Literary Inspirations: Robert Louis Stevenson

"Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was."
-Robert Louis Stevenson

This is something that I've been thinking about a lot recently. If you've been following my "real life" over the month of July you will know that I celebrated a lot of milestones with friends. A couple very dear to me moved closer to where I live and it struck me that it wasn't even their first house purchase... they've owned two houses so far. Driving this home even more has been me falling in love with a gorgeous house in my home town that I cannot yet afford.
I'm not the only person that feels this way - many of my colleagues in my teaching programme who were working full time prior to returning to university are feeling the pinch of not being where we thought we would be in our lives... and sick of not having any cash. We're being directed at the moment to complete CVs and as part of that process outline a philosophy of teaching. H summed it up perfectly when she said "OMG I don't care. My philosophy is your philosophy. Just give me the job and some money again!"
SB is good at reminding me of the brevity of this time when I am student-poor. I'm lucky that I'm not poor-poor for a start. It's only until Jan/Feb next year. I'm pursuing a career that I will be happy to do for the rest of my life. This time allows me some (not a lot LOL) extra time and flexibility that I won't have in future. Yes, I don't have some of the things that my friends have but I'm building a life (and hopefully we're building a life together) that reflects values and goals that are important to me. Everyone starts at different points and have different finish lines. Comparing yourself to others can be hazardous to your health.
Your thoughts, Scribblettes?

3 comments:

  1. I was just talking to my hairdresser about this same topic yesterday. Four years ago I would never have dreamt that my life would have taken the path that it has. While sometimes I think that what happened has set my life back a couple of years (compared to my friends who are married/partnered, work in a professional job and live out of home/have built/bout their own places) and can get a bit low about it, I have to remind myself that I have to remain present and be thankful for what I have in my life, and that is wonderful friends and family who support my chosen directions when it comes to furthering my education and my travel plans. I am sure we all feel like this sometimes, even those of our friends who have the house etc. I think it is important to be present and enjoy this life while we can.

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  2. Absolutely! Comparing yourself to others is a recipe for disaster. It's also worth looking at success from a different angle; not one that's materialistic. If you're happy with your progress toward your goals, that's all that matters. The reward will doubtless be worth the hard work!

    Also, it's always worth thinking about this: by virtue of the fact that we were born in a 1st world country with a roof and plentiful food, we're in the 0.01% of the worlds luckiest.

    Good luck =)

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  3. All of this is SO true. We forget we had our own paths to travel to get where we are. This year my friends are finishing their degrees. Something I am yet to start, let alone FINISH! BUT, I have my own house and car, when they do not. Each person sees only what they don't have. Sometimes it pays to realise how lucky we are with the people in our lives and the things we DO have. <3 x

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