Means of Living - How important?

[crisipicada]

Okay - just want to ask you how important is your work or any means of living like your business or whatever. I am working and i really value my work and it is my bread and butter. So, i give more time to my work even if it is already beyond my working hours without pay.

How about you? What how much you value your job and other means of living?

[Edwin]

The jobs that I have had in my life I have taken very seriously. Growing up on the farm/ranch we never knew what quiting time was, but we worked until the job was done. I was amazed when I worked for other people that there were so many people who really didn't care much about their jobs. In working in the sawmill some will drop the board when the whistle blows even if it is just as easy to place it. I always like to work and see the job finished correctly. I have also spent my own time to see that something was done right.

I am now taking two college classes, and I am spending too much time on them, but I have a difficult time not spending all that time on them. This is winter so we can't do much outside, and it is an ideal time to take classes. I am taking one writing music using Sibelius, and that is very interesting and I will enjoy that after I am finished with the class. I get stumped and spend hours trying to figure out how to do something, and then the software doesn't always work right, but it is going well. I am taking nutrition, and there are too many scientific words and complicated procedures and reaction, but I'm doing okay; it is just that there is a test coming up over 6 chapters, and I am stressing and reading and re reading, but it will be okay. I hate tests! I would rather do lots of projects and writing than to take tests, but I will do my best. I haven't been on here as much because of being so absorbed in the classes. I am learning what I should be eating and how much I should be exercising though, and that is fun!

[HappyDave]

So, i give more time to my work even if it is already beyond my working hours without pay.

I am now comfortably retired but I have started and run many businesses in my life. All were successful and some were VERY successful. I was about 25 years old when I decided to hit out on my own with the following phrase ringing in my ears, "people are usually too busy making money for someone else, to make money for themselves."

I looked at what I like doing and then decided to try and do that to make an income. At that time I was working as an engineering design draftsman and loved the invention aspect of it, so I set up my own temp-service and did short-term drafting for companies that needed it. I talked to some other draftsmen to join me and things bloomed from there. I made money and they made money. After about 12 years of that and by then having worked in many many countries in the World as a a temp draftsman, I got interested in programming computers as a hobby.

That quickly turned into a business so I sold the drafting business and began writing software. About 10 years on from that I was asked to write some technical computer articles for a newspaper. That started another direction so I sold the software business and became a full time freelance Journalist.

I got interested in model planes and helicopters and you can guess, it turned into a business so I quit the Journalism world. Later I got involved in making accessories for motorcycles and guess again, sold the model plane business and started a new one for motorcycle accessories. The start up costs for ALL of these businesses was minimal with rarely more than about $1000 to get it started. Hard work and dedication then took over to make them successful.

Now, I am NOT outlining this all to pump up my own ego, but rather to point out that doing the things I loved as a hobby almost invariably became a business making money at doing the things that I loved.

So as a slightly weird response to your question, I would suggest you use the current job to build a footing for doing what you love doing and make that your real job. That can be as simple as making jewelry and selling at a craft show or inventing a new toothbrush and patenting it.

"people are usually too busy making money for someone else, to make money for themselves."

Dave

[crisipicada]

Wow nice, thanks a lot for the advice. Actually i am not incline to business maybe because my parents upbringing is that they mindset us to look for a job.When i land a job way back 4 years ago, i work at the store of my aunt in Manila. There i appreciate the beauty of business. My personal development was fast. I learn how to be creative and become more interested in selling woodcraft etc.

I learn also that in business, it is not the product that would really make people buy but the idea behind that product. That is business actually. I develop my strategy in selling and sometimes my social life in dealing with people has improve too because in business it talks about people and always involve service.

Yes, i will start what really i am incline too... Thanks for the advise

[HappyDave]

my parents upbringing is that they mindset us to look for a job.

Hi Crispy,

Yes, mine too, well actually my Mother's was too as my Father ran off and left us when I was about 8 years old and my Sister around 4. My Mother worked several jobs to put herself through Nursing school as well as feed and provide for us kids. She did hard physical work all of her life. The thing that was most important to her was that my sister and I should get a good education. She hounded and nagged me all through high school even though I didn't want to go, she was tough and always got her way, and I am so grateful that she was so tough.

When I was 17 and time to get a job she wanted me to find work in a very big company or a Government job as it is very difficult to get fired from them. I hated working in them so after my apprenticeship as a toolmaker ended I could not get out of there fast enough. I had done some drafting as part of the apprenticeship training so I got a job as a draftsman and that's when my life really took off.

Sometimes it is good NOT to listen to your parents.

I have always been happy to go to work because it was always doing something that I loved. I had friends who used to call in sick so they didn't have to work as they hated it. They were still doing that same awful job when I retired early at age 60. So, please learn from these stories and follow what you love doing.

You are correct about the "product," it is only a small part of getting and keeping customers. There is a saying in the restaurant business, "the first time the people come for the food, they come back because of the service." Look after the customers and the rest will follow.

I wish you every success in your future and it sounds like you already have a great attitude and approach to succeed. I have often been asked to advise people on starting and running a business and knowing when to give up. The funny part is that when people start telling themselves it is no use and they are going to quit, they are usually almost there, but most quit at that point. It is the tough ones that can struggle past that point that will make it.

Of course it is tough but if it wasn't, everyone would be doing it.

Dave