there was an article on ST last saturday, featuring what they call generation why.

the people featured are termed opt-outers, coz they opted out of the rat race, their fast tracked career in the corporate world to do something else more fullfilling in the off-beaten track.

one thing i felt about that article though is that it featured 'high-flyers' who opted-out but still doing something just as acclaimed in their new pursuits. as in they are not bumming living a bohemian life of travelling and teaching scuba diving..so what about those who simply decided to take time off..or those who decide not to contribute anyway in the economic sense..

he said they will never feature that..coz then it may seem to be glorifying 'bumness'.. heh..but why not?

i am not sure if i really did opt-out. sometimes i think i did. and sometimes there used to be that feeling of uncertainty coz i used to go through what they called 'the wince factor'- that is, 'you know you're doing what is right, but it still feels like a loss'. coz life is good, just not as fast paced as it used to be. and the scariest thought of all, is not knowing where i want to be, i wonder if i fail myself.

and sometimes i also wonder where i am heading for if i stay on what i am doing right now. coz i know what i dont want to do even if i stay on..which leads to the opt-outers that had been covered elsewhere; educated and accomplished women who opt out to become housewives..

in a nytimes article, it was noted how the higher the income, the more the women achieve, the more likely they are to eventually make the choice to opt out of their careers, or scale their careers back dramatically, in favor of family. i wont be surprised if there are many of us here just as keen to do that if we have the choice..honestly, i've considered that.

for now, i do not regret the choices i made but i still cant help feel insecure about some things.

anyway, here's one bit from the article that i like:


"Profs Nash and Stevenson think they have the answer to how young professionals with a yen for doing their own thing could have the best of both - or all - worlds.

Picture a person as a stove with four pots on its burners. Each pot contains the stews Happiness, Achievement, Significance and Legacy in it, with each stew satisfying different needs in different ways. Staying the course is a matter of keeping an eye on all four pots to see that all simmer away nicely, and none over-boil or burn out.

Their solution is: Tend one pot at a time, across the seasons of life. Don't try to do too much all at once."