Rat Race (n.) – A difficult, tiring, often competitive activity or routine (as defined by American Heritage Dictionaries).
When most of us think of the Rat Race, we think of the daily grind of a job. In fact, I’ve heard more often then not that it’s a very difficult task to get out of the Rat Race. For most, it can provide a great sense of security. Most folks don’t enjoy the day to day environment that it yields, yet get caught up in it anyway due to the alternative…ie.) taking a big risk and embracing enormous change.
A lot of folks that I interact with sit back and wonder, “How did I end up in this so called Rat Race anyhow?” Let’s examine a common example chronology that a lot of us can identify with:
Age 22: You graduate college, get your first job, and probably rent an apartment
Age 24: Mom, Dad and/or friends instill in your brain that you should stop spending so much money on entertainment and invest in a condo or townhouse for tax write-offs, appreciation, etc.
Age 27: By this time you’ve attained 1 or 2 promotions and your disposable income is increasing. You are working countless hours for “Corporate America” or some other employer.
Age 28: You meet Mr. or Mrs. Right (for most of us it’s one or the other but let’s not set boundaries). Marriage plans are on the horizon.
Age 29: You get married and your spouse and yourself are now “DINKS” (dual income no kids).
Age 30: The condo/townhouse goes on the market and you buy a big house. This is going great until age 31.
Age 31: The baby is on the way and guess what? One of you either stays at home (loss of 1 income) with the child or daycare costs are introduced.
Age 33: Baby number 2 is on the way. By this time in life, you’ve got some significant expenses on that limited income.
Folks, welcome to the Rat Race. Now, this isn’t supposed to be depressing. Most folks would be very blessed to be able to obtain the above timeline of events. I love to use this exercise to enlighten folks as to how they got where they are. If you don’t understand how you got somewhere in life, you can’t figure out where to go from there. The Rat Race can be a great program for most. For others, it takes a great deal of planning to break out of it. One question to ask yourself is: “What are my personal goals in life?” The answers to these questions will reveal your path to pros and cons. Just remember the old Swedish proverb that states: “Those who wish to sing always find their song.” Are you ok with not ever finding your song? Maybe your song is what you are currently doing or maybe it’s a dream to be a head strong entrepreneur. The next steps are up to you.
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