What motivates you?

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Well, as Clint Eastwood said, you have to know your limitations. And mine is that I am not 21 anymore.:popcorn:

Not that I would trade places again. Just that reality is reality.
\

I would. If I could walk into a time machine and be 21 again tomorrow I wouldn't even pack my bags.

R..
 
I used to think I knew what motivated me. It read similar to many of the posts here. I used to think I knew what my priorities were. Then a few months ago a doctor told me I had prostate cancer. All of a sudden all those things I thought were soooo important no longer had any meaning. Maslow's pyramid included. It didn't mean dodo.

What (now) motivates me is my family, friends and dog. I really don't care much about anything else. I no longer put off driving over to see my parents - I do it. I no longer tell my daughter "I'm too busy to..." - I find the time. I find the time to spend laying in the grass with my dog (try it - it's really cool). I take the time to live today - tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

It's a sad truth, but most of us need to smacked up side the head with something life-threatening before we start to really appreciate life and all it offers...
 
I used to think I knew what motivated me. It read similar to many of the posts here. I used to think I knew what my priorities were. Then a few months ago a doctor told me I had prostate cancer. All of a sudden all those things I thought were soooo important no longer had any meaning. Maslow's pyramid included. It didn't mean dodo.

What (now) motivates me is my family, friends and dog. I really don't care much about anything else. I no longer put off driving over to see my parents - I do it. I no longer tell my daughter "I'm too busy to..." - I find the time. I find the time to spend laying in the grass with my dog (try it - it's really cool). I take the time to live today - tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

It's a sad truth, but most of us need to smacked up side the head with something life-threatening before we start to really appreciate life and all it offers...

This SO rings a bell.... I think there are two kinds of people in this world. Ones who have been "smacked upside the head" and ones who have not.

Strength, brother.

R..
 
I used to think I knew what motivated me. It read similar to many of the posts here. I used to think I knew what my priorities were. Then a few months ago a doctor told me I had prostate cancer. All of a sudden all those things I thought were soooo important no longer had any meaning. Maslow's pyramid included. It didn't mean dodo.

What (now) motivates me is my family, friends and dog. I really don't care much about anything else. I no longer put off driving over to see my parents - I do it. I no longer tell my daughter "I'm too busy to..." - I find the time. I find the time to spend laying in the grass with my dog (try it - it's really cool). I take the time to live today - tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

It's a sad truth, but most of us need to smacked up side the head with something life-threatening before we start to really appreciate life and all it offers...

I have always wondered about the eternal lives of dogs, cats, birds, and so forth. I suspect they go through the transmigration of souls, and stay here on the Earth, to be reborn again.

Whereas from what I can gather from Christianity, the human souls goes onto another eternal place, never to return to Earth again, except on occasional visits like the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Rafael, etc.

So I would enjoy my scuba diving for as long as I could. There might not be any scuba diving in the next world.:)
 
Naw... because then you would be trading wisdom and experience for the ignorance of youth. I would not want to trade for that again.:eyebrow:

The key word here is youth. I pissed it all away (unwisely) gaining "wisdom and experience"...

Frankly, at this point I know that I have wisdom and experience but I'd gladly exchange that for being young, "tight" and "attractive" again.

I miss the 6-pack. I miss the muscles that made young women want to TOUCH that..... I'm now lost in a world of "second best" "second rate" etc.

I recently went travelling with a buddy of mine who is built to kill and beautiful..... He's 30. I'm 42. At his age, if he feels attracted to a woman that's "flattering". At my age, if I feel attracted to a woman that's "gross".

You might think that 42 isn't that old but I would suggest that at this age (and believe me because I'm not even ugly) it would be easier trying to walk to the moon on show-shoes than trying to attact a woman. Old farts like me still feel like men but we're seen as "old growth" -- impressive... magestic even.... wise and experienced but not in the least "attractive".

Call this a mid-life crisis. Because that's what it is..... My wife would probably think that this is rediculous but she may be the only woman on the planet who still dares to get into bed with me..... (which I don't mind because she runs marathons and is HOT...)

But think about that.....

Nobody gives a rat's patoot if you're experienced and wise.....

Nobody.

This world was made for the young and failing to look that straight in the face is a weakness....

R..
 
I miss the 6-pack. I miss the muscles that made young women want to TOUCH that..... I'm now lost in a world of "second best" "second rate" etc.

I recently went travelling with a buddy of mine who is built to kill and beautiful..... He's 30. I'm 42. At his age, if he feels attracted to a woman that's "flattering". At my age, if I feel attracted to a woman that's "gross".

You might think that 42 isn't that old but I would suggest that at this age (and believe me because I'm not even ugly) it would be easier trying to walk to the moon on show-shoes than trying to attact a woman. Old farts like me still feel like men but we're seen as "old growth" -- impressive... magestic even.... wise and experienced but not in the least "attractive".

Try being a 54 year old woman . . .

Seriously, though, I was recently part of a group of people ranging from late 20's to 60, and by FAR the most attractive man in the group was in his mid 40's. So don't despair :)

There's no hope for old women, though . . . I had no idea how much my attractiveness to men was part of my image of "self" until I lost it. I guess that says something about the culture I grew up in, maybe, but it was a very weird experience to enter social circles where I was not treated or regarded in ANY way as being "female", as opposed to just "person". Eventually, I may see that as liberating, but then, I never saw being regarded as female as limiting in the first place. But it used to be fun.
 
Try being a 54 year old woman . . .

Well.... I understand what you're saying but don't forget that women have all the power.....

Men can only "present" themselves and then wait for women to either accept or reject that.... At some point -- and this happens considerably before your 54th year -- women are *all* giving the thumbs-down ....

Seriously, though, I was recently part of a group of people ranging from late 20's to 60, and by FAR the most attractive man in the group was in his mid 40's. So don't despair :)

I do..... I've been emphatically told that I'm "the one" with stories about rainbows because what's inside and blah blah blah but the fact is.... camera's don't take pictures of internal rainbows..... When I take my clothes off and go swimming in front of a whole group of fellow divers then i'm lucky when someone doesn't grab their camera to take pictures of the dudong.

...snip.... it was a very weird experience to enter social circles where I was not treated or regarded in ANY way as being "female", as opposed to just "person". ...snip....
I totally understand this.....

Eventually, I may see that as liberating, but then, I never saw being regarded as female as limiting in the first place. But it used to be fun.
I think that women reach this point much later than men.....

at 42 I've already reached "useless".... at least you didn't have to look this right in the face at that age...

R..
 
You can be anywhere on Maslov's triangle depending on your circumstance, and it could change in a flash. One minute you are sitting in a plane, ready for takeoff, and the next minute, you are fighting for your life in a ditch.

To me it's all about experiences....a picture is worth a thousand words, but the experience is worth a thousand pictures. I want to experience as much as I can before I die. When you end up on your death bad, and someone asks you what you are all about, what would your answer be?
 
When you end up on your death bad, and someone asks you what you are all about, what would your answer be?

I would say "look at my life".

Look at the risks.....

Look at the fear.....

Look at the injuries, the pain, the loss, the tension...

Look at the joy, the extacy, the love, the peace of mind...

Look at the adventure, the astounding adventure...

the solitude

the loneliness

the sacrifice

the loss

the gain

the vicious circle, the catch-22 and the escape from insanity

the decent into insanity... and deeper....

the children

the loss of self

the gain of self-knowledge

the pushing

the pulling

the wanting

the waiting

the life

the death

the wrong and right

the up and down

the left

and another left

and another and another.... So many lefts make a right....

An ear full of music... a brain full of concentration

148 IQ

Are you ready?

Play the piano.... make it sing

and again sing and talk

talk and sing

sing

sing

....

a normal life.... the most average of average....

R..
 
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