Are You Tired Of The 9 To 5 Work Grind?
It Is Possible To Quit The Rat Race
The rat race is an endless journey chasing “the cheese.” In my experience, it was a race to rock bottom, on both an emotional, mental and physical level.
I am not here to be the self-righteous entrepreneur that slams your 9 to 5 job and crushes your corporate dreams. We all have different values. Being in the rat race is just not one of mine.
If you are tired of the 9 to 5 work grind, I am here to tell you that it is possible to escape the rat race. Are you ready to get off the wheel and create your own path in life?
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Getting stuck in the rat race is a place that far too many people become trapped in. This rabbit hole effect usually starts shortly after college.
Let me give you an example. Meet Dave. Now that he is floundering in debt from student loans, he decides to take the first job that is offered to him. He feels compelled to put his expensive degree to good to use. Fair enough.
After grinding away at the new job corporate job he lands, Dave experiences his first taste of “wealth” which he spends on lavish materialistic possessions. He believes that money will buy him happiness in life, while also curbing his financial woes.
“The way of the consumerist culture is to spend so much energy chasing happiness that it has none left to be happy.”― Criss Jami
As his income increases, so does his credit card debt. Oh wait, don’t forget about those monthly student loan payments that are accruing.
Are you stressed yet? Wait, it doesn’t end there for Dave.
A few years into his soul-crushing job, he starts to realize that he has zero freedom, motivation, or work autonomy. His life is his job.
Dave isn’t worried about it though because he has a bi-weekly paycheck to finance his lifestyle. He eventually meets a beautiful woman, gets married, buys a house, and has a baby.
Unfortunately, he now finds himself struggling with mortgage payments on his house, so he works longer hours, gets out a bank loan, and the cycle continues. Dave is living in a state of 24/7 burnout.
Tyler Durden said it best — “The things you own end up owning you.”
Before he knows it, Dave is so far into the rat race that he doesn’t know how to get out. I know that this may seem like a dramatic example, but for many people, this is their reality.
You are not a robot. Rather, you are meant to be doing work that you love and are passionate about. In his book, Drive, Daniel Pink argues against old models of motivation driven by rewards and dominated by extrinsic factors like money.
“If you don’t build your dream someone will hire you to help build theirs.” — Tony Gaskins
You don’t have to think, “When I retire, I will…” How would it feel to know that you can create life on your terms, now? Financial freedom doesn’t have to be something that you only dream of while sitting in rush hour and waiting for Friday to arrive. You don’t have to live your life just on the weekends.
So… what’s holding you back from escaping the 9 to 5 grind? Is it the financial security? Or the fear of failing?
I’m not saying that it isn’t scary to escape a safe job, but is it really that safe?
Society has conditioned us to believe that if we go to university and get a good job, we will achieve financial security. In today’s world, this is far from true. A study by the McKinsey Global Institute predicted that, by 2025, robots could jeopardize between 40 to 75 million jobs worldwide. Statistics like these prove that, if you want to experience financial security, you’ve got to think bigger.
So, what is the answer?
Decide what kind of life that you want.
Make a decision and stick with it. You’ve got to dig deep, do some serious soul-searching and determine what your values are. Do you crave independence, financial freedom and travel? If so, entrepreneurship may be a path that resonates with you.
Timothy Ferris’ book, The Four Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere and Join The New Rich inspired me to ditch the 9–5 work grind. This book literally changed the direction of my entire life. It opened my eyes to the world of Internet marketing.
Once I realized that I could make money online while I slept, I was sold. After years of hard work, I achieved my dream of becoming “financially free” at 24 years of age. There was no Plan B. It felt damn good.
If you want to escape the rat race you’ve got to want it, more than anything in this world. You need to possess a sheer determination to succeed. You will not achieve success overnight, but if you work hard enough, you will achieve the financial freedom that you desire.
This starts with ditching the get-rich-quick mindset and adopting a long-term mentality. Are you in it for the long run?
“It requires more toughness to resist the world than to join in the rat race.”― Sir James Darling
Don’t prepare for a future that you cannot enjoy now. There are so many opportunities that exist for you on the other side of a cubicle. You don’t need to look out the window and daydream about it for one day longer.
It is possible to escape the rat race. How bad do you want it?”
Thank you for reading!
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