There was another man, Y who is same age as X. However, he is totally opposite of X. He is a high flyer in a company, currently holding director position in a company. He spent enormous effort to work hard and work smart in office to please his boss. Typically, he worked from 8 and overtime till 11pm everyday. He want to work hard to get promotion and earn tons of money.
X and Y are secondary school friends and did not see each other often.
One day, Y past by X when Y is on way to meet his client at 8pm while X is fishing by the seaside, enjoying his life.
Y: Hi X, why are you here again? I think I saw you many times around this time when I am rushing to meet my client.
X: I am fishing and I go fishing everyday after work. Sometimes I just sit by the seaside and enjoy the scenery.
Y: I heard that you are still doing that low paying job after so many years. Why aren't you striving hard to earn more instead of wasting your time fishing everyday? Don't you want to buy big cars, own big houses, with lots of cash and investments so that you can retire without any worry in future when you are old? Look at me, I worked so hard everyday, trying to earn a lot so that I can have lots of money. Next time, I can buy a house by the seaside and enjoy the beautiful scenery when I retire.
Guess what X reply?
X: Why wait till retire? I am already enjoying the seaside scenery everyday.
9 comments:
Sound like me? LOL
Poor work ethics will get X nowhere. Life may look rosy now but what if he gets older and the income stream or cash hoard runs out? At least Y is building on his future instead of sitting on his butt enjoying the seaside scenery daily.
Different strokes for different folks. ;)
OT
I think the issue is balance and about priorities. Most of us have to work at a job for a living. But whether we should work 42 hours weeks or 60-70 hrs depends on many factors.
The challenge is to understand what we want to achieve in the trade-off between work and other things while moving towards financial freedom.
Be well and prosper.
What if tomorrow never comes!?
I say:
Today's fun, today enjoy.
Oh dear, I am a bad influence. Sorli sorli to all the teachers out there who preach instead:
Today's work, today do.
I naughty cricket ;)
Hi CW,
Uncle already free le. So not really similiar?
Hi MW,
You are right. Lazy bum no good, too hardworking also not good either. If one day suddenly you die as a too hardworking person, one may regret missing out the small small things of life.
Hi Ak,
You say "strokes" haha reminded me of your Mrs Palmer. :)
Hi Panzer,
Agree it is a trade off. The story which I wrote in this blog is not created by me. I remembered I read this story somewhere but couldn't find the source. Thus I wrote the story based on whatever I can remembered.
Personally, I prefer something in between. I don't want be too hardworking and end up die regreting. I don't want be too slack till no security when you grow old.
Hi SMOL,
Haha I like your comment best! What if tomorrow never comes! Many of us presumes tomorrow will come, what if it never come? Will you regret that you spent too much effort in work instead of spending it with your love one?
Hi OT,
I'll ask if X and Y are enjoying what they are doing. If X is happy doing what he is doing and can take the peer pressure or family pressure to meet up with demands, then go ahead. If Y is happy earning his materialistic (who am I to judge, really) way of living, a go-getter, so be it.
Ah, but if someone is living a life that he is not happy with, then we must ask why is he doing that? If the sacrifice is worth it, then carry on. If not, it's time to rethink priorities and go back to the drawing board on your motivation and aims in life.
Life is not a game that has the same rules for everybody. You play your own game, by rules set for yourself only. And why is life a game? Because you should enjoy it while it last but don't take it too seriously.
I will have to work for some time in the office to earn that money to buy prawns as baits; but there are some people who will dig up worms as baits at the beach.
The moral of story: The same thing can be done without or less money.
Hi LP,
That's right. A person's medicine maybe another person's poison. Maybe X and Y are happy in their own perspectives, who knows?
Most importantly, find your own perspectives of life :)
Hi CW,
Which beach got worms as baits? I never seen before. There are really people who did that?
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