HOME
Message Board
CURRENT COLUMNS
- Editor's Corner
- Blogfest 2005
- Commentary
- Commentary Too
- Down The Middle
- Faulking Around
- Global Warning
- This guy walks into a bar...
- Investing 101
- Faulking Opinions
- Off The Rail
- Words
ARCHIVES
LINKS
CONTACT US
 | |||
Faulking Around - Jun 27, 2004 - Printable Version
- Work Hard (And Other Observations of The Obvious)
by Mark Faulk
Okay, in order to buy into this article, everyone is going to have forget for a moment that I'm the guy who revels in arguing (even when there's nothing worth arguing about), enjoys stirring up controversy (even if it's just for controversy's sake), and insults those whom I don't agree with (sorry about that). Instead, imagine for a minute that I'm an incredibly together person with zen-like qualities surrounded by a cosmic aura of serenity. How exactly did I get this way, and what are the secrets to my eternal bliss? Quit laughing, you're not concentrating hard enough. I'm getting ready to dispense some life-altering worldly advice, and I'll need your undivided attention on this one. Never mind that in reality I'm slightly manic-drepressive, a bit confused, and only borderline content for brief fleeting moments in time (which pass before I can figure out what that the heck that peculiar emotion is). Like most people, I know what I should be doing to make my life better, it's the inability to act on it that holds me back, which brings me to my first bit of worldly advice:
Knowing what to do is not the same as doing it.
Just do it (yeah, I stole that from Nike, but they use slave labor to make their Air Jordan shoes, so we'll call it even).
Work hard, but stop working often enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Don't enjoy more fruit than you should, or you'll become ill.
Save some fruit for later, you never know when you'll need it.
Don't save up more fruit than you can use, it will just go bad. Share it with someone else who has less than you do, and in the end, you will both be full.
Work as much as you have to in order to fulfill your obligations, but save some time for the things you love.
Live out your fantasies, but temper them with a healthy dose of reality.
Some fantasies are best left unfulfilled, that's why they're fantasies.
On the other hand, sometimes the reality is even better than the fantasy (I'm still a bit conflicted on the whole fantasy/reality thing).
Passion is the single most important emotion your will ever experience, never lose it, even if you have to work hard to keep it alive.
You shouldn't have to work too hard to keep your passion alive, or it will become just work.
Ignore the bad times, and concentrate really hard on the good ones (I'm paraphrasing Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" on that one, but it works)
Don't ignore the bad times so much that you don't learn from them (I'm paraphrasing myself on that one. The original was better, but I forgot to write it down.)
Write stuff down, or you'll forget it later.
When forced to make a choice between love and passion, choose both.
If you can't get both love and passion from the same person, wait. If you can't wait, be very, very careful, and cover your tracks. (but don't blame me if you get caught, I told you to wait).
Pace yourself, or you'll never make it to the finish line (wherever that is).
The finish line is the place where you are when your time runs out. Don't despair if it's not the destination you had in mind when you started the race.
When the race is over, it's over. Stop running, even if you didn't win. There will be another race soon enough, and you'll need your strength for that one, and the one after that, and the one after that.......
Life is like a box of chocolates. No it isn't.
Enjoy life, even when it sucks.
No matter how much life sucks, eventually it will get better. Wait it out, you'll be glad you did.
Make someone laugh every chance you get, even if they're laughing at you.
Laugh with others, not at them (unless they're not there).
Spend enough time away from the ones you love to miss them, but don't spend so much time away that you forget why you loved them in the first place.
And finally, stop complaining. Instead, get off your ass and do something about it.
And that, my fellow cosmic travelers, is the faulking truth.
Disclaimer: The Faulking Truth is not responsible for any injuries, discomfort, or adverse side effects that following this advice might cause. If you experience dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, panic attacks, or heart palpitations, consult your physician, unless you're in love. In that case, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Voice your opinion on our message board (you don't have to sign up to post).