[Type 5] What the fuck do you do with your life?

[Lux]

That's an awesome post, I love when people write about things that make them feel alive. It sounds to me as if you have a great hold of parts of your world - in that you know yourself in a way that not everyone does. Money doesn't motivate all people, obviously, it doesn't motivate me so I get it. I think there is something to the talents you have and to the things you enjoy to do already. Meaning, to me, is what you make of it, not what others make of it. Meaning is found when you connect with something and I think that living a life connecting is amazing, because I also think that people tend to forget about that part of it and then they become the sadness that you quoted above. I think that happens when they lose sight of joy. I agree that is scary. What I have found in my work, and I work a lot and am stupidly busy, is it helps to carve out time for the things in life that make me happy, I carve out time to be selfish and take care of myself. You can't achieve great things if you're not in a good state of mind, you're not as creative or effective. What I'm getting at is maybe one solution (of the many) would be actually commit time to yourself (daily, weekly) where you focus on experiences that genuinely make you feel good. Once someone does that and it becomes a habit (as repetition does) they have a very different perspective.

 

[WhoCares]

Nice post Lux, lots of things for me to mull over. I know I have to find a way to integrate all of this and I have a feeling I may even create something unique as well. Perhaps thats part of the problem, because I'm not looking for any obvious solutions like....Hey! You should be a theatre costumer or horticulturalist there's no simple shaped hole with which to pick up each piece and ask Does it fit?. I love problem solving, I spend a great deal of my time looking for problems to solve, ironic then that this one is so solution-resistant.

The big wildcard or limiter for me are my pets. I am absolutey devoted to them and could never consider giving them away. They are currently living apart from me, due to the high travel component to my work. I visit them every weekend but its just not the same as living with them. I kind of feel like I've got a deadline on sorting my shit out since their lives aren't infinite and they are quite old now too. If I didnt have a pressing need to either buy or rent a place to live in with my cats then decisions would be more clear cut.

 

[Lux]

The feeling that one can create something new, is so refreshing. Is it possible to include your pets into the fabric of your hobbies on the weekends? I find I like AND statements and actions more that OR questions. Should I do X OR Y? I can do X AND Y. Much of it is finding and utilizing the time you have.

 

[Chad of the OttomanEmpire]

You've verbalised my core fear. Your post haunted me all night, that's what I'm running from. The lifeless ordinary. To live that house in the burbs life is like being a member of the undead. I was offered an overtime duty today that would have seen me pocket an extra $600 for the week after tax. I turned it down, clearly money alone is no motivator for me. Its a just a necessary evil.

Mine, too. I chose adventure over a secure life. Things matter more to me than money--something that's apparently a great rarity in our world. But be assured, you are not alone in this.

Your core fears sound very 7, btw. (Just an observation, not pushing anything.)

 

[WhoCares]

Your core fears sound very 7, btw. (Just an observation, not pushing anything.)

A disintegrating 5 then.

 

[BlackDog]

"But I've always held a core belief I am here to do something amazing....if only I could discover what that was."

What do you mean by 'amazing'? As in, you recognize life is limited and thus are searching for a mission of some kind?

 

[Sunny Ghost]

Help me out here, I've come to the point of realising I've got nothing else to do with the remaining 50 or so years I've got left on the planet. Playing 'human' kind of sucks and I spend my days devising new ways to avoid other people. Heres the thing....i just dont find people interesting the way others find people interesting. I can mimic interest with head nodding and listening but at the end of the day I do that to pass minutes not because I actually care about anything they might tell me about themselves. Truth be told, other people are right down on my list of priorities below cleaning out the cat litter tray and scrubbing mould off the shower.

But this whole 'life' thing is set up to interact with other people so I'm at a bit of a loss what to do now. Wish I had an ambition to call my own right now...so fess up what have you other 5's out there decided upon in order to bring some point to existence? Do I just stay in my current job until I fall off the twig? I was going to get a little more proactive about the falling off the twig bit but that's not allowed for discussion here.

I seem to be suffering from a combination of severe boredom, lack of focus and people phobia.

Maybe you're surrounding yourself with the wrong type of people. What types of stuff would you like to talk about with people? Are there not other things in the world that interest you? Maybe you're the one that is boring, so others resort to talking about their self. I don't say that to be mean, but I'm a huge believer that "If you're bored, you're boring."

The last two nights I actually had some really enjoyable conversations with people hanging out. (I'd been a recluse for the last several months and decided I should hang out with some friends.) The one night, we got on to a topic on vaccinations and eventually is evolved into the universe, science, math, human history and evolution and then our hopes/dreams, and what might make us happy. It was very stimulating. Last night, I hung out with some nerds and we got on about A Game of Thrones and Doctor Who for quite a while. In addition, we shared music and talked about all sorts of random topics. It was fun to nerd out like that.

Find things that do spark your interest. Maybe you need a good book? Or a new hobby? Maybe take up an outdoors activity, like hiking, or an indoor activity like writing/drawing. What types of things do you daydream about doing? Meditate on it. As you find things that interest you, maybe you can find others with similar interest and interactions can become more satisfying rather than mundane.

 

[OptoGypsy]

I didn't read the posts but what I do is find interesting people and chill with them, finding challenges and beating every-ones expectations is always fun, accomplishing the things that people find to be impossible i.e getting laid while wearing overalls

 

[lxlprodigylxl]

I can really relate to this. I have many similar interests. Here is what I do to make a living and deal with people on my terms...

Art (kinda): My primary income is pinstriping. I have always been been decent with design. One day I was listening to two friends go on about how one
wanted his classic car pinstriped and took it upon myself to scrawl across his car with a white pencil. The event spiraled into a nice source of
income and allowing me to leave the regular workforce.

Gardening: In an attempt to be freed from pesticides and GMO foods I took up gardening. I had far more plants than I could possibly use so, I sold the
the excess from a stand in front of my home. Two years later I had a small greenhouse and was supplying local retailers.

Sewing: This one is funny... I sew clothing for dogs. No joke. This was generated by the desire to have a specific type of clothing for my pet that is
is difficult to find in the average market.

It is my opinion that doing something amazing is a matter of excelling at what you choose to do. What one chooses to do doesn't have to completely
mesh together but, it certainly needs to be profitable. In the case of WhoCares I can see taking up metal work on a larger scale and gardening/landscape
going very well together. I see a lot of outdoor sculpture used in gardens. Profit from something like that while spending the time you need on smaller,
more detailed jewelry pieces. Simply Brainstorming.

 

[WhoCares]

"But I've always held a core belief I am here to do something amazing....if only I could discover what that was."

What do you mean by 'amazing'? As in, you recognize life is limited and thus are searching for a mission of some kind?

Good question. You know I hadnt really thought that through as stupid as that sounds. Give me 10sec.....Okay what I mean is make one of my core dreams real. Creating own career would be in my mind amazing even though it might be simple to someone else, to be free of conventional forms of employment would feel like an acheivement to me. To be one of thhe fe who make a career of art, or their hobbies or such would be in my book amazing as so few people ever get to make a living in something they are passionate about.

Creating a world dominating empire? No so much....i guess my dreams are rather humble and small anyway. Good thing I'm not over-reaching...

 

[WhoCares]

[MENTION=10131]IndyAnnaJoan[/MENTION], yeah I think there is something to your post. I am spending a lot of time with people who just aren't my kind of people with little time for socialising in more meaningful circles. Its difficult to relate a lot of the time.

I'm working in being able to garden more and be more creative. Its been years since I've done any metalwork at all and its something I love a great deal actually. At the moment my work just sucks all of my time and energy out of me.

 

[WhoCares]

I can really relate to this. I have many similar interests. Here is what I do to make a living and deal with people on my terms...
.

Yeah this is what I want to do, tie all my interests together and make a comfortable life somewhere of my choosing. While my job has served me well I'm keen to move onto other things now.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

[MENTION=10131]IndyAnnaJoan[/MENTION], yeah I think there is something to your post. I am spending a lot of time with people who just aren't my kind of people with little time for socialising in more meaningful circles. Its difficult to relate a lot of the time.

I'm working in being able to garden more and be more creative. Its been years since I've done any metalwork at all and its something I love a great deal actually. At the moment my work just sucks all of my time and energy out of me.

I'd say you sound like you're a bit depressed, too.

I wish we could hang out in order to have meaningful conversations together.

-------------------------------------------

I reread my other post, and realize my wording was a bit harsh sounding. Overall, I meant you might be jaded/depressed and having a bit of an existential crisis.

 

[BlackDog]

Good question. You know I hadnt really thought that through as stupid as that sounds. Give me 10sec.....Okay what I mean is make one of my core dreams real. Creating own career would be in my mind amazing even though it might be simple to someone else, to be free of conventional forms of employment would feel like an acheivement to me. To be one of thhe fe who make a career of art, or their hobbies or such would be in my book amazing as so few people ever get to make a living in something they are passionate about.

Creating a world dominating empire? No so much....i guess my dreams are rather humble and small anyway. Good thing I'm not over-reaching...

I think I see what you mean; I think the same way a lot of the time, if I am reading your posts right. Only, I had my 'life-work' handed to me by someone else... in my culture that's how it works... You have to find yours, pretty much. It seems like what you want is a meaningful accomplishment or task to put your name on, so to speak. To say, "That's what I did, and I made it work even though there were obstacles because I had a passion for it, and it was a worthwhile thing to do".

Yes?