- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 5 months ago by Mike.
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April 27, 2014 at 4:16 pm #55461billParticipant
Ok, I find that there is so little time after you get done with the struggle to earn a living to make your dreams come true. I am now 58 and I struggled for decades to be involved in saving our environment. I just find that for the few years I actually worked in a nonprofit I spent years struggling to make a living despite having an MA.
I am not giving up on my dreams yet it is very frustrating to reach my age and not have had a good income, a wife or kids. I will admit that I came close to some of these things and maybe fear of commitment also played a role but I am afraid that just struggling to make it and deal with my emotionally life has been a huge challenge. I still worry about how much of my hoped for life I will ever achieve and what path to take as I continue to try to live my dreams. Everywhere there are people who will encourage you to take what you can get and settle on that. But I know people who did who were not happy.
My friend and I were just reflecting on how short life seems and how much of it we spend struggling with earning a living and coming to terms with our mistaken decisions and other emotional issues. All these issues get covered in TB all the time under titles like accepting yourself, accepting your past mistakes, facing your fears, etc. But it is just so hard and I wish to God it would get easier and life would work out for a while. I am not so naive as to believe that I am going to avoid repeating past patterns that have not worked. Sometimes you read one of these articles and feel better but life comes back unfixed by the insights.
I just spend too much time thinking about how my life has not turned out right which is exactly what being mindful should bring under control. Why can’t I accept what I can’t change and strive to change what I can, like the old serenity prayer? I just can’t seem to do that.
Here is a thought. To bring your dream into the world you have to allow it to leave the perfect realm of dreams and accept it in what form it may take.
- This topic was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by bill.
April 28, 2014 at 3:21 pm #55537billParticipantNo one seems interested. Well, I am very desperate. I am on bad financial straits. I am having trouble findiing work that pays enough to keep aflout. I feel I am running out of lifetime.. Maybe it really is all over. I want and need an income of $700 a week to keep myself going while I try to pursue a dream and wotk on feeling better. Buy i feel like i am destine d to crash
April 28, 2014 at 6:41 pm #55543AlParticipantBill,
I apologize for not having tended to your post earlier. Also, please know that you’ve inspired me with your selfless and benevolent actions for our planet and humanity. I do hope to follow in similar footsteps in the future. I am very glad that you posted.
Often times, I wish that our global society would take time to teach about achieving harmony when we become adults. Whether it is taught in a secular or religious fashion does not matter for harmony does not exist in but one world. In my own experience, and from what I have been taught by my teachers, harmony is relative to our situations. While some believe that balancing two acts is just right, there are some who believe that juggling no more than 5 is minimum and necessary. With this said, we must understand that harmony incorporates all aspects of our lives. Indeed, it is then easily understood that such a task is staggering. And, as I mentioned, this is not something that we are universally taught. Because of this, many of us become overwhelmed, crushed, confused, lost and even paralyzed by having to put so much concentration, so much effort into finding our ‘middle ground’. In addition to that, because life is dynamic and is constantly introducing new elements into our lives, balancing becomes a never ending endeavor. And, when we set certain goals, certain ambitions for ourselves, these elements which affect our envisioned process obtain the power to cause a great shift on the journeyto our objectives. These are things you already know, I’m sure. I only posted as to help other members who are in similar situations and reading this therefore please forgive me if this seemed like an endless/meaningless rant.
With this said, the element of ‘making a livable wage’ and ‘saving our environment’ are two whose magnitudes are immense. To balance these two requires a great fortitude. (And again, I must express my respect and appreciation for your doings.) Sometimes, however, we have to pause and reassess ourselves. We have to gauge the reality of our situations. And although difficult to do as we are driven by something larger than ourselves, we have to remember that we are beings whom can mostly (financially) operate through the systems our societies have placed (sadly). This is where our knowledge of harmony becomes handy. Although possible to succeed outside of the bounds of the system, I believe that it is at the edge that we must maintain and remain in order to perform the difficult while still having our roots in the necessary place. I hope this makes sense. If not, I will use myself as example. While my goal is to create an orphanage which seconds as a school in Thailand that teaches moralistic and humanitarian business, I must first secure a sustainable income in order to fund my project. Where I know I must plant my feet are first in the business world. Only by first obtaining the knowledge and participating in risky ventures will I achieve the first step all the meanwhile recalling that I may only partake in endeavors which do not violate my principles along the way. Else, how could I claim to be humanitarian if I participate in a business that pollutes both humans and this world?
In short, and in simpler terms, while your dreams can still be achieved, you may have to do so from a new/different perspective and position. As to what this entails is entirely on you for you know your life best. Nevertheless, even if finding a new position conveys that you aren’t able to contribute to your cause as much, it does not mean that you have given up. It only means that you are more limited. However, a contribution is a contribution. The important thing to tell yourself is that, in the end, and at the least, you are exerting as much positivity as you’re able to. Remind yourself of this each time you suffer difficulty to quell your heart. I hope this helps. If not, I am sure other members will contribute.
Al
ps: I apologize for any grammatical mistakes.
June 12, 2014 at 12:39 pm #58722MikeParticipantsIts really easy to look at the past and say you should have done this or that, but it is 100% true that hindsight is 20/20. It is so hard to predict how the decisions we make today will impact us tomorrow, let alone years from now. I think one of the most important things to do is stay true to yourself, to be conscious to the things we are doing and on what motives we are operating. We have a funny way of going against ourselves when we operate on auto pilot or let our egos control our lives. You say about how you missed your chance to have a wife and children, well I can say that I have my own struggle along these lines as well. I’m not going to go into that, but sometimes you get what you thought you wanted and you realize that you are living some one else’s life and you were never honest with yourself or anyone, then you are in another world of regret. Sometimes it is a catch 22 and if you dwell on it is never going to end.
Making a living is an absolute necessity and sometimes it is hard to do, especially if we are really passionate about something but it isn’t something you can get rich doing. Not sure if you ever heard of guerilla marketing, it is book, basically you find different ways to get to the people doing the hiring at places. Its not being desperate, it is being confident and clever. I am not sure what your MA is in, but if it is your dream to work in saving the environment there are a lot of things you can do that you do get paid, but actually getting a job in those fields is another story. There are a lot of state and national parks where you could work, maybe not saving the environment, but maybe educating and tending to the environment. There are a lot of new things people are doing to do their part in saving the environment from biking to work, driving electric vehicles, installing solar panels there is obvious demands for people to work in various “green fields.” A lot of the jobs only require certification, you won’t get rich but it is a job where you are making a difference. You could help a farming co-op where local organic farmers need help. I am not going try to pretend to know a lot about this stuff, but just trying to throw out some suggestions because I myself am stuck as well spinning my wheels. I am just turning 30 this year and so many of the people I graduated with are in successful careers, but not me. Everyone tells me the same thing they tell you, and sometimes I think you have to listen, but even if you do don’t give up on what your dream is. Sometimes you need to work a job you hate in order to fund your dreams. My fear is that I will never get the time to work towards a dream once I have that job and that is the big negative.
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