The dream escape, better than any tropical island getaway. Millions of people aspire to create a week that is under their own control. For many its starts off something like this. Sunday night the fear of working week kicks in, Monday morning that tired heavy feeling is momentarily sedated by hitting the snooze button several times. Tuesday blues day is quickly followed by hump day, before you know it everyone is posting messages of Happy Friday! The cycle is repeated week in, week out, year in, year out. Suddenly your life is defined by those glorious few weeks away, and punctuated by long weekends. Do you really want to look back on your life one day and say that was it? Wishing away Monday to Friday while savoring every free moment of the weekend.
The lure of a better life can be the proverbial carrot for most. Work hard and climb fast. 40 hour weeks become 80 hours, before you know it you abruptly you bash into a glass ceiling Your salary reaches a plateau and the prospects of a promotion become more remote. Suddenly it gets harder to satisfy that craving for a more fulfilled life. Work life balance is complete thrown out of whack, and the hamster wheel just keeps turning faster. Now throw a mortgage into the equation for good measure, home ownership is a pipe dream for most. A family home was the norm for your parents, today it’s out of reach for most. Unit dwelling was great in your 20’s, but in your 30’s is this what you really want?
Usually the first thought people have about getting out of the rat race is that they will quit their job. I’ve tried this before, and it didn’t end well. It was an irrational choice when I felt like I didn’t have any other option. What I believe now is that you need to broaden your horizons. Open your mind to new possibilities. What are you passionate about? What would get you out of bed in the morning? Can you incorporate this into your current working week? Start out on a small scale, and build up to a position where you feel comfortable in your surroundings. Be mindful that this requires more energy and time when you start off, but it can be worth it in the long run.
Be committed to your plan, this will require certain sacrifices. No matter what you do in life having money is going to be a necessity, you need to plan ahead and put away extra cash. At some point you may need to have something to fall back on as you won’t have the security of a salary. There comes a turning point where you will have to quit the comforts of a salaried position. This can be a scary proposition as the bills still need to be paid. People will inevitably question your decision, it’s at this stage you need to have an unwavering belief in yourself. Those people are projecting their fears on to you. If you let their beliefs in it will be easy to lose focus and before you know it you will be back at square one.
While getting out of the rat race is not an easy proposition but you have reached the point where you feel you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot, then don’t limit your beliefs in what you can do. Take those first steps in having a different and happier life. Believe that you can make the changes required to help you get to where you want to be. Don’t sit back and wait till tomorrow or next week. Now is the time to kick things off.
In Part II next week I’ll discuss some of the pitfalls in making that leap and how to combat them.