Yousillygoose’s Super Fun Blog Thing

Conclusions

27 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment

by yousillygoose in General, Learning, Life, Uncategorized, work, World Tags: Career, doctor, earn, education, future, greed, growing up, Job, Learning, Life, medical, money, plan, retire, rich, school, tiger, tiger woods scandal, wealthy, woods

Another year is gone, and as I just about reach the close of my 22nd year of life, I reflect on how my life has taken form these past few years. I now have to admit to myself that I am a much more practical person than I was even two years ago. This was never my intention.

I still believe that all things are possible, still believe that I can concoct a goal for myself, and by nontraditional means, still somehow reach my aimed destination. I still don’t believe that traditional modes of success are the only modes of success. I still often find myself on the ‘road not taken’ as it were. I’m still an idealist, but now, I believe that an idealist can be pragmatic. Since joining a corporation, I have become more cognizant of two things primarily: money and human nature. That is, it is in nature of human beings and corporations to seek money, always more money than they have. I have also learned that people who would normally appear to be sane, civil people, can behave in extremely bizarre, unkind and unreasonable ways when affairs of money are concerned. This realization is perhaps somewhat belated.

When I was very young, in the middle school era, my uncle began his quest to convince me that I should go to medical school, as it was, in his view (which I wholly disagree with), the only occupation that could guarantee financial security. He asked, “When you get older, do you want to drive a nice car, or a regular car?” Knowing that the doctor path was not right for me, I quite assertively told him “A regular car!” Today my answer to him would still be the same, but, today I also have an appreciation for the security that money provides, which I did not have at that age. I now make decisions after assessing the risk and future gain.

However, I do not believe in an eternal quest for money. We have now all heard every tid bit of the Tiger Woods scandal. We all know that there is little correlation between having a great deal of money and leading a fulfilled life. But, I do believe that money and independence are closely interlinked, so money is attractive to me only in the sense that it can afford one time and means to do things one truly enjoys doing, rather than is forced to do. The greatest single thing I have learned this year is that one of the best things a person can have in life is control over his or her time – time to do things one enjoys, with people one enjoys. I do not want money to be at the forefront of my life.