What's motivating you?

**Ravello** · 27 January 2009, 16:35

Originally posted by Chugnut View Post

<snip>

Kevin McCloud's favourite Grand Design was on More4 last night. The one with woodsman Ben Law who built a house in his woods because he had a genuine need to be there for his work. He could never sell it but that wasn't really the point. You'd be hard pushed to find a more contented man in his work. It turns out that the episode was the most popular Grand Design ever in a vote by viewers too, so I guess it appealed to an awful lot of other people too.

Just hope they don't move to the same forest as you.

**Mich the Tester** · 27 January 2009, 16:42

As I’ve said before I’m aiming to get my MSc and then PhD in Volcanology and go back to academia and bail out of IT. Other than that, I hang on in the increasingly vain hope that testing might become fun again and provide some satisfaction if businesses stop outsourcing development to Bob Shawadiwadi and let me work together with developers in agile projects.

I’m not worried about my mortgage, it isn’t very big and I have no other debts. I do however rather enjoy the feeling of not having to worry about whether cash will come out of the hole in the wall, as it sometimes didn’t when I was a permie. It’s really very nice to have about half my earnings left over at the end of the month instead of half the month left over at the end of my earnings.

I want a big savings account and my house paid off before I go back to university to do my PhD research on an academic salary.

Anyway, there’s nothing else I can do that pays me so much for doing so little.

**moorfield** · 27 January 2009, 16:45

Originally posted by Chugnut View Post

Looking at everyone's bored expressions whilst getting off another packed train at Cannon Street this morning, I wondered what motivates people to do their ridiculous commute each day. Have most of us set ourselves lofty targets or have financial circumstances dictated that we have to do it because we're hanging on by our fingertips?

My tip: Take a stopwatch and a calculator into trap #3 when you arrive at your office each morning. You'll feel so much better afterwards and it sets you up nicely for the day.

**chef** · 27 January 2009, 16:46

Originally posted by moorfield View Post

My tip: Take a stopwatch and a calculator into trap #3 when you arrive at your office each morning. You'll feel so much better afterwards and it sets you up nicely for the day.

how crap is your mobile phone that it doesnt have these features?

**BrianSnail** · 27 January 2009, 16:47

I'm on a five year plan to move to Australia with a huge (75ish percent) deposit for a house on the beach. Work part time, enjoy the sunshine, and make babies with a fit Aussie bird.

**expat** · 27 January 2009, 16:51

Originally posted by Chugnut View Post

Looking at everyone's bored expressions whilst getting off another packed train at Cannon Street this morning, I wondered what motivates people to do their ridiculous commute each day. Have most of us set ourselves lofty targets or have financial circumstances dictated that we have to do it because we're hanging on by our fingertips?

Personally, I have a mortgage which is larger than I'm comfortable with but is still very manageable between me and my part-time working wife. We drip feed occasional lump sums as and when we're able. I have a war chest to see us through the next 18 months if out of contract and she could go back full time if we needed..

What motivates me? Need the money. Have a mortgage that is larger than I'm comfortable with but which is very manageable as long as I keep working on a good rate. No savings or pension to speak of so I'm hoping to build up some of those soon. No war chest. Have recently paid off most non-mortgage debt, still some to go. Then back NICs for State Pension. Then war chest. Then my own pension. Then maybe think about a holiday.

How to get here? Move around when younger so have no pension rights anywhere. Then have children, especially smart ones who go to university. Have wife who enjoys her work but earns much less. Then get divorced. Try to do right by ex-wife. Then find other partner, who earns even less; with child who is smart and goes to university..... Find that my income is taken into account for everything, so feel responsible.

What motivates me is that everyday living is so damned expensive. NB I live in a modest house, drive a 10-year-old car, don't take foreign holidays. I don't need to be motivated by anything, I'm just trying to make a living. I suppose it is the same for everybody else.

**gingerjedi** · 27 January 2009, 16:54

Pretty much the same as you, I want a completely debt free existence for my family so we don't have to worry about how much we need to earn just to keep our heads above water.

I don't know what I will do when I get there? Maybe I'll carry on feathering the nest for a few more years maybe not? But whatever happens I am determined not to fall foul of the debt trap that keeps me on the hamster wheel.

Having a 1 year old and a wife working only part time puts huge pressure on me at the moment, it's not something I'd really thought about before we decided to have kids... oh why was I so frivolous over the past 5 years.

**ratewhore** · 27 January 2009, 16:54

I'm motivated by my holidays. I need at least 3 breaks a year, whether that's a fortnight in the caribbean or a week in cornwall I don't care, I just need at least 3...

**TCL** · 27 January 2009, 17:31

Originally posted by Mich the Tester View Post

It’s really very nice to have about half my earnings left over at the end of the month instead of half the month left over at the end of my earnings.

Nicely put.

What's motivating you?