theratracejournal.com

“All the high-paying jobs are in the major cities. This is where you need to be in order to excel in your chosen field.” – My friend, Dave.

Well, generally speaking, yes, that’s true. The greatest concentration of career-based jobs is in the city – and therein lies the problem. Our system is set up so that the very lucrative, high-paying occupations are in the core, and the workers live in the suburbs, within commuting distance, of course. Essentially, that’s what makes the rat-race what it is. (more…)

“Multiple streams of income.”

Robert Allen has written a book that goes by that exact name. While it is a very well written resource for people intent on making millions, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for.

It suggests using the stock- market, along with real-estate investments, as a way to set up your multiple streams. Its main purpose is to help people find ways to generate money – lots of money – so, in a way, it’s kind of overkill for my needs. However, he does have some valuable generic information that I have taken notice of. (more…)

Part of the rat-race mentality is that people should get hired by a company, work, get paid, retire, and live happily ever after. As long as the employee produces, he/she continues to get paid. If you continue to do a good job, the company will reward you with a promotion and more pay. The goal of the wage-slave is to be looked after by the corporation, hopefully increase his/her standard of living over time, and to retire with a little nest egg and company pension.
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Times change, situations evolve, and people move on. There have been a lot of changes in my life in the past year or so. I started this blog as a way to vent my frustration with the corporate world, and to write about the daily routine of a wage-slave caught in the rat-race.

Now, after a year or so, I realize that the job was only a small part of what I needed to “fix.” My lifestyle in general needed an overhaul. I think I’ve managed to steer myself in the direction I want to go, and I know what kind of lifestyle I’d like to have, it’s just that I don’t really know how to get there yet.

So, having said all that, I’m going to change the theme of this blog, ever so slightly.

Since I’m out of the rat-race , so to speak, there would be very little to say on the subject of corporations, office politics, commuting, and the life of a cubicle dweller (well, at least no current views). And since this is a personal blog, and my situation has changed, it stands to reason that the things I write about will change also. Besides, I don’t want to even think about my previous life as a cubicle dweller. It sickens me, to be honest.

Onward and upward.

My lunch with Dave brought up some sobering questions. While discussing my plans for the future, he seemed determined to play the devil’s advocate. It seemed that every idea I put across to him was shot full of holes. Now, I had to keep in mind that I was talking to someone who had a background in that area. His education and business experience was centered upon sales and marketing. (more…)

Yesterday, I met up with an old friend. Dave is part of my previous circle, and the only one that has made any effort to keep in touch. It’s been about a year since we have actually met face-to-face and I have to say that it was nice to reminisce about old times. But at the same time, it all seemed a little shallow.

I was beaming throughout the entire lunch, not because I was happy talking about the old gang, but because I didn’t have to deal with that crap anymore. Nothing had changed, in fact, it was worse. (more…)

Self-sufficiency means different things to different people. My own definition goes something like this:

“I want to balance my basic living expenses (food, rent, etc…) and my income without the need to hold down a traditional job.”

Now, where we get into different shades of gray is the definition of expenses. Many of my former friends would scream bloody murder at the thought of giving up their “essentials.” To them, self-sufficiency means having enough money to keep the big house, 2 cars, and blah, blah, blah… (more…)

So the way I see it, there are three paths available to me at the present time. These are:

1. The wage-slave path
2. The “do nothing” path
3. The self-employed path

Number 1 is out because, as I mentioned, there is no way I will go back to the spirit-crushing world of the wage-slave. I will do whatever it takes to avoid that.

Number 2 is also out because that is just not me. I need to have a little stability. I, at least, need to know where my next meal is coming from and where I’ll be hanging my hat for the night. I suppose I could stay with friends and family, but I need my independence and self-respect – that is very important to me.

So, that leaves me with option 3. Ideally, I would like to find something that would, at least, support my meager requirements. I don’t need much, and I don’t want much – just enough to survive independently.

It would be naïve of me to think that this is the easiest path – it certainly is not. However, it seems to be the key to providing me with everything I need. And what I really need now is a source of income that is entirely location independent.

I sat down with a pen a paper yesterday and really did some brainstorming. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of strange, but I have always been a “list” kind of person. This is my way of organizing my thoughts. And let me tell you, my thoughts have been all over the place in the last week or so. Once I wrote everything down, it seemed more organized and less daunting. Lately, I’ve experienced a lot of anxiety with feeling the need to be doing something…anything. (more…)

Even though it’s been months since I turned my back on the rat-race, I still feel lost. Not to be confused with the sense of loss I felt after I actually quit that horrible job. No, this is more of an existential thing. It’s not one thing in particular, it’s everything.

I’ve had 8 months to try to find myself, and I still don’t have a clue. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels and not really accomplishing anything.

I am ok financially, for now, yet I feel as though I am still in a race against time – that I should be doing something more productive – that I should be out there gathering acorns for the winter – that I should be doing something that contributes toward society and gives me a sense of purpose.

I don’t know if I’ll ever shake that feeling completely.

In the meantime, I really, really need to do some soul-searching and serious thinking. I need an inspiration.