Escape the Rat Race...do We Dare Believe it Possible?
“Well, I’m going into the office again, going to work for my chunk of cheese, along with all the other rats,” my husband would say as he prepared for another full day behind a desk. My heart would hurt every time I sensed his dread of spending another entire day that way. You have probably felt it too…Sunday night, after a fun, relaxing weekend enjoying the freedom to explore and pursue what you love, that sinking feeling that starts to creep in as Monday morning quickly approaches? And what about the suffocating feeling of returning from vacation? Being newly married, we were enjoying being under one roof, experiencing life together. We loved to travel and see the beauty of new places, had lots of dreams on our hearts. But the reality of an 8-5 job put a stop to the pursuit of many of those dreams. “Is it possible to escape the Rat Race?” we asked ourselves. After all, we were doing what we’d been conditioned to do: go to college and get an education, then find a 9-5 job with good benefits and work to age 65 and retirement, whichever comes first. Not a very satisfying concept. Well, we refused to remain in the race and determined to find a way out, to find an innovative way to obtain that cheese while living life the way we dreamed. It’s scary to go from “I hate my job” to finding a way out. For we are all conditioned to feel more at home holding to what is probable, versus what is possible. But if you really take a good look at what is possible, the benefits of living life that way starts making the “probable” fade, and the “possible” (such as “escape the rat race”) becomes a goal to obtain.
This is a list describing what motivated us to escape the rat race, a few of the benefits of the “possible.” The headings apply to everyone, the descriptions I made specific to us, for I do not know what is important to you. Think of how you would fill it in.
*Freedom to do what you love. For us this is reading, hiking, traveling, spending time with friends over coffee or a chai latte (my personal favorite), craft projects, photography, sports of all kinds, skiing, boating, etc, etc, etc.
*The freedom and ability to pursue your dreams. Our dreams included traveling around the United States more extensively and overseas; mission/charity work, supporting our missionary friends and building a retreat for hurting children; investing; owning a cabin in Montana where we could journal, hike, and read to our heart’s content. Also, the dream of owning a big old house in the country to use as a beacon for many a weary soul, with a wrap-around-front porch of course.
*Financial independence and stability. With the changeable tides of the economy, we felt we wanted to build our wealth independently without relying on a job that we falsely viewed as our security for a time. And the independence part extends a little further to the fact that we wanted to be able to work from wherever we wanted. That way, we could take those trips and still be working on our business.
*More Time. Life passes quickly, and we didn’t want to get to retirement age and think, “I really wished we would have…” We wanted to have the time to spend with our family and friends…quality time with depth. Time is a precious commodity, one that cannot be manufactured when you run out. We have the present. Period. And we refused to give up the present because we were always looking at the future. We wanted to be able to sleep until we felt rested and then have breakfast and quiet time together in the morning. We wanted to spend our time on things we were meant to do, things that made us come alive.
A large percentage of the people in the workforce spend most of their adult lives working on someone else’s dreams, passions, and goals. Their time off is largely spent trying to recover from the stress generated by the job they dislike, and the lack of sleep from the long work hours. Too many people are not on the path that is leading them toward fulfilling their personal goals and dreams. Much of the reason for this is that they simply will not dare to step out of the probable and embrace the possible. The wonderful thing about America is that it’s foundation was built by people who determined to reach for what they could see was possible and were willing to work hard until they achieved it. And that same opportunity is available to each of us today. If you are sick and tired of the rat race, but have difficulty believing escape is possible, ask yourself, what if it isn’t?
Amy Fitzwater
If you are looking for a way to escape the rat race, one that requires hard work and determination with the end result of finding a better, freer way to achieve your cheese, take a look at our website. You may think it sounds too good to be true. Is that any reason not to look?
http://www.FreedFromTheRatRace.com
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