This is my personal mantra…it is what constantly plays in the back of my mind as I wake up to go to my J.O.B. (for the uninitiated, that stands for Just Over Broke!)
The idea of working for 30 years at a job and then retiring NEVER, absolutely EVER crossed my mind!
Not as a child, not as an adult, NEVER! And after working for a number of years, I soon confirmed that a life of full time 9-5, 40 hour a week employment was NOT the path for me!
I don’t know what the author of the above proverb had in mind when he chose the words “slave labor”…but my earlier jobs, where I worked hard for very little pay while others were getting rich, equated to slave labor in my mind. But later in life, as my pay increased and my work load decreased, I can liken my work experience to being a semi-voluntary imprisonment of the heart and mind…..a daily prison for my inner passions.
Many people find contentment in their employment…but some of us have been born with the blessing and curse of being an ENTREPRENEUR.
It is a great blessing to have an entrepreneurial mind when you are able to bring your vision to fruition and walk the path that you have been designed for. But if for whatever reason, you have yet to embark upon the journey and you are still amongst the ranks of employment…it can feel somewhat like a curse! Let me explain some…
When I go to work every day, I observe people. And I see that the same way I NEVER imagined being an employee…some people have NEVER imagined being an entrepreneur. So the concept of this 30 year exchange of time for money makes TOTAL sense to them. They either happily or begrudgingly commit themselves to doing this every day (with a few slick days of leave here and there) But they are happy to have the stability of a job, benefits, and the daily office camaraderie. There’s no plan of escape…no daily war of the will…just contentment. Sure, there may be the desire to advance, change careers, etc….but the whole employment thing is settled in their mind!
But for us entrepreneur types…
IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!
It’s only a matter of time (and usually money) before we break out of this daily conundrum never to return!
(To Be Continued…)
