after you posting this, I have actually been so into finding / listening / reading Alan Watts stuff. I've been watching all his lectures online over the past few months, and I actually asked for / got his book "The Way of Zen" for Christmas and just finished reading it last week. His teachings just seem so inline with how I have always tried to live my life, and his books help to take the belief even further. So just wanted to tell you, thank you for posting this, it's really had an impact on me since you did. And I really mean that.

 

Not sure if you have seen this one, but this is another one I found after you posted that really was just amazing to me (the last 2 mins are the most beautiful thoughts to me)

 

 

That's great, I'll look at this video when I get a chance. Thanks for sharing it.

[crippled_viper 258]

I know you said if money was no object, then if you had hobbies you really enjoyed doing day in and day out. How are you suppose keep doing that without any money. I would love to get into other hobbies but they require money I don't have. Which in turns I'm not happy about because to do those hobbies I need money.

I also picked a field of study so that when I start my new career I can maybe try and get into my hobby while doing my job. So getting paid to do what I like to do.

[Drifter 851]

 

I know you said if money was no object, then if you had hobbies you really enjoyed doing day in and day out. How are you suppose keep doing that without any money.

 

 

 

I also picked a field of study so that when I start my new career I can maybe try and get into my hobby while doing my job. So getting paid to do what I like to do.

 

 

You just answered your own question

 

I never said to "not work", that's not the point of the video. The point of the video as well as what I was saying above, is simply to not get stuck in a position where you are working half your waking life at a job in which you hate.

 

Most polls show that up to 75% of Americans hate their jobs, but people are taught that they have to go into a field that pays the most money they can get no matter if they like doing it or not, which in reality when you step back and look at the grand scheme of life, that's a sad way to spend the brief amount of time you/we have on this planet.

 

And that is what I was saying about myself. I use to work 50hrs a week in a hot shop as the foreman of a welding/fabrication shop that did a lot of work for the auto & construction industry. I made good money, but I worked long hours, I did heavy lifting and very hard manual labor, in the summer the shop was 100+ degrees yet I still had to wear welding leathers in that heat, I had to put up with crap everyday from the snot nosed owner of the company because his daddy handed him the reigns to the company when he turned 21 yrs old, I got up super early to be there so had to go to bed early so I could get up early the next day to start the cycle all over again. Basically by the time I got off work, got home showered there were maybe 4 hours per day between sitting down to do something and having to go to bed. My life was reduced to a mere 4 hrs per day. That's just not right.

 

Compare that to what I have been doing now for the past 8 going on 9 yrs now. My main source of income now is my custom fly rod business. My true passion in life is fly fishing/outdoors, so I learned the craft of rod building, since I loved doing it and it was fly fishing related (not to sound egotistical) but I became very good at it. Now my days are spent building rods while watching movies, done at my own pace, if I want to take a week or time away from it to go fishing or on trips then I can do so.

 

Now I make my money from doing that. I don't make anywhere near what I did as a welder, but I have found that I am much MUCH happier of a person doing this even with less money because I am doing something I enjoy and not being miserable everyday because I am not putting something like money which is a man created idol up on a pedestal.

 

So no one is saying not to work, it takes money to do most things in life. The point is to simply not get sucked into the black hole of trading a huge portion of your life/happiness for money. Find out what you really enjoy doing, then try to find a way to do something in that field and not worry too much if it doesn't pay quite as much because in my opinion trading happiness for money is something most people, even if they don't think so now while they are still young, but at the end of their life when they look back they will regret that they traded happiness for money.

[Docwagon 856]

I know you said if money was no object, then if you had hobbies you really enjoyed doing day in and day out. How are you suppose keep doing that without any money. 

 

Drifter pretty well covered it.  There's a big difference between 'without any money' and 'with some money'.  That's why I said you have to find the floor, the bare minimum amount of income you need to live how you want to live, and then explore the options that will meet that need.

 

I would also add, think of your future.  Not many folks want to work until they die.  If you can live on $20k but make $35k, that's a lot of money you can put back to retire.  I plan to retire at 52, thanks both to a pension and to living below my income level.