You are better than the rat race.

Work. The grind. The 9-5’ers, the 95%’rs in this country, those who play the economic game the longest are usually those who are playing for someone else. They follow orders, they get told when they can take a break, when they have to come in and when they can go home…and the bigger picture shows hundreds of people doing this at the bottom of the pyramid which is your job. The only way you’re going to make more money than your boss is if you take his/her job away, and you can bet they are gonna do everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen, especially in this economy. You are so much better than that.

That sparks the question, WHY? Why would you subject yourself to these kinds of restrictions and scrutiny? Many of us get stuck in this 45 year plan that says we’re supposed to go to school, get a good job, work 45 years (retirement age just went from 65 to 67 so now it’s the 47 year plan…), and then RETIRE…research the statistics on that one, according to the government that’s not how it works out for 95% of this country. So now we have a situation where you’re basically a voluntary slave…a sheep, a martyr for your job, and we lose vision and our dreams because we are constantly being beaten down by “the man”…what a way to live, huh?

We are seeing more and more of this with my generation and the ones who sandwich us. “Gen Y” has a high unemployment rate, but it also has a high level of free education available in the forms of (free) online classes, lectures on youtube, endless information online, resources on social media…and people willing to help. Now, more than ever, we have the ability to break free from the status quo and what is “expected,” and create our own destiny.

We can learn the things they don’t teach us in school. Leverage. Residual income. Better time management. In the words of Jim Rohn: Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.

There are so many great startup companies popping up with dynamic environments, fun people, bright orange walls instead of stagnant gray cubicles – that positioning yourself to bring your expertise to an organization like this could be infinitely more rewarding than being an expendable number.

Now I ask myself, if this is the case (which it is), why are so many people closed-minded to an opportunity to GET OUT? Doesn’t matter if it’s to follow your dream to become an actor, open your own restaurant, start a new business, anything to MOVE YOURSELF FORWARD in the world, because we all know nobody else will do it for you! We EACH are where we are right now as we read this because of the choices we have made in the past. The difference is that the only people who are willing to admit that…are the successful ones.

It amazes me how so many people are conditioned to work harder for others than they are willing to work for themselves…teachers, professors, bosses, parents…we are often motivated by the instruction of others. Those who are at the top of the food chain started at the same place as the rest of us…the difference is they were PROACTIVE not REACTIVE.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, how do you use them?

[twitter-follow screen_name=’JamesMSama’]

Photo source: EliteDaily.com