Does anyone else just work to live, and have no real desire to 'succeed' beyond living comfortably?

[AndyT]

This thread makes me worry. Don't you ever think about what you're going to do when you retire? In 30-40 years a lot of people on this thread will be facing a bleak final 20 years of life without the means to pay for a half decent standard of living.

The "I don't want to be tied down by an investment / mortgage" is a load of short-sighted carp. It's easy to sell a house these days, it's hardly an immovable asset. Owning a house is actually less of a ball and chain than owning a cat or a dog. Half the people who say they don't want to be tied down, say it either because they want to sound like free-spirits who can up and leave at a moments notice, or they need to find a reason not to try and move forward. In reality these people often aren't going anywhere exciting any time soon and they generally know it.

There is a lot of mutual reassurance and self-justification going on here. I doubt the OP is in the same boat though, he sounds like he's just having a bit of a down patch, but I'm sure he'll get through it.

 

[Ironic Namesake]

I've always been quite focused on earning more to have security for the future and not having to worry about money.

28 now, have a good income - plenty of savings, some investments (no property though - living abroad and reluctant to buy here). I'm always trying to earn more if possible and my job is heavily dependent on commissions as such I do put in a fair amount of hours.

At least I work from home, don't have to waste any time commuting etc (office is in UK, I'm in Malaysia)

For me it's all about being comfortable, not having to worry about money / bills and to have savings for when I stop working as I'm not entitled to any state pensions etc. and all will rely on my own investments.

 

[grudas]

I'd say I'm happy where I am but I want more, I simply loose my motivation if I don't progress, so I need constant progress to do the best.. Currently I'm on a good wage and literally managed to flip my life around I two years! I've just turned 24 so a lot of it still ahead.. but my goals for the next few years are to - ;

Travel more
Continue with my hobbies
Finally get a car and a licence - not something I need but I love cars
Promotion/higher position with more say and responsibility will need to happen!
Complete some more training and get certs under my name..

So yeah, all in all I'd say that I strive for more, all the time.. Be it financially or overall job/life progression..

 

[RoboCod]

I'm greedy. I've been promoted as quickly as I can be and strive to go further for more money regardless if that means stepping all over the cretins that surround me.

fortunately, we don't get praised for such behaviour and my excellent teamwork and leadership abilities are recognised and rewarded instead. This drives me to keep aiming for more.

 

[dowie]

I'll say though the best thing about having a lot of money is that everything becomes semi-disposable, even houses. You are not worried about losing or breaking stuff or trying to get a great deal, and you dont have to waste time analyzing, comparing and penny pinching, you just buy the best one.

The down side is since things are basically disposable, you dont place as much value on it and dont get the same enjoyment that someone who dreamed about it and saved up for it.

Of the people I know with money I've not met anyone like that - a few friends who I go drinking with a lot in the city, go on holiday with etc.. always make sure they're finding the best prices possible when booking trips abroad etc... cheapest flights, best deals on hotels etc...

 

[Kreeeee]

.

 

[dowie]

Aside from one friend who possibly has some mental issues, it seems to be more common among female friends. Not that all women I know lack ambition, but I'd say about half of them seem to just work to live in careers they've sort of fallen into - they're all graduates, some from very good universities yet they're seemingly content to work in a 'job' just to pay the bills.
One friend moans a bit about her job in some finance dept, she just works 9-5 performing some sort of admin function which by the sounds of it is rather repetitive, doesn't require much thought and offers little in the way of progression in itself. I once suggested looking into something like CIMA, get a professional qualification and then she'd have a whole bunch of potential paths to take, she's got no interest in anything like that - just wants to work, get out at 5 on the dot.

We spend a lot of time at work and I just don't see the appeal in simply doing something mind numbing, which you're not really interested in, just to exist - putting a bit more effort in and some of these people could do something they might not be moaning about so much. I suspect that some of them are just hoping that they'll work for a bit more, find a guy and then quit/have kids, do part time work. Of my group of friends from school, which contains a fairly even mix of men/women all the guys have good careers whereas only half of the girls seem interested in their careers. I guess if you just see any work as a necessary chore you have to endure to live then in order to maximise your happiness a 9-5 with low stress while living in an area with low house prices etc.. might be a good option. For me personally I'd rather do something I find interesting and view work less as a chore in the first place, if that involves working longer hours, having to push myself etc.. then so be it.

 

[PMKeates]

I think a lot of people lack ambition and drive because they don't realise what they can do and what they can become. They can't imagine liking their work. If you don't, your motivations are only negatives like fear of losing your home, not being able to eat or feed your family etc.

 

[Phate]

I think a lot of people lack ambition and drive because they don't realise what they can do and what they can become. They can't imagine liking their work. If you don't, your motivations are only negatives like fear of losing your home, not being able to eat or feed your family etc.

I don't lack ambition. I work hard to do well, get pay rises and earn good money etc...I just don't want to buy a house

 

[Housey]

Health, fitness and contentment outweigh money, toys and things that shine, always. If you can achieve all of that great, if not strive for the first 3 before you seek the second and if in seeking the second you lose any of the first 3, stop and go back to where you were.

 

[Kreeeee]

.

 

[smokedog]

I've total desire to own that flash car, house etc but I'm almost at the ceiling of how much I can earn in my current career/life path. There is nothing I can do to earn extra money... I just have to except this is as good as its going to get.

 

[Housey]

I think a lot of people lack ambition and drive because they don't realise what they can do and what they can become. They can't imagine liking their work. If you don't, your motivations are only negatives like fear of losing your home, not being able to eat or feed your family etc.

Yup

I've total desire to own that flash car, house etc but I'm almost at the ceiling of how much I can earn in my current career/life path. There is nothing I can do to earn extra money... I just have to except this is as good as its going to get.

If that is what you expect, I suspect you are going to be close to a 100% correct in your prediction.

 

[kwerk]

Of the people I know with money I've not met anyone like that - a few friends who I go drinking with a lot in the city, go on holiday with etc.. always make sure they're finding the best prices possible when booking trips abroad etc... cheapest flights, best deals on hotels etc...

What do you consider "with money" ?

 

[randomshenans]

I've total desire to own that flash car, house etc but I'm almost at the ceiling of how much I can earn in my current career/life path. There is nothing I can do to earn extra money... I just have to except this is as good as its going to get.

I hit that. Wasn't going to earn more than now, doing what I do. Only work in one technology specialism for 3-5 yrs really, before you need to change to keep current, earn the same amount as before, there's that ceiling.
Change the game though. Think about it differently. Write the game, make the rules.

 

[dowie]

What do you consider "with money" ?

as per your post, people who have a lot of money

I'm just saying that people I know or have met with a lot of it don't tend to be reckless with it or treat things as disposable.

 

[pepsilol]

Of the people I know with money I've not met anyone like that - a few friends who I go drinking with a lot in the city, go on holiday with etc.. always make sure they're finding the best prices possible when booking trips abroad etc... cheapest flights, best deals on hotels etc...

This is absolutely true.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

If that is what you expect, I suspect you are going to be close to a 100% correct in your prediction.

I think you're doing a riff on the Wayne Gretzky line (you miss 100% of the shots you don't take) and it links in really well with the OP's thread title. Some people do just get to a ceiling and it's an okay ceiling, it's alright to be there. So they hang out there on their ceiling and they might know that their ceiling is someone else's ground floor - they are metaphorically and literally beneath these people - but they're comfortable with that and I think that's okay.

If the same person on the same ceiling isn't okay with where they are then that's different. That then becomes more about ability and capacity to change and better oneself to meet the expectation or it becomes about high expectations with little effort applied to achieve them. That's a binary choice and it really is a choice. I start to lose sympathy with people who aspire to better things but won't change the things about themselves which bar them from achieving better things.

 

[Meridian]

Health, fitness and contentment outweigh money, toys and things that shine, always. If you can achieve all of that great, if not strive for the first 3 before you seek the second and if in seeking the second you lose any of the first 3, stop and go back to where you were.

Remind me again how much you are paid?


In threads like this it's interesting to note (amongst the thinly-disguised humble-bragging) that comments about money not being everything tend to come from people with a fair amount of it. I appreciate that it's a lot more complicated than that, but it's easy to claim the family comes first (for example) when you could easily afford to reduce your hours and still be in the top ten percent. People who barely get enough to survive on may sometimes say the same, but nowhere near as much.

 

[kwerk]

as per your post, people who have a lot of money

I'm just saying that people I know or have met with a lot of it don't tend to be reckless with it or treat things as disposable.

Mid six figure income is what I'd consider a lot of money, which isn't that outrageous. For example if you want a 4x4, you just go buy a brand new land cruiser for cash. You don't waste time comparing mpgs and insurance and stuff like that. That's not a reckless purchase because you could buy a new one each month if you felt like it.