Why do people say, Life is what you make it???

[The ill Jedi]

Jon, brother, as I've told you in many of our conversations it's definitely what you make it. Only you have the power to change things in your life for the better.

 

[The ill Jedi]

Doesn't that Shai guy lead around here?

I follow NO ONE.

I am a leader, not a follower.

 

[uscmhicks]

I follow NO ONE.

I am a leader, not a follower.

I do that too so the question is who started first ?.

 

[karamazov80]

Only a true leader will admit to being a follower. True story.

 

[Avfin]

 

[karamazov80]

All of life's answers are revealed through the words of Gonzo the Great.

 

[Morbach]

Everyone who gets a shot at life has a chance at anything. If you want something bad enough you will fight tooth and nail and sacrifice. Life is what you make it, you have the keys.

 

[The Ween]

I don't think life is what you make it because sometimes no matter what you do, things just don't work out right. Maybe it fate, or maybe it's just luck.

I personally hate when people say "Life isn't supposed to be fair" or things like it.

 

[The Ween]

Well, I certainly can't speak for anyone else but me here.

I think from my observations and experiences as I've gotten older, a lot of people out there have a very "One More Thing" concept to life.

If I just had a little more money, I'd be happy.

If I just had this kind of job, my dream job, but not that kind of job, like most people have, I'd be happy.

If I could just get this kind of guy or this kind of girl to marry me or guzzle down my load, I'd be happy.

I think the problem with that kind of thinking is no matter what you get, if you are not content with yourself in the here and now, there will always be one more thing to chase after. ( OK, that third thing, there might be like 15 minutes of contentment there afterwards .... I kid...I kid...)

I also think part of that statement is it's a throwaway PC kind of statement like "Just be confident, good things will definitely happen" Giving you a cliche means people don't have to

A) Listen to you
B) Deal with you

Most people out there won't do that unless there is something in it for them or it makes them feel good about themselves. To make a brutally honest statement would require them to actually put themselves out there, risk public displeasure and actually might mean they have to do something about it when put to the test. There's a reason why lots of adults walk past kids they know are getting abused and molested and punched in the face every single day. Say something and you are involved. Say something other than the PC cliche and now you are invested.

I certainly can't tell you what to think. I will say this, as two things that might help you in general

1) When people give you advice, look at their life. If their life is a freaking mess and you can't respect how they live their life, then their advice will probably not help you except as a cautionary tale of what not to do with your life. If a guy is living in a tent because he thinks paying taxes is for commies and has herpes because he had sex with his 14 year old nephews autistic girlfriend, then I'd say maybe it's time to check out a book before you take him as your own personal Yoda.

2) Accept who you are today, for better or worse. Not what you want to see, not what people think of you, not what you hope to be, but just based on what you do or don't do in your actions. If you do good things and make moral choices, then that's a reflection of who you are. If you are closely surrounded by POS people and you do POS things to people, then you are just a POS period. Sometimes a person has a crappy life because of circumstances, sometimes a person has a crappy life because they make toxic choices because they are just a crappy person themselves. If you don't like something in your life, then change. If you don't like it and don't want to change, then live with it and accept it. Life is pretty simple in a lot of ways, just look at your actions and what you actually do or don't do. I think deep down, a lot of people are insecure and care what other people think of them and want their approval. I have a pretty simple rule for myself, if I was dying and they would give me one of their kidneys to save my life, I'll worry about what they think. If they wouldn't, and it's not family/work related, then who really cares?

I think generally our society is set up so that people of average status or low status or no status tend to be told what we should have, what would should be, what we should buy, who we should date and what we should value. The people who seem to have it all, the top 1 percent of what society says you should be, they have problems like everyone else, those problems are just different, they are harder for most to relate to because most people don't have to live in those circumstances. What I'm saying is even if a person could change things in their life, to the things that they think are ideal, your problems might change, but odds are they will still be problems, probably different ones, but they will still be there. It's dehumanizing to be at the bottom, it's dehumanizing to be at the top. We all have demons to sleep with at night.

You have to define your own happiness. Whatever that's going to mean for you. Sometimes that takes a little time to figure out, but that's ok, some times things happen in their own time, not when we want them to happen. As corny as it sounds, real happiness does really start on the inside. Because anything else external can be taken away from you.


Merry Xmas,

Gekko

Another post of your's that I agree with.

Scary.....

 

[creecher]

Why do people say, Life is what you make it???

Sounds like a positive reaffirmation statement, made to someone who is depressed, lost their way somewhat, or is down on their luck. To give them hope when hope has waned.

I find it having the opposite affect, because if things don't improve, no matter how hard one might try, or how much one might change, then it indicates that there is something wrong with one, what one does, and what one thinks.

I agree with Gordon. How can you not. He's posts are awesome, but particularly "Giving you a cliche means people don't have to A) Listen to you B) Deal with you".

I also agree with The Ween. What the hell does, live life to the fullest, even mean? Cliche's can really suck.

 

[King Darkness]

I thought life was like a box of chocolates?

 

[Morbach]

I thought life was like a box of chocolates?

I was lead to believe it was a box of cereal.

 

[King Darkness]

I was lead to believe it was a box of cereal.

WTF!!!?!?!?!



Man, this whole life thing is hard

 

[The Ween]

I thought life was like a box of chocolates?

It is! And mine is that jelly filled one that people keeping poking with their finger and putting back in the box!

 

[King Darkness]

It is! And mine is that jelly filled one that people keeping poking with their finger and putting back in the box!

I stuck my ween in a jelly filled doughnut once.

True story

 

[creecher]

It is! And mine is that jelly filled one that people keeping poking with their finger and putting back in the box!

We all know you wouldn't be as concerned if you were getting poked with another digit.

 

[The Ween]

I stuck my ween in a jelly filled doughnut once.

True story

 

[The Ween]

We all know you wouldn't be as concerned if you were getting poked with another digit.

 

[OK SITHLORD]

I just had sex with my neighbor!!! HOT SEX!!!!

 

[LOTRFan]

It's so sad that I know what song that's from and who sings it.

If it makes you feel any better, I have an eight year-old daughter ... my mind went there too.