We start out with nothing in life. We spend some time learning some stuff (learning should never stop) and throughout life build what we have around us commensurate to our needs, understanding and skill. These "constructions" aren't necessarily physical things but certainly can be.
We build relationships, knowledge, strength and physical ability, social standing, wealth, legacies, homes, investment portfolios and many other things.
What have you built and how?
Have you found it easy or difficult, what setbacks did you experience and how did you overcome it. Have you experienced other people's jealousy of what you've built and how have you dealt with it? Have to sought opportunity, created it, or waited for it to fall in your lap - which doesn't often happen.
Feel free to comment.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
Sometimes, with chronic health issues, it feels like all I have are setbacks and obstacles.
When I was a librarian, I felt like I was a net benefit to my community. Finding new favorite authors for our readers, helping people navigate technological change, and just providing a safe place for people growing up in unstable homes isn't tangible, but it was real. When I recently stopped in to return some books, it happened to be when an childrens' program was wrapping up, and my little readers greeted me enthusiastically, so I hope I was a good male role model in a world where few seem to exist sometimes.
I have also been helping my irascible father a bit with the endless chores of maintaining modest acreage in the forest. As summer looms, he is in a hurry to clear out overcrowded and diseased trees on top of ongoing cleanup of fallen trees following our spring windstorm before burning is banned when the dry summer arrives. Sometimes building isn't something to be completed, and more of a perpetual project that never ends.
I anticipate a season of civil unrest this summer as elections loom, the economy continues to slump, and the consequences of pointless war unfold. Many will respond destructively rather than constructively, I fear. Angry people lash out. Arson and vandalism don't harm politicians and mega-corporations, but they do ruin the livelihoods of entrepreneurs and service workers trying to build a future despite the challenges faced by the world.
I'd say that what you built with the patrons id the library was well built and valued by those people, and yourself I reckon. That's a lot more than many can say these days in a selfish world. Well done.
I like your comment about building being perpetual thing sometomes, I think that's how life is, a constant construction.
And your last paragraph, yes I agree, sad but true.
What haven't I built... The most difficult and yet easiest thing was the relationship to Lily. Difficult because all the boulders that were laid in my way, easiest because it just was so natural to overcome them by any means necessary.
The business was very hard to build, and it had many setbacks within the time. Still has. Although I just recently started studying Stoicism, one rule I always applied - building it on who I am and wanted to be, a business based on my principles. That made every decision easier.
Talking about, that also caused me to destroy. Building the business severed my marriage. And my relationship to some people. Jealousy was always a thing, and sometimes misconception, for not asking me but assuming, or worse, listening to gossip. I don't mind having lost those connections. Those who indulge into jealousy and gossip are not relationships I want to have, anyway. And the connection to my ex-wife is quite good now again.
And as for opportunity - a mix of everything. Always looking for it, always creating some, and I did get lucky once or twice.
I think what you say shows clearly that life is a combination of many things and those things don't always suit us, or others, but they have to happen as they open or closes doors and it's that which keeps like interesting and moving forward.
Ignoring the doors around one is a good metaphor for stagnation in life. With everything happening, I can say that I was never bored at all.
I have a built a home. No matter where we hang our hats, I have always built a home in partnership with my better half. We have always created a placed where our boys could feel safe, free to learn, explore, and engaging with us. It was not easy. Building a stable home where one could always feel comfortable both financially and physically took some years and lots of effort.
I like the point about "where we hang our hats" because it's not the building itself where people reside, it's what's built between the people that matters.
Somehow I have successfully explained this topic in my today post about math 🙂
Knowledge.
It takes a lifetime to build. And no one can ever be jealous of the same thing you own, because thay can't see it.
Jealousy and envy of others can only be expressed on the benefits we gain by applying that knowledge.
I've found that those whobar jealous and envious of what others have built don't have what's required within them to build anything for themselves, or they are too lazy to use those things.
I haven't built much of anything except relationships, family, a few close friends. I have managed to take care of myself and meet the basic needs along the way, half of my life, by myself.
I doubt many would be jealous of what I have except there may have been one or two that were jealous of my happiness. What?? Yeah, I've had my share of life bumps, but I bounce back pretty fast. I mean, why not??
My co-workers love me, but that is just because I have all the answers. LOL!!
I am also not a jealous person. I don't have what you have because I didn't work as hard as you. I got a slow start and when it was up to just me, that was not my focus.
I know a LOT! ... a lot of useless things, but they were fun to learn.
Relationships are a good place to build, if only more people spent time doing this effectively huh?
I like your bounce back nature, it's commendable and I think should be desired by all. It takes effort though.
I know so many useless things too, we should start a club.
I've built more knowledge than the rest I'd say, not just in terms of studies but overall, with experience and reading stuff, it would have been very useful back at teen times, totally a different life would have been
Experience doesn't just come from studies and school or university, learnings are all around us and the smart people find it.
Talking about building something, I could remember when I was 15, I was saving for a provision business, then we had a shop where I could market my goods.
It was an investment which I wanted to group and dominate that area, I fixed it with my daily schedule, because I was a student.
My mom will always tell me that I have a great plan for my future, I just smiled at her and keep up saving..
The saving was over and I have enough to start, I took my mom to the market,we bought and bought, still she asked where I got all this money from but, I smiled and told her we're still buying more.
Those days of saving I disciplined myself and withdrew from other kids my age to pursue my goals..
As usual jealous began to grow among my neighbors and they went extra miles to see me closed, some years passed and our road was to be restructure, but to my greatest surprise my shop was taking down, they say it was close to the road.. I have nothing to say I just cried inside and smiled outside, some people say it was my neighbors idea, but I can't do anything because I was just a kid..
That's how jealous can lead some people..
Now here am I in hives trying to build up something strong. I pray I grow like all my idols here did.. thank you sir for giving me a privilege to share this.
It takes time to build, effort, and very little (if anything) comes for free including building here on Hive. So many want to take the short cut and end up doing things that ultimately destroy their accounts; don't be one of those.
Sure sir I won't, because I believe that short cuts in everything in life always leads to regrets and damages.
Thank you very much sir.. I really appreciate..
To begin with, I had to build myself up; I had to do it – find out who I was and let go of the baggage. That wasn’t easy; it took a lot of effort, especially emotionally. I built a business, a venture from scratch, all on my own; I succeeded. I rebuilt physical things like a house, and when all that was ready, it was time to build peace and tranquillity elsewhere, and I threw myself into it. It’s worth it, because this path is leading me to something magnificent. It’s always good to learn and build, stroke by stroke.
Do you know who Bob the Builder is? If not google it.
Anyway, seems like you're the female version of Bob the Builder. ☺️
I've looked it up! It's cute... I've got a curvy figure😆
Thank you!!!!
I've built my Hive blog into a pretty cool thing. People are so jealous of it. Obviously! 😀
Ah yes Hive...that thing that started out so well that is now going less than well, stagnating and in decline.
This is the thing we all should keep in mind, sometimes when we get fail at first or second attempt many of us stop their work other than to Learning from their mistakes, which may help them to boost their knowledge by infinity.
You're absolutely right, if I need to build a home, I should keep doing good things and not to say stop to learning some new things day by day.
Thanks for motivational Post.
You seem to have a good understanding of it.