At what point did you give up on being happy?

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Free for you and VD
 
By nature, I have always been a "glass half empty" type of person and as such true happiness has never been achievable.

My life (and family) has been pretty much settled for the last four or five years (prior to that I did a lot of moving and work related traveling) which has brought with it a state of relative contentment.
In my mind's eye, I want to leave the UK again, once my kids have finished schooling and settle somewhere with a nice climate and lower cost of living. If this happens, will I be happy? I Doubt it!
 
MrMonkey
VD, Mudcat is right! It might not seem like it to you, but from my view you have alot more going for you than you realize.
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Oh, trust me, I'm VERY grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life. I have a loving girlfriend, a great best friend, a whole bunch of really good friends, a family who loves and cares about me, and a roof over my head. I am in no way shape or form trying to beg for pity or say "my life completely sucks", because that would be false. I do realize it.

Unfortunately, we all need to work, and we all need to pay the bills. I don't want to spend 40+ hours a week doing something I hate, and I'm just concerned that the day will come where I have to settle on just that.

I'm doing my best to fight it, though. Haven't given up yet.
 
You have to figure out what you wanna do first, Dave. You can't be miserable until you do.
 
Vegas Dave, I feel badly that things are not going well for you. I have been lucky enough to have a great job for awhile and have been winning at gambling pretty consistently.

However the thing that has REALLY helped my state of mind is I changed my diet (I cheat on weekends) and I have been exercising, doing lots of yoga and cardio.

I suggest this route, to start. Maybe the others will fall into place after you work on YOU for a bit.
 
You've been hanging around with a bunch of gamblers. Surely you can figure out a way to make a few bucks.
 
I have to tell you that the day I gave up on being happy was the first day I think I was happy. About 23 years ago, I just basically got kicked out of the service for smoking pot and getting caught. They didn't do what they call a chapter 11 which is a gernal discharge, because the paper work would have took too long to process because I would have gotten out honorably in less than a month anyways. So they stripped me of all my rank, and gave me an honorable discharge. This makes me one of a few people to get honorably discharged with less rank (E-1) than I came in the service with (E-2). Anyway, I felt like shit, and my first wife was boning some dude so that she could get some drugs when I was at work in the freakin Sports Authority selling shoes. Anyway, I was feeling low, and right about that time, I gave up on being happy, so I stopped giving s shit about what people thought of me, and surprisingly things just started to come together for me. I guess it was me trying to be something I wasn't before that was holding me back. I convinced my parents to send me to Lehigh, and from there I met my current wife, ans shit just came together. I really think it has something to do with me not trying to be something, but just letting me be myself and not conforming to others ideas of what I should be. To this day, I can care less about what the hell other people think, and when I think that I am right even in a crowded room of people who think otherwise, I will not hesitate to say that they are wrong.

So Dave, you have to let yourself go and not bind yourself up. Expand what you are willing to do, or atleast keep an open mind, but in the end you need to follow your goals that you have set for yourself. As for me, since I was a small cock block to my step father, I wanted to make the world more like the Jetsons, and I actually am pretty much still going along that path. I don't want to do crappy jap robots, I want to do robots taht do shit so I don't have to. That's my goal, now decide which one is yours. Remember, you CAN'T do anything that you want to, so forget that dream of becoming a black porn star, but with the correct training, you can do something that is both fulfilling and monetarily rewarding.
 
Dave, even if you knew what you wanted to be when you grow up, in this economy, it still might not happen right away. Sometimes settling on a job isn't a bad thing as long as you use it to lay the groundwork for something better. In a weird way, there are times it is easier to get a job if you have already have one.
 
Some general observations, without getting overly philosophical.

Generally speaking, people in the West are very externalized (through the senses). When they become miserable, they either seek more distractions, or turn to alcohol and drugs to get away from their suffering. But what if the suffering is trying to tell you something? What if it is telling you that you're out of tune? Like a car engine that isn't running smooth?

In the East, - the Orient -, the culture is more internalized. People don't look so much for answers outside of themselves, but within themselves. In India, for instance, the age old teaching is that man cannot only find great peace and happiness inside, but overwhelming, indescribable bliss.
It doesn't suggest, however, that this is easily attained. But it does have scientific methods available for those who are so inclined.

The principle, whether in East or West, is always the same. If you want something, you have to pay the price. That is usually the stumbling block, whether it is the art of gambling, the art of happiness, or any other art. The harder something is to attain, the higher the price.

So find out what you want to do or be, and then start paying the price. One step at a time, absolutely refusing to give up.
 
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Thanks for the kind words/advice, everyone.

I regretted posting this thread as soon as I hit submit. It's just been a really, really long month and thought venting might help a bit. No such luck, only made me feel like more of an ass instead.

In any case, thanks for not completely tearing me a new one over it.
 
Dark Horse
Some general observations, without getting overly philosophical.

Generally speaking, people in the West are very externalized (through the senses). When they become miserable, they either seek more distractions, or turn to alcohol and drugs to get away from their suffering. But what if the suffering is trying to tell you something? What if it is telling you that you're out of tune? Like a car engine that isn't running smooth?

In the East, - the Orient -, the culture is more internalized. People don't look so much for answers outside of themselves, but within themselves. In India, for instance, the age old teaching is that man cannot only find great peace and happiness inside, but overwhelming, indescribable bliss.
It doesn't suggest, however, that this is easily attained. But it does have scientific methods available for those who are so inclined.

The principle, whether in East or West, is always the same. If you want something, you have to pay the price. That is usually the stumbling block, whether it is the art of gambling, the art of happiness, or any other art. The harder something is to attain, the higher the price.

So find out what you want to do or be, and then start paying the price. One step at a time, absolutely refusing to give up.
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Sharpest post on gamelive to date.
 
Vegas Dave
Thanks for the kind words/advice, everyone.

I regretted posting this thread as soon as I hit submit. It's just been a really, really long month and thought venting might help a bit. No such luck, only made me feel like more of an ass instead.

In any case, thanks for not completely tearing me a new one over it.
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No problem buddy! When I look back at some of my posts, 90% of the time this is how I feel? Crazy but happy!!! :thumbup:
 
Davey you're all good here. We accept you no matter how ridiculous you are.

Dark Horse I like when you drop some zen shit on us like that.
 
Dark Horse
Some general observations, without getting overly philosophical.

Generally speaking, people in the West are very externalized (through the senses). When they become miserable, they either seek more distractions, or turn to alcohol and drugs to get away from their suffering. But what if the suffering is trying to tell you something? What if it is telling you that you're out of tune? Like a car engine that isn't running smooth?

In the East, - the Orient -, the culture is more internalized. People don't look so much for answers outside of themselves, but within themselves. In India, for instance, the age old teaching is that man cannot only find great peace and happiness inside, but overwhelming, indescribable bliss.
It doesn't suggest, however, that this is easily attained. But it does have scientific methods available for those who are so inclined.

The principle, whether in East or West, is always the same. If you want something, you have to pay the price. That is usually the stumbling block, whether it is the art of gambling, the art of happiness, or any other art. The harder something is to attain, the higher the price.

So find out what you want to do or be, and then start paying the price. One step at a time, absolutely refusing to give up.
Click to expand...

famous deep last post
 
When you realize someone else is Pavyracer and you aren't! :fro:
 
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