Financial Slavery and The Altar of Success
Slavery; because of it's
context in our history, the word carries a lot of weight. When we think
of being enslaved, it generally invokes more than simply a cerebral response.
The idea of slavery carries an emotional element to it also.
In a country where the practice of human enslavement has been addressed and fought against, why would I take the time to address the idea of slavery? Slavery can take many forms. Emotional scars from our past enslave many of us, and some of us are in slavery to addiction. While I believe these are very important topics in themselves, that's not the purpose of this blog.
Today, I've been struck by the reality of the effects of "financial slavery" on the majority of Americans. For a variety of reasons, we've bound ourselves to countless hours, days, and years of our lives to our jobs. I completely understand that some of us simply have to survive, and that some of us just refuse to live within our means (choosing instead to live lives we simply can't afford). Whatever the reason, the results of this bondage are horrific. Think of the events, life changing moments, and all the little moments we miss with our families when we are forced to plan our lives around our careers. We miss not only witnessing our family and children's growth, but we don't even get to help to form who they will become (other than by the example of working too much we set for them). In short, we sacrifice the most important things in life at the Altar of Success. It's a depressing and overwhelming thought that plagues us to the point of refusing to think about it.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't always have to continue to do the same things the same way we've always done them. There are other ways to function. In addition to doing the obvious things of budgeting properly and living within our means, allow me to introduce you to the idea of planning your career around your life. If you're like most of us, you've probably never considered it, and if you have, the idea of it is as much of a reality as dinosaurs; you know they existed, but you've never seen one and don't ever expect to.
The problem is that most of us have never been shown any other option, and if we have, we were too scared to listen. Consider this; some people, regular people, choose their work hours, have an uncapped income possibility, and build wealth while earning an income. I realize that this is where many of you will check out, because you don't believe it exists. But if you want to know if it's possible to ever break the chains of financial slavery and to live your life instead of just surviving it, you're going to have to look up from the rat race for a minute to see that there is a different way. I work for Heartland Payment Systems, and I see people everyday that live in the reality you dream of.
In a country where the practice of human enslavement has been addressed and fought against, why would I take the time to address the idea of slavery? Slavery can take many forms. Emotional scars from our past enslave many of us, and some of us are in slavery to addiction. While I believe these are very important topics in themselves, that's not the purpose of this blog.
Today, I've been struck by the reality of the effects of "financial slavery" on the majority of Americans. For a variety of reasons, we've bound ourselves to countless hours, days, and years of our lives to our jobs. I completely understand that some of us simply have to survive, and that some of us just refuse to live within our means (choosing instead to live lives we simply can't afford). Whatever the reason, the results of this bondage are horrific. Think of the events, life changing moments, and all the little moments we miss with our families when we are forced to plan our lives around our careers. We miss not only witnessing our family and children's growth, but we don't even get to help to form who they will become (other than by the example of working too much we set for them). In short, we sacrifice the most important things in life at the Altar of Success. It's a depressing and overwhelming thought that plagues us to the point of refusing to think about it.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't always have to continue to do the same things the same way we've always done them. There are other ways to function. In addition to doing the obvious things of budgeting properly and living within our means, allow me to introduce you to the idea of planning your career around your life. If you're like most of us, you've probably never considered it, and if you have, the idea of it is as much of a reality as dinosaurs; you know they existed, but you've never seen one and don't ever expect to.
The problem is that most of us have never been shown any other option, and if we have, we were too scared to listen. Consider this; some people, regular people, choose their work hours, have an uncapped income possibility, and build wealth while earning an income. I realize that this is where many of you will check out, because you don't believe it exists. But if you want to know if it's possible to ever break the chains of financial slavery and to live your life instead of just surviving it, you're going to have to look up from the rat race for a minute to see that there is a different way. I work for Heartland Payment Systems, and I see people everyday that live in the reality you dream of.
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