Chasing The Dream

[sunholidaysun1]

For many , coming to Thailand is a route of escapism . Getting out of the hum-drum life of before and staring anew in a land of smiles and enjoyment.

Some farangs I have spoken to have openly said that they are looking for something in life but dont know what it is ? Coming to Thailand was part of that hope that Thailand would be what they are looking for but sadly its not and they are still looking . Having contentment in life is what they are lacking I think and maybe that is what they dream of, to be content , so how do you get contented in life when you have everything here at your fingertips ? The old saying "The grass is greener on the other side " doesnt always ring true .

[yabaaaa]

They'll be looking until the day they die..................same as me

[sunholidaysun1]

I think this is the case for many of us , me also included . What about the rest of you ?

[Thongkorn]

It depends on what you are looking for, and were,Some people have what they want under there noses but cannot see the trees for the wood. Yes the grass may seem greener on the other side but it all depends on yourself and your piece of mind.

Edited August 22, 2009 by Thongkorn

[sokal]

They'll be looking until the day they die..................same as me

It depends on how bad things have gone in your life in the past. I am 25 years old and I have been sued 2 times and lost $50000.

All I want now is $1200 a month income so I can sit on the beach and relax with minimal stress. For me its not sitting on the beach that is so fun, its what I am not doing (work,rat race,family) that is so soothing.

[Harcourt]

I am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

If you aim low, you're more likely to get what you wish.

[sokal]

I am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

If you aim low, you're more likely to get what you wish.

I was aiming high until I came to Thailand. Now I aim as low as I can.

[nigelandjan]

Happiness come from inner contentment wherever you are ,,,,,,,,,you dont need a mass of the folding stuff ,, just enuf to be comfortable ,, and be lucky enuf to be beside the one you was meant to be with in this life

[Datsun240Z]

I am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

If you aim low, you're more likely to get what you wish.

I was aiming high until I came to Thailand. Now I aim as low as I can.

Actually if you can can be happy with nothing, but just some love from your partner. Your really best of. I've you can switch of the materialism and I want this and that thinking.

[Brigante7]

I'm living my dream, I have a beautiful wife who I love more than life, an amazing son with another child due in 6 weeks, I'm happy in my job, we have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs anything else is a luxury. The only thing I'm not happy with is that I have bad skin and living in a warm climate would help it but that's it.

Brigante7.

[IanForbes]

Over many years I've acquired more material possesions than I could ever use in three lifetimes, and have come to believe that it is all just "stuff". I can only live in one room at a time, sleep in one bed at a time and sit on on chair at a time. I can cook the finest meal available, or exist on a peanut butter sandwitch and an apple. I only need enough good food to keep me healthy and strong. Everything else is entertainment.

The only real things are what we actually DO in life. The more interests you have the busier you can be. I'm lucky in that I have a lot of creative interests: drawing, painting, writing, photography, fly tying, sport fishing, hunting, and everything that goes with it. That keeps my mind and body active so that I'm never bored no matter where I choose to live... or stay for whatever length of time.

I enjoy Thailand for what it offers me and I can't get at home, but I enjoy everywhere I visit. It's just that I can live in Thailand for much less than I can even live in Canada where I own my own home with no mortgage. For me there is no need to chase a dream because I'm already living a dream and can feel useful into the bargain.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I have what I consider a near perfect lifestyle for my wife and I. My wife and I talk and laugh with each other every day.We both have hobbies that keep us occupied She is an artist and has a great room for doing her painting. My main hobby is tying flies and making fishing lures, and I have the perfect spot to do it over looking the beach and ocean. We both read a lot and have a personal library of over 2,000 books.

I don't think there is any true paradise, every place has a few warts and you have to live with that. But the way to be happy is to find the place you think suits you best, settle in and adjust your lifestyle to suit you. You are not going to find a perfect spot so enjoy what you consider your best choice.

You are only here for one time around so enjoy it as you will not get a second chance.

[a2396]

No doubt my life is better here in LOS, at this stage in my life, than back home. But, "everything at my fingertips"? Not exactly. I don't know where one could say that. There are many products that are totally unavailable in Thailand. However, that is not a major concern of mine. The weather is good, the food is good, the people are friendly, the cost of living is reasonable. Only the avaricious women are a hazard.

[dave2]

nigelandjan.

quote .... and be lucky enuf to be beside the one you was meant to be with in this life

in this life .... ughhhh ? ? ?

in thailand that means by the hour ..... understand ?

chasing the dream in thailand means ....... next ; )

simple .

dave2

[Marvo]

I'm not materialistic. I'm happy here with little money, just the simple things, sharing good company, living on rice and noodles, no satellite TV, phut phutting around on my motorbike. I don't (want to) eat out too much, I don't drink too much, I have a beautiful and loyal girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my passion in life is playing golf, which, here in Thailand, costs more than the rest of my life put together! I don't work to live, I HAVE to work to play golf though .

[metisdead]

I'm not materialistic. I'm happy here with little money, just the simple things, sharing good company, living on rice and noodles, no satellite TV, phut phutting around on my motorbike. I don't (want to) eat out too much, I don't drink too much, I have a beautiful and loyal girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my passion in life is playing golf, which, here in Thailand, costs more than the rest of my life put together! I don't work to live, I HAVE to work to play golf though .

Where are you located that the golf is so expensive?

[jubby]

"But I still haven't found what I'm looking for" to quote a song from U2.

I suspect most of us are in this category.

I left a well paid , Stressful Job for life in the slow lane here. It was as much to do with quality of life as chasing the dream.

Over 2 years I've gone full circle and now miss the mental stimulation of 'problem Solving' but don't miss the totally unnecessary stress that was imposed on me by the crazy system in a first world country in rapid decline.

I have too much 'thinking time' on my hands now and have the occasional head trip , Its not that I'm chasing the dream rather that I'm living in one

I have to find a way to deal with it and perhaps 'Calm the Mind'

I do know that I really would be a basket case if I was forced to return to my previous life on the tread mill. So chase your dream at your peril

[thaimate]

I am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

If you aim low, you're more likely to get what you wish.

How true,i decided early on in life that i was never going to be a millionaire or set the world on fire ,decided that i would be happy with earning more than i spent every week. it worked ,ive never been rich but not poor either have a great wife a fantastic daughter and son and now live here with the wife and young son ,taking it easy and doing what i want without lusting after things i cant have.

[grantbkk]

Life is what we make of it. I'm a "Type B" person who never gets bored. I live comfortably and have very little stress in my life. Reflecting back I cannot see myself living in Bangkok but have now been here more than six years. I can live anywhere in the world and periodically reassess my circumstances. I'm still here and have not been able to come up with a viable "Plan B". Thailand kind of grows on you.

[givenall]

They'll be looking until the day they die..................same as me

Nothing wrong to keep looking for what you want even if you don’t find it

[sassienie]

Well, as my old granddad used to say, there is no such place as Utopia.

Everywhere seems great when one is on holiday, but living there full time can be another story.

It’s easy to be caught up in a void here. For those considering staying in Thailand long term should do some thorough research first before taking the plunge into the deep end.

Also keep in mind that many Farangs meet their downfalls here. Thai prisons are stacked with wall to wall Farangs and Farang murders are happening wholesale.

3 golden rules if you wish to live a happy lifestyle in Thailand;

Keep your head down, be secure financially and don’t break the laws however archaic you believe them to be.

[sunholidaysun1]

Personally I have never really known what I have wanted in life , even from a very young age . I have had the low wage jobs and the high salaries as well. The materialistic things that we buy to make life more comfortable was not the issue. Finding love and having kids and doing what most people do is normal as well. We are programmed to strive to achieve and make the best of the life we have , however, having had all of that I was always missing something but didnt know what .

I gave up my highly paid job , sacrificed the family , which was a huge decision and came to Thailand. On arrival here I had the overwhelming feeling of being "HOME". I am living in a nice house , with a beautiful wife of nearly 5 years and everything is sweet. The presure and stress of western living has gone.

I was always contented with my lot so to speak but knew there was something missing and even though life here is 10 times better than before , that missing part that I have been looking for all of my life is still missing.

Some of you speak of having hobbies and fill your time with whatever, yet I am no different from you . I am not rich , I live with what little money I have but its enough. I am very content with my life here , I am happy in many ways no different from my life in the west . I have lots of time for friends both Thai and Farang, a Thai family of my wife who are more supportive of me than the other way around and I have many interests to occupy my time .

So all in all , it is not the day to day living or the materialistic things in life , it has nothing to do with that .

Someone said a mental state , possibly but then why are there so many of us , who have been successful and considering what we are all doing now , you have to be a little bit successful in life financially to do what we are doing . Possibly a question that can never be answered but that missing part , so lodged in my head and of some of my friends, doesnt leave , its there , and being here in Thailand has made my life far more enjoyable than before , without having to work to live but that missing bit will never be found I dont think but it wont go away either , so I am stuck with it . When my friends have told me about this missing part of their lives but dont know what it is they are looking for , what can you say . If only we knew what is was , but wherever in the world we are , it wont be found but my life is incomplete regardless of being content with everything and being happy .

Harcourt said : am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

There is alot of truth in that statement but I cant say I desire anything but I fully understand it.

I sat with 200 Chinese monks in a temple when they were chanting a few years ago . I sat on the floor , crossed by legs and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes when the chanting had finished, I had a monk sitting on either side of me . I didnt hear them come and sit . One gave me a towel for my sweating brow and the other gave me a glass of water. I was asked by a monk in English , Where are you from ? I told him. He asked me if I had been 'here' before , I said No. He asked - are you sure ??

He then said I am welcome to be here and anytime I wish to come home I can .

That still sends chills through my body 4 years later when I speak about this .

It is possible I supose that he knew something that I didnt but it has made think that the spiritual side of Thailand is what really bought me here , especially with that feeling of being home.

Maybe the next life I will be a monk again ?

But whoever you are, if you think like me , then at least you know your not alone , there are many like us and one day all will be revealed I hope.

[wamberal]

They'll be looking until the day they die..................same as me

It depends on how bad things have gone in your life in the past. I am 25 years old and I have been sued 2 times and lost $50000.

All I want now is $1200 a month income so I can sit on the beach and relax with minimal stress. For me its not sitting on the beach that is so fun, its what I am not doing (work,rat race,family) that is so soothing.

Do you really think that you can spend the next 50 or 60 or even more years of your life sitting on a beach and relaxing? After a few months most of us would be bored out of our coconuts.

The happiest times in my life have been the times when I have been the busiest, but still had enough time for relaxing pursuits. I suspect that most of us would be healthier, and happier, living a good healthy mix of work and play.

[nigelandjan]

nigelandjan.

quote .... and be lucky enuf to be beside the one you was meant to be with in this life

in this life .... ughhhh ? ? ?

in thailand that means by the hour ..... understand ?

chasing the dream in thailand means ....... next ; )

simple .

dave2

Whatever works for you ,try and remember one size does not fit all

[longstebe]

Coming to Thailand away from the tourist traps can make anyone understand that you don't need much to be happy.

My house will soon be finished,car is paid for and a great wife who attends university . Three months out of the year working away.

Thats very close to living a dream for me.

[Datsun240Z]

You guys do realize, expats are seen as "outsiders" here in the western world. Many folks call us crazy for leaving to a poor country like Thailand, but also a big part, does understand.

Now:

Why do we "westerners" who have got everything, want so badly to a 3rd world country ( for instance Thailand ). And why do some Thai's want to go to a "western" developed country?

I think it's al part of the discovery and journey. It has been written and prooved, that when you have been a longer time in a country like Thailand, and then you return back home, you see life in a different way than before, which most other people who are living there are not seeing. All this makes it hard to explain, when the question comes : " Why on earth want to move to Thailand " ?

[Marvo]

I'm not materialistic. I'm happy here with little money, just the simple things, sharing good company, living on rice and noodles, no satellite TV, phut phutting around on my motorbike. I don't (want to) eat out too much, I don't drink too much, I have a beautiful and loyal girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my passion in life is playing golf, which, here in Thailand, costs more than the rest of my life put together! I don't work to live, I HAVE to work to play golf though .

Where are you located that the golf is so expensive?

I'm in the Cha-am / Hua Hin area. I made this my destination a few years ago based on a "quality-of-life" issue - the availability of a few golf courses near a town that had some mod cons but was not a huge concrete sprawl. Golf "USED" to be relatively sensibly priced here but over the last 5 years, green fees in the area have between doubled and tripled.

I like to play 2-3 times a week if can, circulating around the local courses. Average green fee is now = 2,500 baht, caddy fee + tip = 500 baht.

Playing say 12 times a month, that's 36,000 baht a month on golf! I'm a member of one club so that brings it down to around 24,000.

For the rest of my life I'm happy with "Thai style" and have given up chasing the idea of fulfilment that is all about having "more".

The girl friend and I pay rent 5,000 baht a month and we eat & drink for around 8,000 baht a month.

I just can't live without the challenge I find on the golf course but I question daily what I have to pay for my "fix" and wonder why oh why I can't get interested in fly-fishing or something like that .

[MrHammer]

You guys do realize, expats are seen as "outsiders" here in the western world. Many folks call us crazy for leaving to a poor country like Thailand, but also a big part, does understand.

Now:

Why do we "westerners" who have got everything, want so badly to a 3rd world country ( for instance Thailand ). And why do some Thai's want to go to a "western" developed country?

I think it's al part of the discovery and journey. It has been written and prooved, that when you have been a longer time in a country like Thailand, and then you return back home, you see life in a different way than before, which most other people who are living there are not seeing. All this makes it hard to explain, when the question comes : " Why on earth want to move to Thailand " ?

I think many come to Thailand looking for that 'something' that is missing in modern western countries and they find it here. They feel more alive. I know I feel that way. I like to not know what tomorrow brings. Some of us are not cut out for nanny states. It's also that we discover new sides to ourselves when abroad.

My brother once said something I thought was true, that when we travel and live in another culture, the locals look at us with fresh eyes and from a different perspective and see other things in us that we didnt know was there.

Some people are just restless though.

[yabaaaa]

I am sure there is a Buddhist teaching that answers this one....something along the lines of contentment can only be achieved if you eradicate all desire.

If you aim low, you're more likely to get what you wish.

Yep that explains a lot about Thailand...........aim low

[yabaaaa]

They'll be looking until the day they die..................same as me

It depends on how bad things have gone in your life in the past. I am 25 years old and I have been sued 2 times and lost $50000.

All I want now is $1200 a month income so I can sit on the beach and relax with minimal stress. For me its not sitting on the beach that is so fun, its what I am not doing (work,rat race,family) that is so soothing.

Do you really think that you can spend the next 50 or 60 or even more years of your life sitting on a beach and relaxing? After a few months most of us would be bored out of our coconuts.

The happiest times in my life have been the times when I have been the busiest, but still had enough time for relaxing pursuits. I suspect that most of us would be healthier, and happier, living a good healthy mix of work and play.

You forgot all people are different my idea of heaven, my own house on a hill no neighbours, land full of palm trees (my hobby) and me strolling round them, nothing else, can lose the cars and toys have no inetrest in them, not interested in meeting people or being sociable at all.