Mid-twenties, college education, steady job, a savings account, healthy lifestyle including sports, friends, road trips, vacations overseas, healthy family situation… yet, we’re still unsatisfied. I guess I’m part of that generation. Today I took a step back and asked myself why, but I couldn’t really come up with a good answer. So I asked myself: what would make me satisfied?
Having more friends? Or less? but of higher quality? This one strikes a chord.
Checking facebook less often? I know some people who got rid of their facebook, maybe?
Getting another college degree? Maybe, but I suspect that would last a short time, like when you get a new car, the novelty wears off. Then they just expect more from you at work.
Liking your job? Yeah, this may make a big difference if you spend 8+ hrs at work every day. I say it’s not necessarily the job itself that need be challenging and interesting, but the people you work with should be about as awesome as you.
Getting paid more? For a lot of people, this seems to make them happier. Certainly, it makes sense when you have a family, bringing home more money expands on what you can do with your family, but for single millennials, we have learned how to make do with about 1/4 of the current salary. Sometimes it actually gives a sense of satisfaction to be able to say: “I paid my bills, went out, and didn’t starve, all from $700 a month. Beat that.” So really, I think up to a certain point it helps, but beyond that, I give money little credit.
Being married? … well according to most of my married friends, they say to do as much as you can while your single, and enjoy life, try as many interesting things as you can. Ok.. maybe thinking too far ahead.
Finally, I made a list of things I should be proud of this year, because I didn’t just do nothing and sit on my @$$ all day.
- Worked hard and got a raise
- Took 3 awesome programming courses and managed to stay on top of them, committing much time, and seeing results
- Leading and trying to grow a fledgling Hungarian Scout troop that is really unthankful work most of the time.
- Organized a winter family camp for Hungarians on Mt. Hood where around 30 people attended, and they had a lot of fun!
- Made a hard, but firm decision about certain relationships in my life. Sticking to it was not easy.
- Made new (and awesome) friends.
- Caught up with many old friends, going all the way to Europe to meet up, showing my commitment.
- Being really nice to my sisters, something I’ve struggled with – we are so competitive all the time. I’ve learned to let that go and love them for what they do, who they are, and be happy for their achievements.
- Battling through my 5th year of back pain, and managing to stay positive and get stronger. The overall trend is up!
- Trying to make my work group a better team. We are not robots, but people, no matter how much the management tries to think we are!
- Stepping up to find housing for a scholarship-student from Hungary in the last minute.
- Eating what makes me feel good, be that a salad or a cup of ice cream
- Biking through Oregon’s dreary winter every day to work with a smile on my face. It is hard to motivate myself before I leave the house, but I actually like my 50 min commute.
- Learning to be OK with mediocre when being perfect doesn’t really affect the final outcome.
- Writing a heap-allocator. I never would have dreamed to be able to do that (or know what it is) one year ago.
- I must have done something to make the Intel Stock go up 🙂
- Became a Hungarian water-scout leader, having completed the final task: an organized canoe trip!
- Calling my mother at least once every other week.
- Signing up to take the GREs and deciding to apply for grad-school.
Cheers!
**Edit**
According to my roommate, this needs a conclusion (I guess “cheers” wasn’t good enough). So here it is:
In the end, it’s important to look back at what we’ve accomplished, take little break from all to to celebrate it, rather than run like a “headless chicken” into the next task.
Have you stopped to smell the roses? Had a picnic outside and watched the clouds? Enjoy the little things… Helps put the bigger things into perspective, I find.
Meggondolkoztató, ami írsz. Itt a sajàt emlékem az én huszonéves koromból.
Sok éven keresztül öröm volt kirándulni, sizni menni a barátokkal, aztán izgalmas volt diszkóba menni, ismeretlen fiúkkal táncolni. Szerettem varrni is magamnak, késõbb el is adtam a kötött, varrt kreációimat és az sikerrel töltött el. De egyszer csak már nem nyújtottak ezek elégtételt. Ės mostanában is hasonlóan viszonyulok a régi izgalmakhoz. A felsoroltak közül egy sem érdekes ma már. E két életfázis között viszont volt egy nagyon izgalmas, gazdag, nehéz és örömdús idõszak. És annak a tartalmát a szeretet adta.
A SZERETET