How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/24/16 9:18 PM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? svmonk 5/24/16 10:33 PM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/25/16 4:35 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Christine 5/25/16 10:11 PM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Noah 5/25/16 11:36 PM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Noah 5/26/16 1:25 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Noah 5/26/16 7:55 PM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 4:06 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 4:16 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 4:02 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Christine 5/29/16 12:36 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Don Merchant 5/25/16 12:15 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/25/16 4:38 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Ostaron 5/26/16 8:49 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 4:09 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Ostaron 5/27/16 9:11 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 10:30 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? bernd the broter 5/27/16 9:28 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Richard Shane MacLeod 5/26/16 9:39 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Chi 5/27/16 4:14 AM
RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do? Causes & Conditions 5/28/16 8:40 PM
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/24/16 9:18 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/24/16 9:18 PM

How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Hi Dhamma Friends,

Let's start a discussion / survey about our day-to-day lives and how we pass our time as "people."

I'm in my late 20's and I feel like I lack worldly direction. Other than the Dhamma (maybe minus right livelihood), I have no other burning interests. I've put off handling aspects of my relative life for a few years now and it's all coming to a head in terms of needing to find work, pay off some debts, live a normal life for a while instead of trying to run away all the time. I'm seeking some inspiration from all of my friends of this Board. Sometimes I feel like meditation / Buddhist forums are the only places I feel connected with real Dhamma practitioners if I am not living, volunteering and/or retreating at a center or monastary or whatever. The Buddhist path can feel lonely at times....

What kind of work do you do?
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Do you have friends who aren't into meditation/Buddhism? What kinds of things do you talk about and do?
If you're in a partnership, is your partner into your lifestyle? If no, how do you deal with it?

Many blessings for all of your wonderful energies and advice. Just writing this stuff is therapeutic.
thumbnail
svmonk, modified 7 Years ago at 5/24/16 10:33 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/24/16 10:32 PM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 400 Join Date: 8/23/14 Recent Posts
Hi Chi,

The first thing you need to figure out is: do you like working with your hands or with your head? The next thing is: do you mind working inside or do you have to be outside? Once you've figured out where you personally are located on these two axes, you can start looking into possible professions that match the two axes. So, for example, in my case I like working with my head and don't mind spending the day inside, so what I do - system design for a high tech company (the "sv" in my name stands for "Silicon Valley") and when I was younger writing code - works well for me. On the other hand, I was talking with a guy the other week who fixes our irrigation system, and he told me that he tried office work but couldn't stand being inside all day so he started a company installing and servicing industrial drip irrigation.

Of course, you also need to figure out how much money you'll think you might need and all that, but in many cases that's a function of how much you want to work and also of course a bit of luck. If you don't get the hands v.s. head and outside v.s. inside nailed down, you can end up spending your days unhappy doing something you don't like in a place you'd rather not be.

My 0.02 euro.
thumbnail
Don Merchant, modified 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 12:15 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 12:10 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 202 Join Date: 6/9/15 Recent Posts
Hello Chi. Nice that you found this place and these people.
SVMonk had good advice.
Another possiblility is to visit a technical training school/trade school to see what is offered. And then of course, there is the option of college/univeristy.

As for this lifetime, it's been as an electronic technician for almost the entire adult life. Electronic technicians were something that I saw as an ongoing need for well into the future. So I placed all my eggs into the basket of getting the training, education, and experience in that field. It has paid off well. The work has been both outside and inside. Plus, it has been rewarding work, travel, and experiences. The best of both worlds - mind and body.
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 4:35 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 4:33 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
svmonk:
Hi Chi,

The first thing you need to figure out is: do you like working with your hands or with your head? The next thing is: do you mind working inside or do you have to be outside? Once you've figured out where you personally are located on these two axes, you can start looking into possible professions that match the two axes. So, for example, in my case I like working with my head and don't mind spending the day inside, so what I do - system design for a high tech company (the "sv" in my name stands for "Silicon Valley") and when I was younger writing code - works well for me. On the other hand, I was talking with a guy the other week who fixes our irrigation system, and he told me that he tried office work but couldn't stand being inside all day so he started a company installing and servicing industrial drip irrigation.

Of course, you also need to figure out how much money you'll think you might need and all that, but in many cases that's a function of how much you want to work and also of course a bit of luck. If you don't get the hands v.s. head and outside v.s. inside nailed down, you can end up spending your days unhappy doing something you don't like in a place you'd rather not be.

My 0.02 euro.
Thanks for your thoughts svmonk.

These outside/inside, head/hands questions are very good. I've always been an inside/head type person, but I feel like I am transitioning more to outside/hands person. Outside/hands is just so much more peaceful and natural-feeling. I used to make lots of money as a private tutor, but now just the thought of sitting and teaching for an hour can be nauseating. Part of the disgust arises because of the sitting aspect and another reason is because teaching intellectual knowledge is so beyond my scope nowadays. Sometimes I feel like I have a natural way with people and could do anything with people, but sometimes I just want to be alone for months.

That's the thing, though, is I'm not so sure. I like a variety of things. Sometimes I want to be inside and sometimes outside. Sometimes I want to chop vegetables and sometimes I want to think/create/read/write...I just can't seem to make up my mind.

I know for sure, though, that I do not want to have a computer job. It's draining for me. I was thinking maybe being a server at a vegan restaurant.
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 4:38 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 4:38 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Don Merchant:
Hello Chi. Nice that you found this place and these people.
SVMonk had good advice.
Another possiblility is to visit a technical training school/trade school to see what is offered. And then of course, there is the option of college/univeristy.

As for this lifetime, it's been as an electronic technician for almost the entire adult life. Electronic technicians were something that I saw as an ongoing need for well into the future. So I placed all my eggs into the basket of getting the training, education, and experience in that field. It has paid off well. The work has been both outside and inside. Plus, it has been rewarding work, travel, and experiences. The best of both worlds - mind and body.
Thank you Don.

I graduated from university a few years ago with degrees in Political Science and Religious Studies. I never really went to school with the thought of a career. I just wanted to learn how the world worked. I was also in quite mentally unstable territory, so I didn't think outside the box much.
thumbnail
Christine, modified 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 10:11 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 10:11 PM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 13 Join Date: 3/9/16 Recent Posts
Chi:


That's the thing, though, is I'm not so sure. I like a variety of things. Sometimes I want to be inside and sometimes outside. Sometimes I want to chop vegetables and sometimes I want to think/create/read/write...I just can't seem to make up my mind.

I know for sure, though, that I do not want to have a computer job. It's draining for me. I was thinking maybe being a server at a vegan restaurant.

Working at a vegan restaurant would definetly fit in with right livelihood and if you work someplace like that with flexible hours you can explore the "think/create/read/write" side in your free time.



As for me I work in health care as a lab tech in clinical genetics. I love what I do but the business/people/politics got so bad that I cut back my hours to part time. Which turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. With the extra time I can do things like concentrating more on meditation, doing creative things, taking online courses,  it's great.
thumbnail
Noah, modified 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 11:36 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/25/16 11:36 PM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 1467 Join Date: 7/6/13 Recent Posts
Chi:

I was thinking maybe being a server at a vegan restaurant.


Do you live near a city that has these?  You could probably fully support yourself doing this at a busy restaurant, especially if they serve alcohol (higher check averages).  You could work food & beverage part time and also do something else part time, like start your own business, or do contract work for other people's businesses, in something that you're skilled at.  

As for the OP question, I was in school, then worked in restuarants, and now am starting a career in HR.  I talk with my Dhamma teacher quite a bit about right livelihood, which he extends to 'right lifestyle.'  Basically, the way I train in this area is by trying to build up Piti within myself, and then spread it as Mudita to others.  This can take many forms, including typical virtue/generosity.  As a bartender this just means interacting with people in a way that makes them happy.  As an HR person it gets more complicated because it basically means trying to favor the employees over the management, while not getting fired.  Its going to be a fun road emoticon
thumbnail
Noah, modified 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 1:25 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 1:25 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 1467 Join Date: 7/6/13 Recent Posts
Bigbird:
Selling alcohol is not right livelihood.

Sounds like a rule or a principle, rather than a reaction to the reality of the world we live in.  I've discovered that a willingness to react directly to causes and conditions of one's personal situation seems to be a wonderfully useful interpretation of the supramundane eightfold path.  For me, the impulse to assign prescripted expectations to compound phenomena is a type of suffering.  Strengthening the muscle of momentary release such that it becomes automatic and effortless is a type of release of suffering.

Is selling alcohol right livelihood?  How about we become willing to not come to a conclusion about this. 
Ostaron, modified 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 8:49 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 8:49 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 33 Join Date: 8/11/15 Recent Posts
Chi:
Hi Dhamma Friends,

Let's start a discussion / survey about our day-to-day lives and how we pass our time as "people."

I'm in my late 20's and I feel like I lack worldly direction. Other than the Dhamma (maybe minus right livelihood), I have no other burning interests. I've put off handling aspects of my relative life for a few years now and it's all coming to a head in terms of needing to find work, pay off some debts, live a normal life for a while instead of trying to run away all the time. I'm seeking some inspiration from all of my friends of this Board. Sometimes I feel like meditation / Buddhist forums are the only places I feel connected with real Dhamma practitioners if I am not living, volunteering and/or retreating at a center or monastary or whatever. The Buddhist path can feel lonely at times....

What kind of work do you do?
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Do you have friends who aren't into meditation/Buddhism? What kinds of things do you talk about and do?
If you're in a partnership, is your partner into your lifestyle? If no, how do you deal with it?

Many blessings for all of your wonderful energies and advice. Just writing this stuff is therapeutic.
Chi, 


I really sympathise with your post. A lot of it hits close to home for me. I also am in my late 20s, and have been struggling with finding direction and "purpose", being fired up about the dhamma, and feeling disconnected from my friends that don't practice. I finished school, and have found that I really don't want to do the thing I went to school for. Not full-time, anyway. I've been working a very easy job for the last year and a half that asks very little of me, which has been great while I've wrestled with some of these questions about who I am and what I want to do... but all I've really wanted to do for most of that year and a half and practice and study. 

The last while, I've felt compelled to go back to "normal" life. I've been spending less time practicing, more time indulging my hobbies (I like to make things - clothes, bags, just stuff. Anything that I can make with my hands and see is great.), and spending a lot more time with People. It's been good. Engaging more with "mundane" life is helping remind me that none of it is really mundane... just like none of it is really all that holy or special. It's both and neither. Pure land and charnel ground, etc etc. 

I found reading the Bhagavad Gita incredibly helpful. I also found Stephen Cope's The Great Work of Your Life was excellent - it's based off of the Gita, and mixed with stories about friends and student's of Cope's. Does a very good job of explaining the Gita, and has a lot of very good advice and thought around finding and living your dharma*. Reading just the Gita on it's own might be confusing - having a companion text like Cope's is great! 


*The best translation of dharma I've found is "What is right." So, your dharma is what is right for you. The Gita talks about dharma as being your Sacred Duty. The Thing You Were Meant To Do. I prefer to think of it as the thing that is most right for this person, who is this person because of all the myriad experiences and choices it's had and made. The person I am now is different than the person I was when I started school. Studying what I did was my dharma - it was what was right for that person at that time. Dharma, like the person, changes. 



To answer your questions... I went to theatre school, and studied stage management and producing. I'm currently a receptionist at a consulting firm, and learning web development in my free time at the desk. (Of which there is plenty.) 

Outside of work, I play volley ball, Make Things, garden, do yoga, I love dancing, cycling, going to parties, making food.... typical 20-something urban dweller stuff. I'm also a queer, polyamorous kinkster, and I suppose my kinks are a kind of hobby. (Incidentally, meditation and exploring your kinks go extremely well together. Both involve self exploration and discovery, and close attention to how you feel...) 

Most of my closest friends are yogis or buddhists, but not all. While I love all my friends, the ones that do some kind of practice are particularly dear to me. As far as what we talk about.... anything really. I usually don't talk about practice with friends that don't meditate, but sometimes it'll come up. 

My primary partner doesn't practice, but he's very aware of what I do, and interested and supportive. Another partner of mine does meditate, and is very into shamanism. He's great to talk to, because he has a different perspective on spirituality than I do. 
Richard Shane MacLeod, modified 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 9:39 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 9:39 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Post: 1 Join Date: 3/23/16 Recent Posts
Thanks for sharing all the great posts, since this is my first post I'll start off by a short introduction, ...how does one describe ones self ...that sounds like a very Buddhist question, I'm married and have three wonderful children, they drive me nuts sometimes, but that's part of their role in life i guess

I never graduated high school - went on to work in the mail room of a large data processing facility, worked my way into the Operations department - changing paper in printers, and reel to reel tapes for back-ups (now I’m dating myself emoticon ) eventually worked my way into a computer Operator position and after being allowed to "play" around with computers - i managed to write some code that saved the company 1000's in paper costs each month, and this led to a computer programmer position, i worked as a programmer at this company for 5 years before heading out on my own doing contracting work for banks in the US, Bermuda, and the UK...

after a contract ended in 2010 i couldn't find another right away - and decided to take 6 months off from the world... and I felt kind of burnt out from all the work i had been doing

...so i took a short course on class 1 driving - commercial vehicle license for the US folks... and started driving big rigs around town and regionally around the province. ...loved the change of pace - went from a total head-space job to a total labor job... and was loving it... but there was something in me that knew it wouldn't last, the industry and co-drivers all seen me a a little odd... "what's is HE doing here" kinda looks (or maybe that's just how i felt on the inside about the whole situation)

...i drove for 2.5 years and recently (nov 2014) went back into IT as a developer and am now working as a Project manager for a multi-national company.... and couldn't be happier...

I think balance is the Key word in all of this -
I found through my life that i need to have both - work for my hands and Work for my brain...When I was driving - I would write in a journal, and play a lot of mind game books ...read a lot... but something was missing - joyful work for my brain - something to chew on...

When I was working in an office - I would long for the outdoors - fresh air, and blue skies, we always want what we can't have...

so ...now I got it down pat ... I get my brain exercised at work ...and i use my hands for my hobbies (woodworking and gardening)
thumbnail
Noah, modified 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 7:55 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/26/16 7:54 PM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 1467 Join Date: 7/6/13 Recent Posts
@bigbird:

I agree that alcohol is a legal drug that ruins many lives and partially harms many others.

At the same time, every context is situational, and every situation is contextual.

IMO, Uncle Sid did have some across-the-board advice: "find what works for you by closely observing, and responding to cause and effect.  There is no need to speculate about generalizations or absolutes beyond direct reality, especially if you plan on being happy."  (Paraphrased from the Pali emoticon )
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:02 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:02 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Christine:
Chi:


That's the thing, though, is I'm not so sure. I like a variety of things. Sometimes I want to be inside and sometimes outside. Sometimes I want to chop vegetables and sometimes I want to think/create/read/write...I just can't seem to make up my mind.

I know for sure, though, that I do not want to have a computer job. It's draining for me. I was thinking maybe being a server at a vegan restaurant.

Working at a vegan restaurant would definetly fit in with right livelihood and if you work someplace like that with flexible hours you can explore the "think/create/read/write" side in your free time.



As for me I work in health care as a lab tech in clinical genetics. I love what I do but the business/people/politics got so bad that I cut back my hours to part time. Which turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. With the extra time I can do things like concentrating more on meditation, doing creative things, taking online courses,  it's great.

Ah, yes, if only we never had to work with business/people/politics....

What did you study in school?
What kind of classes are you taking online?
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:06 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:06 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Bigbird:
I don't know what reality or world you think your living in Matto, but let me inform you that in this world the reality is that alcohol is a legalized drug that has in the past and is currently in the present causing pain and suffering to many both directly and indirectly (check the current stats in your country as they are the most detailed available in this world).
As for your supramundane approach, right livelihood comes into play with morality practice which starts at the beginning and is based on conventional reality and can involve things such as conclusions and principles. As far as a more ultimate reality comment, alcohol is matter that mudys the mind, and causes obstructions in the subtle body, which must then be purified (it leaves a stain so to speak).
Of course because it's more aligned with conventional reality it's a subjective thing and your choice, however lets not become willing to not come to a conclusion, as it may inhibit our ability to take responsibility for what we do. 
 

Yes, this is something I've thought about and I agree with your way of thinking.

I get disgusted by the idea of serving alcohol. I was reading another forum and a monk was saying how only if one makes commissions on or is the owner of a store that sell alcohol, is it wrong livelihood. However, if one wants others to buy alcohol for higher tips, it seems like wrong livelihood.

I don't drink. But it's so difficult to find any place that doesn't sell alcohol. If it's a breakfast place, then there's bound to be eggs and meat....
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:09 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:09 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Benjie O K:

Chi, 


I really sympathise with your post. A lot of it hits close to home for me. I also am in my late 20s, and have been struggling with finding direction and "purpose", being fired up about the dhamma, and feeling disconnected from my friends that don't practice. I finished school, and have found that I really don't want to do the thing I went to school for. Not full-time, anyway. I've been working a very easy job for the last year and a half that asks very little of me, which has been great while I've wrestled with some of these questions about who I am and what I want to do... but all I've really wanted to do for most of that year and a half and practice and study. 

The last while, I've felt compelled to go back to "normal" life. I've been spending less time practicing, more time indulging my hobbies (I like to make things - clothes, bags, just stuff. Anything that I can make with my hands and see is great.), and spending a lot more time with People. It's been good. Engaging more with "mundane" life is helping remind me that none of it is really mundane... just like none of it is really all that holy or special. It's both and neither. Pure land and charnel ground, etc etc. 

I found reading the Bhagavad Gita incredibly helpful. I also found Stephen Cope's The Great Work of Your Life was excellent - it's based off of the Gita, and mixed with stories about friends and student's of Cope's. Does a very good job of explaining the Gita, and has a lot of very good advice and thought around finding and living your dharma*. Reading just the Gita on it's own might be confusing - having a companion text like Cope's is great! 


*The best translation of dharma I've found is "What is right." So, your dharma is what is right for you. The Gita talks about dharma as being your Sacred Duty. The Thing You Were Meant To Do. I prefer to think of it as the thing that is most right for this person, who is this person because of all the myriad experiences and choices it's had and made. The person I am now is different than the person I was when I started school. Studying what I did was my dharma - it was what was right for that person at that time. Dharma, like the person, changes. 



To answer your questions... I went to theatre school, and studied stage management and producing. I'm currently a receptionist at a consulting firm, and learning web development in my free time at the desk. (Of which there is plenty.) 

Outside of work, I play volley ball, Make Things, garden, do yoga, I love dancing, cycling, going to parties, making food.... typical 20-something urban dweller stuff. I'm also a queer, polyamorous kinkster, and I suppose my kinks are a kind of hobby. (Incidentally, meditation and exploring your kinks go extremely well together. Both involve self exploration and discovery, and close attention to how you feel...) 

Most of my closest friends are yogis or buddhists, but not all. While I love all my friends, the ones that do some kind of practice are particularly dear to me. As far as what we talk about.... anything really. I usually don't talk about practice with friends that don't meditate, but sometimes it'll come up. 

My primary partner doesn't practice, but he's very aware of what I do, and interested and supportive. Another partner of mine does meditate, and is very into shamanism. He's great to talk to, because he has a different perspective on spirituality than I do. 
Thanks for sharing Benjie.

What does being a queer, polyamorous kinkster mean?
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:14 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:14 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Richard Shane MacLeod:
Thanks for sharing all the great posts, since this is my first post I'll start off by a short introduction, ...how does one describe ones self ...that sounds like a very Buddhist question, I'm married and have three wonderful children, they drive me nuts sometimes, but that's part of their role in life i guess

I never graduated high school - went on to work in the mail room of a large data processing facility, worked my way into the Operations department - changing paper in printers, and reel to reel tapes for back-ups (now I’m dating myself emoticon ) eventually worked my way into a computer Operator position and after being allowed to "play" around with computers - i managed to write some code that saved the company 1000's in paper costs each month, and this led to a computer programmer position, i worked as a programmer at this company for 5 years before heading out on my own doing contracting work for banks in the US, Bermuda, and the UK...

after a contract ended in 2010 i couldn't find another right away - and decided to take 6 months off from the world... and I felt kind of burnt out from all the work i had been doing

...so i took a short course on class 1 driving - commercial vehicle license for the US folks... and started driving big rigs around town and regionally around the province. ...loved the change of pace - went from a total head-space job to a total labor job... and was loving it... but there was something in me that knew it wouldn't last, the industry and co-drivers all seen me a a little odd... "what's is HE doing here" kinda looks (or maybe that's just how i felt on the inside about the whole situation)

...i drove for 2.5 years and recently (nov 2014) went back into IT as a developer and am now working as a Project manager for a multi-national company.... and couldn't be happier...

I think balance is the Key word in all of this -
I found through my life that i need to have both - work for my hands and Work for my brain...When I was driving - I would write in a journal, and play a lot of mind game books ...read a lot... but something was missing - joyful work for my brain - something to chew on...

When I was working in an office - I would long for the outdoors - fresh air, and blue skies, we always want what we can't have...

so ...now I got it down pat ... I get my brain exercised at work ...and i use my hands for my hobbies (woodworking and gardening)

Thanks for sharing Richard and welcome to the dharmaoverground!

Wow, what an interesting journey you've had. Do you ever think about going to university? Or graduating high school just for the heck of it. Of course, you're quite successful in what you do, but do you ever think about experiencing any of the academic stuff again?

Isn't driving tough on the body?

As to always wanting what we can't have, I think I've been so conditioned to get everything I want so it's way more difficult for me to find a "perfect job." Oh, the millenial generation!
Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:16 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 4:16 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Il Matto:

Do you live near a city that has these?  You could probably fully support yourself doing this at a busy restaurant, especially if they serve alcohol (higher check averages).  You could work food & beverage part time and also do something else part time, like start your own business, or do contract work for other people's businesses, in something that you're skilled at.  

As for the OP question, I was in school, then worked in restuarants, and now am starting a career in HR.  I talk with my Dhamma teacher quite a bit about right livelihood, which he extends to 'right lifestyle.'  Basically, the way I train in this area is by trying to build up Piti within myself, and then spread it as Mudita to others.  This can take many forms, including typical virtue/generosity.  As a bartender this just means interacting with people in a way that makes them happy.  As an HR person it gets more complicated because it basically means trying to favor the employees over the management, while not getting fired.  Its going to be a fun road emoticon

How Matto,

Thanks for sharing!

I live in Phoenix, AZ. It has a few vegan restaurants but definitely not like NYC, LA, SF, or Portland. 

How long did you work in restaurants? Have any quick tips? Were you ever a bartender? Did you ever feel moral dilemmas about serving alcohol?

What kind of HR work are you doing now? I'm happy you're working for the people!
Ostaron, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 9:11 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 9:11 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 33 Join Date: 8/11/15 Recent Posts
Chi:
What does being a queer, polyamorous kinkster mean?

Queer - an umbrella term encompassing many sexual and gender minorities. I'm a man that almost exclusively has sex with and dates other men, so the word gay is also applicable - but I prefer to use queer as it implies a more non-conformist, fluid identity. 

Polyamorous - I have loving, often sexual, but not always, relationships with more than one person. It's different from an open relationship - where, usually, one is in a romantic relationship with one person but is "allowed" to have sex with other people. My partners and I are free to develop fully romantic and sexual relationships with other people as we see fit. So, for example, my boyfriend is engaged to another man, and I have a second, more casual romantic relationship with someone else. 

Kinkster - I engage in BDSM, and actively explore other kinky, non-normative sexual activities. 
thumbnail
bernd the broter, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 9:28 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 9:28 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 376 Join Date: 6/13/12 Recent Posts
Chi:

What does being a queer, polyamorous kinkster mean?
In case anyone is in danger of losing overview, here is a little helpful chart:
https://www.xeromag.com/sexualinformatics/nonmonogamy2.5.2.gif

Chi, modified 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 10:30 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/27/16 10:30 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 36 Join Date: 4/23/16 Recent Posts
Benjie O K:
Chi:
What does being a queer, polyamorous kinkster mean?

Queer - an umbrella term encompassing many sexual and gender minorities. I'm a man that almost exclusively has sex with and dates other men, so the word gay is also applicable - but I prefer to use queer as it implies a more non-conformist, fluid identity. 

Polyamorous - I have loving, often sexual, but not always, relationships with more than one person. It's different from an open relationship - where, usually, one is in a romantic relationship with one person but is "allowed" to have sex with other people. My partners and I are free to develop fully romantic and sexual relationships with other people as we see fit. So, for example, my boyfriend is engaged to another man, and I have a second, more casual romantic relationship with someone else. 

Kinkster - I engage in BDSM, and actively explore other kinky, non-normative sexual activities. 

Ah, thanks for sharing that. I guess I'm quite traditional when it comes to my thoughts and views on relationships. Thanks for opening my mind!
Causes & Conditions, modified 7 Years ago at 5/28/16 8:40 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/28/16 8:40 PM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 48 Join Date: 2/27/15 Recent Posts
Hey Chi,

Totally relate to your quandry. It can be tough making huge life decisions around livelihood. 

-- I work as a branding writer. Basically this means I come up with names for products and companies as well as taglines for them. I also spend a lot of time writing tv scripts and trying to build a career as a tv writer, though I'm not quite there yet!

--I spend my time outside of work hanging out with my girlfriend, friends and family. I also watch a lot of tv, as my goal is to eventually write television professionally. I also really enjoy reading and thinking about technology. And of course, I spend time reading about the dhamma and practicing Buddhism by myself and with my sangha. 

--I have plenty of friends who aren't Buddhist. A lot of them are also writers, so we talk about movies and tv. But we also talk about our personal and romantic lives as well as other random stuff. We also do silly fun stuff like playing board games.

--I have a girlfriend, and she is also Buddhist, so she understands my meditation practice. 

One thing that has helped me is realizing that you waste more time trying to decide if a particular ambition is right for you than you would if you just tried it and found out for yourself. Good luck dude!
thumbnail
Christine, modified 7 Years ago at 5/29/16 12:36 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 5/29/16 12:35 AM

RE: How do you spend your time? What kind of work do you do?

Posts: 13 Join Date: 3/9/16 Recent Posts
Chi:

Ah, yes, if only we never had to work with business/people/politics....

What did you study in school?
What kind of classes are you taking online?

I studied molecular biology at university, I think I decided during high school that I wanted to work in a lab and do sciencey type things.

I've taken online courses through Coursera, mostly for fun and to learn new things rather than them being work related. The last one I took was an Astronomy course, prior to that, "Buddhism and Modern Psychology" taught by Robert Wright which I found really interesting, also a design course and a computer programming course. Pretty random, I  guess it is what ever piques my interest.

Breadcrumb