Sunday, November 4, 2012

What to do



I am 42 years old, and stuck in a job I don’t like.  To be fair, saying “I don’t like my job” needs some unpacking.  Certain aspects of the job I do like.  For example, I like the pay and benefits.  They are very generous.  However, this fact is bitter sweet.  Some many poor souls in the private economy must forfeit a portion of his their wages so that I can work be paid.  If the taxpayer were to walk into my office, would he consider this garnishment a good investment?  Or would he demand a refund?  I’m afraid most days he would demand the refund.  And I’m ashamed of that fact.

I view government as the central obstacle to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I ask myself daily, “How can you work for an institution that you loathe?”  How can I, in good conscience, labor to advance the barriers that stand in the way of man’s peaceful purpose?  I wrestle with this constantly.


So, what am I to do?



I will be exploring many options over the next couple of years.  I’m stuck in Seoul until mid 2015.  It’s possible I could return to the states sooner, but in all likelihood I won’t.  And I must confess that Seoul is pretty awesome.  There are places far worse than Seoul I could be stuck in.  So, for that I’m thankful. 


Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.

4 comments:

  1. You need to find your 'unique ability' or 'single major purpose.' A unique ability is one that meets the following criteria:

    1) Superior than others (you're better at it than most people)
    2) You love it
    3) Doing that thing energizes you
    4) You keep getting better at it (or you could if you did it more)

    Once you figure out your passion, find at least one hour/day to work on it. That will immediately improve your personal well being.

    I also have many book suggestions for exploring this stuff, but some (most) of them are little woo-woo and out there.

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  2. Here's a book recommendation that's not too woo-woo, and many of the most successful people point to it as a major influence:

    "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

    Stuff by Brian Tracy is good too.

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  3. Thanks for the comments.

    I think your #2 point above is key: doing what you love - what gets you up in the morning. Sort of fulfilling your purpose. I'll check out that book too. And I'll do a lot of praying.

    One thing I do enjoy is blogging. I'm quite passionate about economics and liberty and how public policy intersects with those two elements. Much of today's policy is wrongheaded, and I enjoy pointing that out.

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  4. Good idea re: praying. Appealing to a higher power can often help work through the everyday nonsense we have to deal with to get down to the true purpose of our lives.

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