h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

U do not neccesarily figure it out for life either.

One thing you can count on is change New oportunities knock, take chances,It is good to be open to new possibilities.

Listen when people say you are good at.
Listen to what the kid in you wanted to be.
DO NOT listen (for 6 mos to never)to whomever is negative or discouraging about your desires.

When it comes to work, I'm certainly not a career planner type of person - you know, the kind who knows "that in 7½ years down the road, I'll be in this particular sort of position"

I actually ended up on my current career path (marketing/export sales) by some kind of coincidence - leaving research because of a lack of available jobs, spotting this ad in the paper. I never looked back once

But one thing is important for me and something that I do keep up as a goal which I measure against: If I'm not enjoying what I do for a living, I will start looking for something else.

As you tend to spend (roughly) half of the time you're awake on w**k, I believe it to be very sad if you're just making yourself plod through it...

I'm definitely someone who's tending to drift through life rather than have a focus. I like to plan ahead but it's more on a day to day basis than having an ultimate ambition, although I have a sense of ensuring future financial security as well.

People who have a large focus in their lives may miss out on some of the smaller pleasures in life while striving for the bigger goal. And how frustrated they must feel if they are unable to reach their target.

Perhaps it's related to the difference between risk takers who need big action to get a buzz and those who are more easily pleased!

Actually you sound more focussed than most people to me, though I wonder if money should be the main driving force!

You're probably right. Most young people have no idea of what they really want to do in life and anyway what they want todowill change a number of times as they get older, by which time it will be too late anyway.

I'm pushing 60 and still have no idea but I'm having a lot of fun trying to find out.

I don't have a plan as such. I want to play cricket, or failing that I want to make unbelievably large amounts of money doing something with maths, but I have no clue what. I sometimes get deppressed and decide that life is pointless, especially since I'm an atheist (at these times I really wish I believed in God, but since I like to believe things which bear some relation to established facts I find it kind of hard), but generally I just need to play or watch cricket and life is good again.

Also James Anderson is a cricketing genius (completely off topic, and I apologise to anyone supporting Pakistan).

About 3 and a half years ago I had a plan, and then I discovered a certain website and got sucked in like it was a black hole or something similar.

Actually thinking about it, a long bath analogy is better.

Hopefully one day I'll make another plan. More hot water please

Thank you all

I think I've decided to concentrate on getting the little things that bug me sorted, then I'll feel more able to tackle the bigger stuff.

Your insights have been very helpful

Queegle (has got hot water after an absence, and is now nicely pruned)

To all of the above: me too.