[Traveler Trying To Fit Back In] Thoughts on Nine-to-Five, Self-Made Prisons And How To Position Yourself To Win The Rat Race (And How I Failed At It)

"Dude, I am dying. I hate my job".

You probably heard many of your friends, maybe even you, say that at some point. I think everybody knows now that most people are not satisfied in their corporate job. Most people also feel trapped in it ...

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They built a prison around themselves.

It can be self made, built purely by your own mindset and imagination.
I can't do anything else and I would not have the skills to succeed in anything else. And this job pays enough money to get food and shelter, even some nice dinner here and there with some nice blinky phone once a year.

It can be there because of society and peer pressure.
Everyone else is doing this so if I do the same thing I will fit in and have a normal life, normal friends, a decent spouse,etc. It's safe. Why would I even think about something else? Something risky?

It can be financial.
I have a debt that I have to pay. And my apartment costs a lot. And those lunches I eat every day cost me a lot, too. Plus I really need a new TV and I should upgrade my phone as well, that will cost something , too ...

Or, emotional.
What if I fail? What if I move to another country and I won't find any new friends. What if my old friends will resent me? DUDE, what if I die ALONE? And HUNGRY?!?!? Fuck that ... I'm staying with my daily warm dinner

You know what, I totally understand all that now.

I took a corporate job ...

And it's not bad actually. I can't really complain. It's relatively flexible, I come late, I leave early. Sometimes I work from home. Occasionally I work while "being in another country" [I can't call it travelling as that's not what travelling looks like to me].
I have great and chill managers, fun and relaxed coworkers and I am sheltered from most of the corporate bullshit other people have to go through if they'd work even in this same corporation.

I also get paid. Regularly. Even when I don't give any value [eg. being on vacation or not having a project to work on]. That is very weird to me as life is about providing value.

So actually, I am very lucky to have a position like this.

Though being in a corporate environment now I totally understand all the fears of starting and doing your own thing, of following your dream and how easy it would be to slip into the trap of "fitting your life to your income" (The trap of increasing your "lifestyle expenses with your income"), consuming more and becoming a good normal citizen. I have all that around me now. I hear or see this message daily from people around me.

Now I finally even have those friends that tell you how much they don't like their job, their salary, working all the time, etc. But they are afraid to do anything about it ...

And to be completely honest with you ...

Now I have those fears and doubts, too ...

This is a well designed trap. And you are not supposed to get out of it. A well-designed trap leaves you with no hope so you won't even try to escape and you just accept your destiny.

That's how this corporate system is designed. You get paid just enough to pay for what society thinks you need. You work long enough so you actually want to buy those things and spend money on those things. You get tired enough so that you don't have energy to be creative and work on other endeveours that you might be interested in and would get you out of the system.

So once you are in, it's easy to lose hope and accept your fate.

I knew all that, so I stepped in carefully, with an escape plan ...

I knew the dangers of the trap. I knew it can, and probably will, suck my soul out. And I knew it might make me trapped for life....

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But I went in anyway ...

You see, I had a plan. A plan on how to utilize this to my advantage. On how to get what I needed to get what I truly want. On how to evade the fatal blow of losing all hope and using the energy of that blow and instead create something that gives hope.

I just wanted some resources. Resources that I can utilize and invest into crypto currencies, my health and myself.

I was living a homeless lifestyle for some time and it was getting too tiring. It was getting really hard to even get food. So I needed money. I love eating food too much :D. (Even though I am also a proponent of fasting )

I also wanted some money to invest and save up so that I can utilize them for all of my ideas later on and help to make this world a better place. And I also wanted a bit of money so I can experiment with different foods and get my health back on track.

Knowing Why is all that matters ...

You can apply this to everything. But in terms of taking a job, know why you are taking it and what you want to get out of it.

Let's say you are a creative person, an artist, a musician. And you love your art. But your art is not supporting you yet. And you also need some extra resources to invest into your art, eg. a recording set or an amplifier so you can go out and start busking.
So that is your why. You need resources that you can invest into making your art better so you can make even bigger impact. And in order to get those resources you get a job. Then you can direct them to your art and in the meantime also put some food on the table.

Just keep that in mind and don't stray away ...

This is how you win the rat race.
By knowing why you are there in the first place and by knowing you will get out of there in very near future. That will keep you moving, that will give you the extra energy to work on other things.

So I had a specific plan ...

Though having a plan is useless if you don't execute. And I didn't in all of these areas. I did not have time to take care of what I wanted with my health (especially my eyesight) nor did I have time to actually keep up what I built in past three or four years in terms of fitness, idea generation and some habits.

Neither I had enough time to properly invest in myself. And my social life became like those old cans people drag after the wedding. Old, beaten up and forgotten with no thoughts of repairing them as it's easier to just cut them off now.

Though my escape plan keeps me sane ...

Despite all that and despite the fact that there are some depressing lows in my life I still know why I am doing this and I still know that there is an end to this tunnel. And hopefully I will see the light soon.

This keeps me going. Having a reason for enduring some suffering can elevate it greatly.

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A side note, practising suffering beforehand is great for preparing yourself and it helped me a lot. That's why I also challenge you to join me on a weekly challenge.

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This is also a reason why I write this post. It's a reminder for myself. A reminder of why I am doing this. A reminder that this is not the end of the tunnel and it won't be dark forever. A reminder to keep pushing even as I am getting mentally and emotionally exhausted.

To conclude ...

You can take a 9-5 job, just remember why you took it ...

Remember what was your reason of taking the job and what you wantd to solve with it. Work for it so then you can focus on other things. Keep reminding yourself as once you are "in the system" you'll have to be strong and resilient not to give up your life and get stuck in the trap.

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Keep at it, I believe in you.

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I will be posting more posts like these in near future to keep me sane, give my thoughts on similar topics, elaborate on my thought process as well as share my journey (which will also keep me accoutnable).

So follow me for more and make sure I follow through :).

Other posts from this series

• Traveler Trying To Fit Back In How Do You Meet New People And Make Make New Friends Efficiently Without Much Of An Effort --- by @joewantsfreedom
  

And I want to write and post much more from this series so stay tuned.

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If you want to know how I modify my Images, check out my post about a tool I created

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50/50 SP Posts

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About the Author;

Hi, I am Joe and I love freedom.
Freedom of all sorts, social, financial, emotional, physical, freedom from your stuff or place.
My biggest passion is to show that it is possible to live life being free, work towards my freedom, and help others obtain their own versions of freedom.
I also love exploration and experimentation (of all senses).
My articles are about all of this (Freedom, exploration, experimentation)
as well as my own transparent and authentic experiences.