Life is as good as you make it

Go and read this. I always appreciate those who are honest with what they really think about certain things in life, and those with a healthy dose of cynicism.

So my parents stayed with me for like a week or so, and I got to hear first hand their attitudes about work and earning an income. I think I am pretty lucky that I have two sides of the equation here. My dad prefers that I become an entrepreneur (as he is one) and not dependent on other people on my income. My mum prefers steady and stable income. They are both right in some ways. I don't think they are mutually exclusive, although they may appear to be. In any case, they got me thinking a lot about what I should be focusing on in this life - like my next obsession sort of thing. This is kind of a little bit tricky because I am not necessarily good at the things that I enjoy doing. Like writing, for example. It is heaps fun because I get to write whatever I want and relieve my brain off the endless chatters and mutters, mostly my judgements and analysis on anything and everything around me. But I would not call myself a good writer because well, I don't think I am that good. I make lots of errors, mostly because I often write here in the stream of consciousness style and I hardly edit anything. What I think is what I write.

I think a significant element of becoming an entrepreneur is to take risks. You will never know what will bring you money. At times you don't even know what to do. If you are waiting for someone to tell you what to do, then you will never become an entrepreneur. You may as well become a salaried employee, who works depending on the instructions of your boss. The whole point of becoming a successful entrepreneur is to take risk and to manage it at the same time. The rule remains the same: high risk, high return. Subsequently, no risk, no return. If you are extremely certain that following what other people say about doing something will bring you success, the question that you ask yourself is why don't they do it themselves. If they are so fuckin' certain that their way is the right way, then why aren't they doing it themselves and become stinkin' rich in the process.

Not everybody can be an entrepreneur. Not everybody can be a leader. It is just the way it is. We were not all born to lead - if we are all leading, then who is following us, and what are we leading? Exactly. I think it is more a question of whether you want to be a leader, and how much do you want to be a good leader. In my professional capacity I get to do things that I don't get to do in my personal capacity, and for that I am grateful to be working. I learn so much about so much, it builds my confidence and it teaches me this powerful thing called humility. Through various exposures in my professional life, I have learned to live properly, I become the person who I am right now, and I actually like this person. Such a far cry from that awkward teenager who was perpetually misunderstood.

I think life is as good as we make it. Each and every morning I wake up, I make a conscious decision to be happy. I do my best in almost everything that I do, and I go home each day feeling contented with how I manage to handle life and how to grow in this life. I think life is as much about you as it is about everything around you. I personally would not tell people to quit their jobs and pursue a dramatically different life, or to slow down or whatever. I would encourage people to actively choose to be happy at every opportunity they have, and to work tirelessly at it. Everything in this life is hard work. Those who are prepared, well organised and equipped for this hard work are one of the happiest group of people I have ever observed.