I am lucky. I have had the desire for money and position effectively beaten out of me by a combination of bad decisions of my own making and decisions made for me that effectively robbed me of position and power. Glory? Ah, I still have glimmers of doing something great, but those are largely tempered by a world that neither wants glory nor desires it and the realization that in the age that we live in, it is far more advantageous to be passed over than noticed.
Would that I could have learned all of this earlier.
Made enough money on the job over the years plus there was overtime available as well as watching expenses. As for glory, getting promoted never attracted me since a man has gotta know his limitations.......heard that...somewhere......... :)
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - We have been fortunate enough to be able to put some aside over the years as well and have been more than adequately compensated over the years. The promotion thing? I reached the upper limit of what I could achieve in my field in terms of titles and found it empty and bogged down in solving other people's problems and personnel issues (So. Many. Personnel. Issues). I have told my current manager I have zero need to be promoted at all. Ever.
DeleteAll the glory I want is to be known for someone who was dependable and didn't screw things up very often, lol. I don't require recognition, in fact I would rather be anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI grew up (almost literally) on books of great heroes real and fictional so I spent many years looking for it; turns out the opportunities to slay dragons and defeat evil sorcerers are apparently not as common as they used to be.
DeleteLike you, I am completely happy now to just disappear into the woodwork.
All the dragons and sorcerers are in our government. Or behind the scenes of it. They're still there; just harder to find and destroy.
DeleteThere is still time. Ray Kroc, of McDonald's fame, didn't buy his first restaurant until nearly 60. Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't publish her first book until 65. You just never know about the future.
ReplyDeleteEd, if something happens like that now I would not at all complain - but no-one would be more surprised than me.
Delete"I have had the desire for money and position effectively beaten out of me by a combination of bad decisions of my own making and decisions made for me that effectively robbed me of position and power." ME TOO
ReplyDeleteI can remember a moment when I had not been on my own in real estate too long where I was already nonchalant about how I was going to earn my millions. The arrogance of that moment surprises me even now.
DeleteI can ditto anonymous, I'd like to be a goto guy, that doesn't screw up too much. I always figured if I was "notable", it would be for sacrifice rather than importance or power. Like the kid on Biloxi Blues, charging into a group of Japanese Marines to save his buddies. That has worked out into small sacrifices for family. Small on the world's stage, not mine.
ReplyDeleteThe results are much like the big guys just a difference in scale" Hated by some, despised by others, loved by a few, appreicatee by a couple. Motives are always questioned, and even good, dedicated service is overlooked by most.
Ed nailed it. Moses was 80 when he was called out to lead. When God makes a call, He'll make the way. Heck even , Col. Sanders was 60 when he started to franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was almost 70 and sleeping in his car on biz trips before stuff started popping.
It is far better to be the competent behind the scenes guy than the public one, at least in my book.
DeleteI suppose all one can do is keep getting ready to keep from getting ready if and when that moment comes (I do enjoy Col. Sanders' story, even if I do not really care for his fried chicken).
Yep, I think you are in good company. You always have to look at the big picture. For me, that includes a massive dose of God's kindness.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob - part of my struggle (always) with the big picture is that I have to get my eyes off myself long enough to see it.
DeleteProverbs and Ecclesiastes has something to say about that. Proverbs 30 prayer of Agur
ReplyDeleteSnip
7 “Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
It's give us this day our daily bread, not enough I can forget about God, eh?
Doing something great? Make a difference in a child's life and do it daily.
They both do indeed Michael - and "Earth Abides" (also the title of a fabulous post-apocalyptic novel of 1949) is taken directly from Ecclesiastes.
DeleteThere is indeed greatness found in the ordinary parts and tasks of life, lived daily.
What is a day of your life worth?
ReplyDeleteThat is a question that deserves its own post as anything less would be a bad estimate at best.
DeleteWhat you invest it in.
ReplyDeleteIf a day of feeling sorry for yourself.
Or
A day of lifting up someone.
Or
Or a day of meditation and praise for the King.
Time is all we have on earth, when we run out of time then it's Judgement and hopefully reward.
Time is the the thing we can neither save nor capture nor bring up from the grave; we can only spend it as it comes. It is how we spend it, as you say, that truly makes the difference.
DeleteWhen you had your dreams, the world looked up to people like that. We never would have landed on the moon, etc.
ReplyDeleteNow the powers that be want that for themselves and not you and me.
You all be safe and God bless.
I think maybe such things have to do with how we define 'success.' Contentment is a difficult quality to learn, I reckon because it's seen as complacency, and complacency is considered a bad thing. Ambition, on the other hand, is seen as desirable. Yet the older I get, the more ambition just seems like dissatisfaction.
ReplyDelete