In Reply to: Re: of course, of course posted by Acheick on November 04, 2005 at 22:38:51:
One thing that gets me depressed is when I compare myself with friends and/or work colleagues, many of whom have a house that's paid for, retirement insurance, good pension plans, etc., things that I don't have.
Thankfully I've found a cure that’s been working for me, which is to focus on the process and not the product. For example, I'm planning to do some more courses on teaching, my wife too is presently doing courses to get another certificate in health care, she believes in natural medicine and alternative therapies, so she’s working on becoming a certified reflexologist. (I benefit from this already because I'm one of the people she practices on.)
I’m on a journey learning and doing new things, things that will help me professionally as well, and as long as I have the health there's no way I think about retiring at 65, when I’m just barely getting started at 56.
Our current job situations aren't that good, in fact presently neither one of us has regular full time employment, but we get the bills paid, and help our children a bit, so things aren't bad even though there isn't what you could call job security. The plus side of working part time is that it's a lot easier to pursue the courses and studies.
In the midst of the difficulties I've found help in the concept of realizing that it's the process which is most important, and not the product. I try to stay focused on the journey. Also I accept that there's no way I should beat myself up for not yet having what some of my friends have, they weren't the ones who stayed in a cult most of their lives.
In fact, I’m noticing that some of the people who have it all are tempted to stop doing the kind of things that will help them to stay young.
The journey I’m on is an adventure that makes me feel young and alive. I tell myself that I’ve got my whole life ahead of me. I hope to stay like this for a long time to come.