Take A Look At Yourself

[98t5M]

Che,and Fudge Brownie your posts were kind of inspiring (well as inspiring as a post on VS can be ) , I enjoyed the read, thank you.

It seems everywhere I turn lately I see some kind of inspiration to quit my job and start my own business, but I fear failure and it's consequences. I, like many of you guys I'm sure, Need to quit being "content" and just do something about it because my 7 year old self would not be happy with just being content.

[z31jaime]

because this is the first time i have seen this i guess ill post up my life story.

I was always a helper when i was young. I was always friends with the person everyone picked on. I defended them from bullies and helped them when they needed it. I knew that's what i was supposed to do in life. In high school i was kinda a Nerd Jock if that is even possible. I had a 3.8 GPA doing advanced placement classes, and still managed to do Varsity Football, JV Basket ball, and be the Vice Wing commander of the A.F.J.R.O.T.C. program. I always wished i could join the military but because of some health issues (asthma) i could not (i could pass the physical but my medial records kept me out). I ended up with a full scholarship and did about 1.5 years of college. I ended up taking the summer off one year and Never went back. I lost the Scholarship and just started doing the normal drop out party life. I decided to make up for all the times i missed parties because i had homework to do. after a few years of this I realized it wasn't the life I wanted to live. My younger brother joined the Military and one day said to me..."bro what happened to you, I use to look up to you. You were the man, everyone Knew you and respected you" At that point I changed ALL of my life, i swore off the parties and drinking, cut off a lot of people I always knew were not my true friends. I started working really hard at my job (computer repair company) and eventually with the help of my little brother landed a Job working Dispatch for the local 911 center.

Its funny how things have gone for me after the change, I managed to get a house on my own. Its just a 1400sqft Trailer in Orlando, but its mine, and I own all the land its on, so I'm happy about that. It may not be as nice as my Brothers house but its bigger and newer. and I'm proud of it. I got my Volvo wagon (which kinda reminds me of my first car...ford escort wagon) and it keeps me out of street races and other trouble. I make more money than most 25 year olds i know and i have a secure future in this job.

Looking back on all this .....my regrets????????????

#1 is letting myself get out of shape. i was always a lean guy. maybe 160lbs max. and when i stopped the parties I let myself get to 290lbs. now its almost imposable to get back down.

#2 I should have finished school. at least my AS. it was only a few classes away.

#3 the 2 reasons above are related to this one, I love to help people. and I would love to one day be a Cop. but not having a degree and being out of shape are killing that dream. being a dispatcher and interacting with them is kinda bitter sweet. I'm so close to the dream yet so far.

#4 although i love my Girlfriend (been together for 6 years). I find myself some nights wishing I wasn't so damn nice, and that I didn't have to help everyone who slips around me. maybe i would be even better off than I am now if I actually had someone helping me @ home. VS paying all the bills and upkeep on the cars and house. I COULD BE DRIVING A NEW CORVETTE DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!! lol.

#5 I really wish i hadn't lost contact with a lot of my really good true friends. The ones who i always looked out for, I now realize that they looked out for me just as much as I did them.

#6 i wish i didn't carry everyone's problems on my shoulders. If your car won't start I'm the type of person that will be at your house till 3am fixing it FREE. then go home shower and go to work with only 3 hours of sleep. just who i am.

Overall I think Young me would be happy at where I''m at in life. I'm still helping people, i had some fun years and did my thing, made mistakes, paid the price, learned and moved forward. and i still have plenty of time to reach other goals if I want. made a few new friends who's friendship i truly value. I'm sure young me would say you could be better, you CAN be a cop. In 1 year you could knock off all the weight and finish all the classes. you just gotta want it. and I know that, but i guess I've become complacent and lazy. Its funny how I just notice this post tonight...the night i get back from Walmart after picking up power bars and a scale to start my diet. WHO KNOWS MAYBE THIS THREAD IS MY NEXT KICK IN THE REAR TO KEEP MOVING. it sure made me think about my life.

anyways thats all.

[theForgottenone]

When i was 7 years old, I have no idea of what I wanted to do. I was still a kid people All I do was playing soccer with friends on a dirt field, go fishing on the stream in front of my house, swimming in the dirty ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD river nearby my house.

When I came to America (when I was 10), then I started to think what I want to become when I get older. First thing come to mind is being an engineer just like every other Asian person (25% of my relative career). That goal stick with me until my freshman year of college. I found out that I'm not good with math so ditched that plan and wanted to become a drug dealer (legal one). However, after two years of drunken college party, group gaming at the college computer lab, lack of concentration on school work and no natural ability in comprehension of science field college courses, I changed major once again.

During the summer of freshman and sophmore college year, I work at Freightliner part plan to buy my first car (1991 Toyota Camry). That car is freaking maintainance free and great gas mileage.

I figure I was pretty competent and love playing on the computer, so why not major in that? With another 4 years of studying and working at the same time (full time in a local hospital medical records dept, couple stints at USPS as seasonal worker ), I finally graduate at the age of 24 in MIS (or Business Administration/Information System). Right before that (23), my dad retired due to health issue so I had to man up and bought a townhouse for both of us to live in. My dad help me with the down payment but I paid for everything else.

In two years, my job is still not applicable to my degree but I manage to buy my first single family home all by myself. I paid back my dad loaned money for my first townhouse from the profit of selling it.

Now, my career is applicable to my degree and very stable. I have thought about MBA program but couldn't justify myself paying $30K for another piece of paper. I know I will not get as much in compensation for my degree after I finished it so why even bother. Beside, now that my wife finally got out of her school and been working for a year now so we have dual income

So as of right now, i'm pretty happy and content with my life. Family is what important to me the most at this moment. The next goal for me is probally to have my own family even though I keep denying it to my wife.

However, money does make people life easier!

[EricF]

Well, looking back I think I've done a lot of things right. When I was 7, I think I wanted to build cars or catch lizards for a living. As I got a little older, I wanted to do something in the marine field to keep me on or near the water. I started doing research on what could keep me on the water during the day, and nothing really seemed to pay the bills. That is where my heart is, and I crunch the numbers now and then anyway, thinking if one day the funds allow starting something of my own, I could go a different direction.

In spite of sitting in an office today, I am extremely happy with where I am. I'm not sure how my 7-year old self would think of me. I think I am a much bigger and better person than I was ever on the course to become when I was in my teens and even going into college. However, I make decent money for my age, and once dad retires I'll be making enough money to live very comfortably at a standard of living that I'd feel comfortable raising a child in, and accumulate wealth at the same time. I do enjoy my work, and it's something I could be happy doing for a very long time.

For most of my life I truly believed that every girl I knew or met or hooked up with was so stupid or disconnected from me that I would be a lone wolf forever. Now, I'm married to a woman who is 100% in tune with me, and we are on the same page with everything. We have a mutual understanding and agreement on things we disagree about, and talk about them often without fighting. Every day is something we go through together, and support each other. This is what marriage is supposed to be, and something I could have never understood without being here.

I have a house, that is waterfront and has ocean access. It's a small house, but on a nice street in south Florida, where I feel I truly belong. I have a couple of fast cars that have brought me a lot of joy and allowed me to show my understanding of engines and mechanics, this has satisfied my yearnings as a child, when it was all mysterious and magical. I could build a frame, body, interior, suspension, engine, from scratch if I had to.

I have a boat that will get me to the water whenever I want once it's back in full working condition. If it doesn't get to full working condition, I will buy a different boat. I have a truck now that can pull it comfortably or anything else I would realistically want to trailer.

There is a baby girl on the way, due in September. She's going to come into a nice house that's kept pretty damn clean, and have the fortune of having both her sets of grandparents living locally for added support. She should have an awesome childhood, and we're going to enjoy the hell out of watching her grow and raising her.

In retrospect, I think I moved too quickly on some things, but I've rolled with the punches and believe I'm where I'm supposed to be. I've got a hell of a foundation for an awesome life, that I think I've just begin to start living.