Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Do we know this guy is miserable in his current job?
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"Difficult" situation? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Joe Bryant
- Start date
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Where does he say the guy is in a difficult situation? He says “difficult stuff”. As others have pointed out, he is saying is difficult to take risks from a position like that. Unless I am missing some other part of the thread, I don’t get the problem with this.
Edit: I see he says “ that is a tough spot to be in.” I still think that within the co text of the whole thing, he’s not suggesting that it’s a difficult way to live, just that if your goal is to take risks and increase your ceiling, it can be difficult to do.
Edit: I see he says “ that is a tough spot to be in.” I still think that within the co text of the whole thing, he’s not suggesting that it’s a difficult way to live, just that if your goal is to take risks and increase your ceiling, it can be difficult to do.
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
So much truth in this post. It’s really remarkable how it’s on us to actively “design” our lives. Sometimes sitting back, and taking a look at things, being introspective, and prioritizing what’s the most important to each of us and our happiness is essential—but often times we don’t do this. I’ve often been guilty of not doing this—and just fell into the robotic mode of “just another day of work” with no real long term plan for exactly “what” I was working towards.
In this particular case, I think the “difficult decision” could be in regard to taking risk when you have a family and are already in a comfortable situation. I haven’t read through the thread to see if Joe has provided more information on the situation beyond the original post—but as a single dude—(no marriage, no kids)—-taking a risk and compromising some comfort for a bigger reward probably could make a lot of sense. I think when you have a family—taking unnecessary risk is something to really think about and the motivation might be to avoid taking it.
Desert_Power
Footballguy
He doesn't. It is just speculation here. As I posted before, it is likely that or some desire for extreme wealth.
New Binky the Doormat
Footballguy
IvanKaramazov
Footballguy
Why do you watch this stuff?
Thanks. I didn't have any additional information or context beyond the initial tweet I shared.
I think what's interesting too as the original tweet seems to have reached a large audience.
I follow the guy as he usually tweets about business/entrepnuer stuff I like. But I've heard two different people talk about seeing the tweet and they don't follow him.
A good example of the twitter algorithm putting interesting content out to people in the "for you" feed.
I follow the guy as he usually tweets about business/entrepnuer stuff I like. But I've heard two different people talk about seeing the tweet and they don't follow him.
A good example of the twitter algorithm putting interesting content out to people in the "for you" feed.
massraider
Footballguy
New Binky the Doormat
Footballguy
I'm on twitter a lot and the ladies come up on occasion and of course the "finance douche bros" find their way on my timeline a lot more than I want.
jwb
Footballguy
In a weird way, it's part of the reason I do it.
People who lose their jobs (especially long term jobs)... they are in shock. They don't know what to do. Their world ended.
Me? I don't have a job, I have clients. And if I lose one, even a big one... No biggie. I'm used to this. I can totally take care of myself. There are more clients.
I have zero fear of being unemployed. I mean zero. It's a good/empowering feeling.
ghostguy123
Footballguy
Maybe a difficult decision, but not a difficult situation.
Also, if he only works 30-40 hours a week.......................go work more and pack all that away for a couple/few years which will compound nicely.
No, situation not even a little difficult, but yeah, tough decision.
Also, if he only works 30-40 hours a week.......................go work more and pack all that away for a couple/few years which will compound nicely.
No, situation not even a little difficult, but yeah, tough decision.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Absent this thread, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have given what he said a second thought. Given the context, I understand what he was getting at even if his words were hyperbole or poorly chosen.
Me: I want to break into the music business.
Consultant: Well, you’re in a difficult situation because you’re making a decent income and living a comfortable life. It’s hard to walk away from that security and make the sacrifices necessary to make it in the industry.
Me: Yeah, I get what you’re saying.
Me: I want to break into the music business.
Consultant: Well, you’re in a difficult situation because you’re making a decent income and living a comfortable life. It’s hard to walk away from that security and make the sacrifices necessary to make it in the industry.
Me: Yeah, I get what you’re saying.
massraider
Footballguy
Would have been much more interesting to discuss this than dunk on a finance bro.
Definitely falls under the category of first world problems, but there's millions of people in the world that think every guy whining about the price of a fast food burger in the restaurant thread has it made.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I think many of us have answered. I think the reason some people feel negatively towards his post is the “ambition” part. But I do think his point is fair even if many perceive that somebody without that level of ambition is a loser/failure, etc. From what Joe said it sounds like that is how this finance guy thinks (to some degree).
Personally, I don’t care if people think I have no ambition. It’s not a negative to me. As IK said, many of us put in the time and effort when we were younger to get to a comfortable spot where we don’t have to hustle to have a wonderful life. But for those that do want to build something or have greater ambition - that’s great. Just don’t project that on to everyone.
massraider
Footballguy
I thought the point of the guy's post (as I read it, and I could be wrong) was that someone who is doing well has a lot to lose, and it's harder to take a chance.
I didn't see him projecting anything. It's a case study. One guy with a dilemma.
Significantly more projecting onto this guy in this thread than he's doing. This guy didn't call anyone a loser if they weren't starting a company, he didn't say this was the ONLY way to do things, he didn't take a bunch of positions that have been ascribed to him here.
This is kind of a semantics argument really, but this
Is all I mean.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I’m talking in the abstract as I mostly agree with you. I was basing that somewhat on what Joe had said. If I just look at that post the only thing that gives me pause is the “ambition” part - but even that’s ok I think.
beer 30
Footballguy
There is nothing "difficult" about his situation. The fact that someone classifies as such is a slap in the face to those who are in a truly difficult situation.
Yes. That's the real answer. Difficult decision. Not situation. And yes, this off ramped to semantics a bit.
The much bigger and more interesting question though I think is exploring the different ways (and situations) that bring happiness to people.
dgreen
Footballguy
I think we typically use the same words to apply to different situations with varying levels of impact/importance. When my wife says she loves a new piece of furniture we bought, I personally don't see that as any type of commentary on her love for me. If I say I'm feeling sick because I'm a bit nauseous, I'm not claiming that I'm in as bad a spot as someone with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Max Power
Footballguy
I'd agree with the posters who think the entrepreneur is too caught up in money to see the totality of the situation. He seems to brush off that his client makes 2k more a month than he spends. 24k a year is a great chunk of change to put towards long term wealth. The fact that he calls that a "zero chance" at long term wealth doesn't sit right to me. Or maybe we have different ideas of long term wealth. Starting a business isn't the only way to maximize your net worth.
This situation very much reflects my brother and I. We're both early 40s and he has more of the entrepreneurial spirit than I do. He did well in school while I didn't. I joined the military at 18 and went off on my own. He went to college, took out loans, changed majors, and spent about 9 years earning doctoral degrees.
I mastered a skill set, attended several leadership and management programs, and now have a nice government job making extremely good money. He bounced around medical practices for 10 years before saying he wanted to go out on his own. He took out some large loans and borrowed money from family. He's had to learn a lot of business mistakes the hard way.
When he talks about money, he throws around numbers that are intimidating to me. His earning potential dwarfs mine. However, my mortgage is my only debt as where he has multiple aspects of debt that dwarf anything I owe. I see the amount of time he puts into his business and how it is negatively impacting his marriage and time with his kids, and I just know that life was never for me.
I sacrificed a lot of time with my kids and family due to work obligations and it's one of the things I wish I could have done differently. I see him going down that same path right now (he married and had kids much later than I did) and I'm trying to help him see what he is missing, but he's just too caught up in his work.
This situation very much reflects my brother and I. We're both early 40s and he has more of the entrepreneurial spirit than I do. He did well in school while I didn't. I joined the military at 18 and went off on my own. He went to college, took out loans, changed majors, and spent about 9 years earning doctoral degrees.
I mastered a skill set, attended several leadership and management programs, and now have a nice government job making extremely good money. He bounced around medical practices for 10 years before saying he wanted to go out on his own. He took out some large loans and borrowed money from family. He's had to learn a lot of business mistakes the hard way.
When he talks about money, he throws around numbers that are intimidating to me. His earning potential dwarfs mine. However, my mortgage is my only debt as where he has multiple aspects of debt that dwarf anything I owe. I see the amount of time he puts into his business and how it is negatively impacting his marriage and time with his kids, and I just know that life was never for me.
I sacrificed a lot of time with my kids and family due to work obligations and it's one of the things I wish I could have done differently. I see him going down that same path right now (he married and had kids much later than I did) and I'm trying to help him see what he is missing, but he's just too caught up in his work.
bigbottom
Footballguy
If you want to make it in the music industry, you have a one in a million chance. If you have a Plan B, your chances are one in a billion.
May have some relevance here.
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
Yes...the consultant, not the 33 year old dude. It's the consultant who seems to have the opinion that this is a difficult situation, not the guy's life we are analyzing.
beer 30
Footballguy
Fair and I agree. My point is sure, you can make $150k a year and be in a difficult position. There are some places in the US were $150k a year is just making it. In the scenario we're talking about, the guy is banking $2k a month so I don't get the impression that he's in one of those areas. If you are putting away $2k a month, your situation is not difficult. Of the people I know, I can't think of one of them burying $2k a month in the back forty.
Tecumseh
Footballguy
If the guy retained the OP because his goal is to be truly wealthy, rather than comfortable, then, in this context, he is in a difficult situation. He’s speaking to the conundrum of risking what is already a comfortable existence to chase the client’s goal of true wealth. He’s not saying the guy’s life is difficult now, he’s acknowledging that the guy has it pretty good, but he would have to make potentially risky changes to achieve his goals.
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
I don’t like his assessment of “zero chance at long term wealth”, for a guy who makes a great wage, and can realistically save for a multimillion dollar retirement.
ETA What @Max Power said. What is “true wealth” anyway?
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Zow
Footballguy
Zow
Footballguy
Right. This is exactly how I read it.
I actually can share a personal story on point with this. When I was in high school, my dad (who designs integrated circuits for a living and is good at his job), had a nice, comfortable position with a then very reputable company making about today's equivalent of $150k/yr or maybe a little more. At the point of the .com boom, he was offered a ground level position of an internet startup company. Huge risk with possible huge rewards. My Dad came to us as a collectively because he was thinking of taking it. My mom and I voted that he shouldn't. He listened to us. Unfortunately, he then watched several of his colleagues say yes and a couple of years later make about 26 million dollars and retire while he was still plugging away. His and my mom's relationship noticeably worsened after that and while I'm sure there were several other factors involved, they divorced not long thereafter.
So, yeah, I can understand what the author means by "difficult" even though it isn't articulated well and is instead presented in a tone-deaf way.
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Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Between @Tecumseh 's post taking a risk and kicking himself and @Zow 's post not taking a risk and his dad kicking himself, that's the real topic I think. Along with defining happiness or "enough" or however one looks at it.
Plus there's an added element of hindsight and regret and more. With pros and cons on both sides.
@Tecumseh if you were open to it, I'd love to hear more on the process and what you were thinking. And maybe more on the kicking part and what didn't go as you'd hoped. But also what did.
And if that's too personal, please just ignore.
I do think this is an interesting topic.
I also think that personality, drive, family situation, etc play a big part in an individuals evaluation of whether to kick themselves or be happy with the decision. The same exact decision and outcome could lead to a very different evaluation. In addition doing the opposite may still have lead to the same evaluation as the outcome may have still been ideal if gone the other way.
Just because it appears going the "other way" would have led to a perceived better outcome it may not have actually worked out that way if pursued.
Absolutely.
I think that's massively overlooked by many. People get caught up in the "this is what success looks like" thing and they are influenced that to really "make it" these days, you need to do _______".
That's simply not true for all people.
James Clear is a famous author I like a lot. Thought this was good and somewhat related.
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Yep. When my pay was raised on a couple occasions, I responded by cutting hours. Time is far more precious than discretionary income, and free time when able-bodied is waaaay better than doing stuff when you’re old.
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