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Old 02-28-2011, 06:27 PM
 
Location: NJ
18,665 posts, read 19,917,273 times
Reputation: 7313

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My work ethic is intense, as even after 28 years, I love what I do, the colleagues I work with, and the company could not be better. I don't stick to doing anything, at work or play, I'm not passionate about.
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Old 02-28-2011, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Central Ohio
10,815 posts, read 14,882,546 times
Reputation: 16494
Quote:
Originally Posted by *VaNiLlaGoRrilLa* View Post
Basically, my work ethic is rather poor.

What’s yours like?
I commend you in your pursuit of happiness!

Is this a great country or what? Anything you want to be, anything you want to do or not do it is yours for the taking. An awesome place and time to live, isn't it?

You and I are opposites. Over the past 45 years I've collected exactly one single unemployment check and that was in January, 1973 for $63. Other than that I've always worked.

I've owned two companies over 45 years, I have had some years I have enjoyed a six figure income and in 1986 I earned over $100k in 1986 dollars which back then was a lot of money. My family and I lived very well well.

Unlike you I chose a different path to my happiness and that was working 12 to 14 hour days Monday through Friday, 6 to 12 hours on Saturday and sneaking into work for a few hours on Sunday while the family often went to church without me.

I owned a nice family airplane, we took at least two vacations per year one of them always being a Bahamas cruise in winter. My 12 year old daughter had a report to do on a national park, she picked Olympic National Park so we flew out as a family and spent a week where she did her report. She got an A on it and we had a good time.

Every two or three years the wife and I would get a new car of our choice. My favorite was the Chevy suburban that could hold 8 people comfortably and got 10 mpg.

This was my lifestyle and I worked hard to maintain it. My hardest working years were between 1980 and 2000 where I believe you could count the number of weeks I didn't work at least 50 hours on the fingers of two hands. Funny now but back then I considered 50 hours as a big time goof off week. My wife often enough reminds me for 20 years I was the classic workaholic and I was.

Computers was the worst thing to happen. If I woke up at 3:00 AM I would go do my office den where I would work for two or three hours before the family got up and I left to start my day.

More than once I stayed up all night. There were projects I worked on where I worked 36 hours straight with the only break was to take a shower and change clothes. For 20 years I am sure I had the equivalent of two full time jobs. I am not crying, not asking for any sympathy and I don't regret what I did I am just telling you what I did to bring me happiness.

You, as a free American and as is your full right, selected a different path to happiness. It is one of very little effort dong as little work as you possibly can and still get by. You should be proud (you really should, I am not mocking or making fun of you) you are dong it your way!

Wow!

All this said do me one favor will you? If you ever end up poor, destitute, homeless or unable to afford health insurance for medical care don't look to me through our social network systems to pay your bills. Can you do this? As my wife and I pass you panhandling at the airport on our way to a 10 day cruise in January don't grumble how the rich are keeping the poor man down, how the system is unfair and capitalism is evil and wrong.

Because I have always worked the way I do I can afford the $1,500/month health insurance premium for me and my family. I feel paying this is important for my families protection and if it took two full times jobs for me to be able to afford it two jobs is what I would do. You, on the other hand, obviously don't feel it is important and it is your right to feel that way. Being a free country you don't even have to buy the insurance if you don't want to but if don't do me a favor and don't come to me demanding I pay for your health needs because it is somehow your right that I do so.

When my wife and I retire on a $50,000 annual income without working while you retire on a social security check of $883, food stamps and a part time job as a WalMart greeter do me a favor and don't whine how "the system" is so unfair to the working man such as yourself. You think you can do that?

Do we have a deal?
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Old 02-28-2011, 07:00 PM
 
Location: Camberville
15,830 posts, read 21,343,774 times
Reputation: 28112
I'm working through cancer. I don't know if that's work ethic or the fact that there aren't social safety nets in this country that would allow me to do what you should do while battling cancer- rest and heal.
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Old 02-28-2011, 07:10 PM
 
Location: Heading Northwest In Nevada
8,893 posts, read 20,292,480 times
Reputation: 5635
As far as "work ethic" goes, I'm pretty much different than my wife.
Basically I didn't have much of a "work ethic"......making calls from work on company phone or my cell, calling in sick even if I wasn't, ordering something on the Internet during working hours, checking out sports on ESPN.
Luckly, I've never lost a job or been disciplined over doing the above!
Wife......high "work eithic". Only calls me from work. If busy, doesn't take a break before lunch or during the afternoon. Doesn't get on the Internet unless it's company business.
With "work/life balance": Wife doesn't like working weekends, and don't. Me, I don't like it/want to either and being unemployed right now.....I don't! However, when I was younger and single, I did have a couple of jobs where I worked on weekends. She got her Bachelor's Degree in Business/Accounting because she found out that she wouldn't make the higher salary without the degree. She has actually worked for a couple of companies that required a Bachelor's to be hired on in the Accounting Department. As for me, I have a very high respect for further education after high school, even though I didn't finish college. I now WISH I would have stayed and got a degree and certification in my career. Certification and a degree would have made my job searching a whole lot easier in past years!! She's not a "work-a-holic" at all because she loves spending time with me, her hubby!
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Old 02-28-2011, 07:15 PM
 
1,994 posts, read 3,206,004 times
Reputation: 1218
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicet4 View Post
All this said do me one favor will you? If you ever end up poor, destitute, homeless or unable to afford health insurance for medical care don't look to me through our social network systems to pay your bills. Can you do this? As my wife and I pass you panhandling at the airport on our way to a 10 day cruise in January don't grumble how the rich are keeping the poor man down, how the system is unfair and capitalism is evil and wrong.

Because I have always worked the way I do I can afford the $1,500/month health insurance premium for me and my family. I feel paying this is important for my families protection and if it took two full times jobs for me to be able to afford it two jobs is what I would do. You, on the other hand, obviously don't feel it is important and it is your right to feel that way. Being a free country you don't even have to buy the insurance if you don't want to but if don't do me a favor and don't come to me demanding I pay for your health needs because it is somehow your right that I do so.

When my wife and I retire on a $50,000 annual income without working while you retire on a social security check of $883, food stamps and a part time job as a WalMart greeter do me a favor and don't whine how "the system" is so unfair to the working man such as yourself. You think you can do that?

Do we have a deal?
What the eff??? I was really enjoying your post and then you just… turned!

First of all, get your facts straight - I am Australian. Secondly, how dare you even assume that I would behave that way?

I may not work my arse off like you obviously did, but that doesn't mean I am looking for handouts and will be "demanding" you pay for my health insurance in future. I have never taken, or asked for, a handout in my life. I manage just fine on the wage I make for the life I lead. I pay all my bills and have a comfortable life. I don’t plan on having a family so that’s one less thing for me to worry about paying for. I have plenty of money in savings and I don't own a car by choice - another thing I don't need to worry about paying for.

I also have this thing called a superannuation fund, where each week money from my pay cheque is put into a retirement account so when I eventually retire I will have plenty of money to more than keep my head above water.

I am so appalled at your presumptuous, elitist "I’m so much better than you because I worked 2 jobs, so don’t come crying to me when you’re broke" attitude. You think that just because I don’t work as hard as you that I am the dirt on your shoe that just coasts through life without problems? Just who do you think you are?

Last edited by *VaNiLlaGoRrilLa*; 02-28-2011 at 08:01 PM..
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Old 02-28-2011, 08:56 PM
 
155 posts, read 243,873 times
Reputation: 323
Quote:
Originally Posted by *VaNiLlaGoRrilLa* View Post
What the eff??? I was really enjoying your post and then you just… turned!

First of all, get your facts straight - I am Australian. Secondly, how dare you even assume that I would behave that way?

I may not work my arse off like you obviously did, but that doesn't mean I am looking for handouts and will be "demanding" you pay for my health insurance in future. I have never taken, or asked for, a handout in my life. I manage just fine on the wage I make for the life I lead. I pay all my bills and have a comfortable life. I don’t plan on having a family so that’s one less thing for me to worry about paying for. I have plenty of money in savings and I don't own a car by choice - another thing I don't need to worry about paying for.

I also have this thing called a superannuation fund, where each week money from my pay cheque is put into a retirement account so when I eventually retire I will have plenty of money to more than keep my head above water.

I am so appalled at your presumptuous, elitist "I’m so much better than you because I worked 2 jobs, so don’t come crying to me when you’re broke" attitude. You think that just because I don’t work as hard as you that I am the dirt on your shoe that just coasts through life without problems? Just who do you think you are?
There's plenty of Americans with this attitude. You learn to ignore them after a while.
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Old 02-28-2011, 09:10 PM
 
2,419 posts, read 4,705,601 times
Reputation: 1318
I go to bed aerly and I wake up early, and I spend every waking hour chasing a dollar, even if I don't have work that day. I save every dime. I don't even drink anymore. Posting on this site is the only non-constructive thing that I do, because I like to write. I'm a natural born writer. I'm good at it.

When I was younger, I used to procrastinate, and waste days away, but as I got older I realized that time is your most valuable asset, because it's limited and you can never get it back, so I don't waste so much as a second. I'm a true hustler, focused like a laser beam.
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Old 02-28-2011, 09:12 PM
 
2,419 posts, read 4,705,601 times
Reputation: 1318
I can't stand lazy bums.
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Old 02-28-2011, 09:31 PM
 
1,994 posts, read 3,206,004 times
Reputation: 1218
I know someone like you… used to be totally lazy and then turned his life around, now spends his days working and putting down those who are exactly as he used to be.

Wait… Greg, is that you?
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Old 02-28-2011, 09:39 PM
 
1,994 posts, read 3,206,004 times
Reputation: 1218
Quote:
Originally Posted by Remote_Control View Post
There's plenty of Americans with this attitude. You learn to ignore them after a while.
I don’t know if you had any interest in watching Oprah’s recent adventure to Australia, but when she was here someone here summed it up perfectly – Americans live to work, whereas Australians work to live. We’re much more laid back. I don’t know anyone who has “trust funds” or scholarships to anything, most people just get a job and stick to it while putting a bit of savings away.

There is work life and there is home life. We don’t mix the two. Once that clock strikes 5 that’s it. Home mode.

Saying you’re better than someone because of the job you have or the money you make is a laughable thing here. It’s frowned upon. We all work and we do what we have to do. Simple as that. There is respect in whatever path one chooses. No judgment.

We’re very, very different. Clearly. nicet4 I’m pretty sure you would be called a pretentious snob (or as we like to say here, a complete wanker) if you spoke to an Australian like that face to face.
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