Here's a story for you...

[Matildalee]

I used to be imaginative, delightful and a superb conversationalist. Now I sit behind a desk and stare at a computer screen and dial into conference calls. I'm only 26, and already I'm nostalgic for the days of my youth when I danced barefoot at concerts and smoked pot instead of attending bland company "functions" and watching my alcohol intake lest I offend the corporate cronies.

I go to business school in hopes of realizing a life for myself, not for everyone else, but isn't business school just a grooming parlor for more corporate lackeys?

Sighhhhhh....I'm just jaded today. And oh yeah, I'm writing this while I'm on a conference call about sales commissions.

Someone tell me something wonderful. At least I have a nice apartment and a man that loves me.

[Jared]

Hey, when I was 26, I felt exactly the same. I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and I was a computer technical support analyst. I hated every day of my life. I was angry all the time and I had no peace of mind. So I made the decision that I was going to get out. It didn't matter what happened to me, I just couldn't go on with what I was doing. So, I saved up some money and quit. I left New York for 6 months. Traveled all over Europe. Worked at a summer camp. I had the time of my life. After that, I decided that whatever I did in life, I had to be happy no matter what. Life is not worth living if you are miserable. We all deserve to be happy.

So, I started my own business doing freelance writing, working from home. I did pretty well, but found that I had a lot of time on my hands. And so, The Lunch Club came into being.

There's a story!

[Matildalee]

I know that this is not my destiny...I just have to grow some cajones and take control of my life path like so many people I envy...(Jared.)

I figure I'll suck it up for one more year until I get the degree, then take it from there. My concentration is Entrepreneurship, and hopefully that will take me somewhere. I have lots of good ideas and lots of great people to work on them with, so hopefully it will fly. Right now we're hashing out a movie house idea that I think has serious potential.

Only time will tell.

Thanks for the commiseration.

:)

[Jared]

I can tell you this much - there is nothing more important in life that doing what you know you gotta do. So many people ignore their inner *yearnings* and stay in a place where they are not happy, just because they think that's what they have to do. Fear of the unknown is the biggest roadblock for anyone to step out of his or her world and grow a little bit. But the unknown is where your growth takes place....

[SirReid]

Matildalee,

You have the right attitude and determination to do your own thing. Just stay the course for the year, continue mapping out your plans and learn from the corporate experience about how not to run a business. The year will go fast. Have fun looking at the day to day foolishness people do to each other to get ahead. It's like crabs in barrel.

As Jared pointed out, if a person totally loves what they do, they will always have inner peace. I know this from personal experience.

Continue to surround yourself with like minded people. Stay away from the dream killers. The Lunch Club environment is definitely a great place to be surrounded by upbeat positive people and gatherings.

I hope you feel better soon - stay the course

Good luck with your movie idea!

[Matildalee]

They drive me batty! A real downer.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm working on making life better each and every day. We'll see.

I'm still young.

[SirReid]

Matildalee,

For continued inspiration consider reading "The Magic of Thinking BIG" by
David Schwartz. They have quite a few used copies for as little as $2+ dollars on amazon.com. Be careful !! You actually might awaken the sleeping giant within yourself. Then those people at work better look out.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671646788.01._PE20_PIdp-schmooS,TopRight,7,-26_SCMZZZZZZZ_.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0671646788/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-1884806-1702402#reader-link)