If you are trapped, fed up, or at the breaking point in your life, today’s post is for you.
You keep forcing yourself to get up each morning to go to the job you dread sitting at all day. You tell yourself that someday soon you’ll escape this place and go do something you are passionate about. The problem is that you are great at daydreaming of escape, but you fail to properly plan to do it or take action.
You continually focus on the day in the future when you no longer have to answer to the man and let years past you by without ever getting any closer to your freedom. You thought that saving a few dollars each month in an escape fund and getting out of debt would give you the guts to go out on your own. You were wrong.
No matter how much money you saved and had in your parachute, you couldn’t take the leap. You fear what would happen if you fail. Could you get another job if you quit this one? What would your family think? Would you have to go deep into debt?
You Settle
You keep the same mind numbingly boring job. You tell your friends you are going to quit soon, but never do. You throw your life into cruise control, stare at the rear view mirror and think about all the things you would have done differently in your life if you could do them over again.
Disconnecting becomes a habit that you can’t seem to break. Every night after work you end up watching hours of television, playing video games or staring a computer screen. You tell yourself that you need to disconnect. You tell yourself that you earned the right to escape from real life and deserve to take a break.
Everyday becomes a blur. You don’t realize that you are just wandering from Monday to Friday with no path. You’re exhausted from the week you collapse on the couch Friday evening. You go out to a party and try to forget the workweek.
**
If this is you, you need to stop what you are doing, take a few days off, and really think about what you are doing with your life. Time is the most valuable resource on the planet and you don’t want to needlessly squander what little of it you have.
Instead of looking in the rear view mirror, look out at the road ahead of you. Read the road signs pointing you towards freedom and take those exits. If you stay on the same path for the rest of your life you’ll be miserable. Quit taking shortcuts and make the decision to work hard on yourself first.
Instead of settling early in life, take some chances before you are tied down to multiple responsibilities. If you already have a family, house and life to take care of, don’t think that you are stuck. You are only as trapped as much as your mind thinks you are.
Make Time for You
- Set aside time. Could be 10 minutes. Could be 3 days.
- Sit and think with no distractions. Turn off the phone. Don’t make plans.
- Write down your dreams. Anything you think of. Nothing is off limits.
- Make a plan to get there. Decide on a first step. Decide on what the finish line is.
- Immediately go take the first step towards accomplishing a dream.
Go change your life for the better.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey. Thanks. I’ve only really started reading your posts. And they are valuable. As I started reading I came to the revelation::: What you were describing is ME! I’ve been working towards (what I thought) was a goal for several years but have let the hope of the future ruin the present for me…. time to make some changes. Time for more action.
I understand completely. I have been waiting for key milestones in my life to make major changes instead of taking a bit of a risk. Before I knew it, years had past.
Here’s to us taking action!
I have three kids horrible credit dead end job I know what I want to do simply go to college to make more money but will it work and actually make me happy I want to make money work for me not the other way around so many factors come to mind the economy to industry trends etc help me I’m pathetic and can’t think for myself
Mike, I am a firm believer that anyone can change their life for the better. I would really take some time to figure out exactly what the next few years of your life should look like to get to a better point in life.
You can do whatever you put your full energy into. Read through this series for some positive motivation. Check out some of these personal finance resources.
Hang in there Mike.
” You are only as trapped as much as your mind thinks you are.”
Made me think of those cattle guards that are painted on the road. Just white stripes, but the livestock think they’re dangerous, so they stay inside the fence.
Maybe I’m a little bit like those cows…
Cristy
Not going to lie, I had to look up what a picture of a cattle guard was…
Very good example though! I think we all put up artificial barriers that keep us from seeing what we are capable of becoming. We need to look past them and see everything that is possible for us to accomplish.
*laughing*
So much depends on frame of reference! It’s usually a deep pit in the road with bars over, and cars can pass but the animals know they would fall through, so they stay away, but there are other kinds that are just painted stripes on the asphalt. It looks real enough they never test it.
So - like a cautious cow, I stay in my job. (I like health insurance! And I might fall!) Hmm… wonder what that grass tastes like out there… Maybe someday I’ll find out!
Reading Aaron’s reply below made me realize - I have been here before too. In the late 90s my husband and I were first married, and he and I both had frustrating dead end jobs. His brother was working in Antarctica at the time, and he offered to try to find us both seasonal work there for a summer. I still remember looking at each other, raising eyebrows and nodding. We both quit the same day. That was such a liberating, empowering feeling! That time “on the ice” made us feel like there were no boundaries for us. It’s different now - house to finish paying for, kids college and health insurance to think of… I’m so much more cautious than before. I’m glad for the reminder, though - there’s always a way out.
As life goes on there are always more and more barriers being put up. Even if you have broken away like you did, it can be harder the next time.
But, like you said there’s always a way out.
Caleb, I couldn’t help but comment on this post. I was at this point in my life a little under 2 years ago and I finally got to the point where enough was enough. It was one of the best decisions of my life, and it finally came when I took action instead of simply talking about change. Action = Change!
And yes, taking some time off and away is the best way to clear your head and align your dreams/goals. I took a week away before I made any drastic changes.
A very nostalgic post, thanks!
-Aaron
Thanks for sharing Aaron. Personally I’m at a point where I know what the change needs to be, I just keep putting off the action part. I can’t wait till my planned change day comes.