What About Proficient Slackers Like Me?

[DaveNItUp]

I'm an unapologetic "proficient slacker". I know there must be plenty of us out there in the MMM community along with our more typical work\save\play hard brethren because we're unconventional, extremely appreciative of efficiency, and we're not dumb. We're just not wired for hard work, especially someone else's idea of hard work.

This is what I tell my kids: Are you going to work harder than Bill Gates? (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/bill-gates-used-to-memorize-the-license-plates-of-microsoft-employees-to-keep-tabs-on-them/ar-AAwk5WP). Are you smarter than Jeff Bezos? Do you have the resources\tenacity\stomach to influence the rules of the game like the Koch brothers? I knew early on that I wasn't\didn't. It was natural for me to be efficient and avoid the conventional trap of consumerism. I figured I would let them do the heavy lifting...they seem to enjoy it...and I don't.

The Purpose Driven Life? No Thanks! (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brook-ziporyn/the-purpose-driven-life-no-thanks_b_8671086.html)

Happiness Is The Only Logical Pursuit (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2016/06/08/happiness-is-the-only-logical-pursuit/)

Lacking Ambition (http://lackingambition.com/?p=886)

Slomo (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/opinion/slomo.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=1)

DaveNItUp (http://davenitup2.blogspot.com/)

[Padonak]

Following

[saijoe]

Note to all.  That Slomo video was awesome.  I'd encourage everyone to watch it. 

[RyanAtTanagra]

Note to all.  That Slomo video was awesome.  I'd encourage everyone to watch it.

Thanks, I wouldn't have bothered if you hadn't said something.  That was beautiful.

[thd7t]

I'm right there with you.

[red_pill]

Note to all.  That Slomo video was awesome.  I'd encourage everyone to watch it.

I’m so glad I listened to your recommendation.  That dude has it figured out.

[Slee_stack]

Another thumbs up for Slomo!

[joonifloofeefloo]

I'm an unapologetic "proficient slacker". I know there must be plenty of us out there in the MMM community along with our more typical work\save\play hard brethren because we're unconventional, extremely appreciative of efficiency, and we're not dumb.

Yep. Though I do work hard -just on things I believe matter, not on stupid things. I'm just also very good at resting, removing unnecessary tasks from life, letting robots do stuff. Efficiency is king!

[RyanAtTanagra]

A quote from an older thread:

If you're not maximizing your laziness, you're not trying hard enough, is how I look at it.

[ender]

This seems like blatant spam for your blog.

[snapperdude]

This seems like blatant spam for your blog.

No, no it doesn't. He lists several other references related to what he is talking about. His blog link is just tacked on at the bottom and isn't shilled in any way.

[Hula Hoop]

I loved the slomo video from the NYT.  He is my hero.  I think I'm a proficient slacker in that I don't really value status the way my colleagues and my family seem to. I work full time and have kids so I'm hardly a "slacker" but i figured out early on that my free time is precious, I don't want to move up the ladder to be the big cheese and I just want a quiet life with enough money to live.  The idea of being a big boss at work gives me the heebie jeebies even though they earn lots of money and have high status.

I also love rollerblading and pre-kids used to rollerblade for miles every weekend to de-stress.

[Village Farang]

Thanks for the slomo video link, I loved it.

[DaveNItUp]

I watch the Slomo video at least once a month. It's so beautiful. The comments about the video in the NYT are also interesting. Some people love Slomo and some people really don't. I can't understand how, even if you don't agree with Slomo, you can't acknowledge the beauty of the video and the personal reflection it inspires.

I've always been more interested in other people's feelings and perspectives as a "traveler" through life and not so much interested in the actual "sausage making". To me relevancy has always seemed so obviously fleeting.

Excerpts from a few different comments I left on the MMM "Happiness Is The Only Logical Pursuit" blog post:

"Time after time the conventional messaging we are given has turned out to be untrue, manipulative, disingenuous, etc. At this point, aren’t we all absolved of having to believe or do anything but what we choose?"

"For every one of society’s “ought to’s” there are people entrapped and unhappy."

"We are all free agents…all the time…vive la difference."

"...we just have to maintain our awareness of other travelers and not interfere with their path."



     

[use2betrix]

First time seeing that SLOMO video. Amazing. Getting added to favorites.

While not quite as cheerful, but equally as eye opening (to me) here’s a post I read quite regularly just as a reminder: https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/2livoo/tifu_my_whole_life_my_regrets_as_a_46_year_old/?utm_source=mweb_redirect&compact=true

[DaveNItUp]

Thanks for sharing use2betrix. I love stuff like that.

I officially FIRED last year (unofficially many many years before). I did what I had to to make it through and, with my "observer" nature, I've always felt somewhat detached...even going back to being forced to sit in school every day while someone crammed 6-7 straight hours of stuff into my brain. I maybe wanted 2-3 hours every couple days. As the years passed I felt more and more out of place in an over-measured "all in" contemporary society. The idea of giving your best to your job never made sense to me. I give that to my family and my soul and my employer gets "good enough".