This is Me. I’m Different. Who Are You?
It recently occurred to me that I’m different. Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a recent occurrence. When I look back at my childhood years, I’m not surprised I turned out the way I did. It’s who I’ve always been.
As a kid, I wanted to own my own business. I wanted to start a car dealership and sell brand new Chevrolet cars and trucks. I loved cars as a kid and thought that as the owner of a business like that, I would be able to drive anything I wanted. I’ve since changed my mindset about the ownership of brand new cars. I now think it’s one of the biggest wastes of money a person can possibly do. But still, the idea of starting and owning my own business intrigues me. I still have that dream.
I’m a lot like my grandpa, who’s passed on now and whom I miss dearly. He loved cars, fancy toys and taking care of them by polishing them up and showing them off. He took pride in his things and took care of them. I do the same (maybe I learned it from him). He had a motorhome late in his life that he kept nice and did all kinds of traveling with. He also subscribed to a motorhome magazine (I don’t remember which one) that I used to look through all the time. I dreamed of owning one of those fancy motorhomes someday, and even living in one instead of a house. That way, I could travel the world and take in its beauty. I loved the idea of not being planted in one location, but instead being free to pick up the stabilizers and take off.
Another dream I had as a kid was that of retiring early. I always said I wanted to retire before I turned 45. It just seemed like something I could do. I always had a belief in myself that I could do it. It wasn’t something I really ever even questioned. I still don’t. The only question today is, how much earlier than that can I retire?
So there it is. I always wanted to start my own gig and do my own thing. I always liked the idea of traveling and living a free life. And I always believed that retiring early was the best thing to do. Twenty or so years later, today, I have the same dreams, although I’m not sure I still want to live in a motorhome, but a part of me does.
Am I like most people? No, I’m not.
Most people don’t want to start their own business. Most people just want a good job. And most people think that’s just the way it should be. I think they’re nuts. I see the whole thing as flawed. At what point did this world become a place where people spend 20 years in school to learn to take orders and follow directions from someone else? That sounds to me like a waste of our individuality and creativity. Before all this came to be, people actually left the cave, went out and drug something home. They did it their way too. They used their talents, their creativity, their intellect.
Today, there are all these large, established corporations. Yes, they are a good thing because they bring us cheap things. But they are also a bad thing, and not because the CEO’s are making billions of dollars while their employees are making minimum wage. They’re a bad thing because they set the standard that this is how we are supposed to operate. We’re all supposed to go beg at the door of these giants to let us work in their big factory. They want our most scarce resource, our time. Even worse, they want us to check our unique talents, our creativity, our individuality at the door, by shoving their job descriptions in our faces and telling us how to do their job. Seriously, this has become what everyone dreams of doing with their entire adult life?
Am I alone here in thinking that the whole idea of training for many years for a job where someone else tells you what to do is a little strange? It seems to me like we shouldn’t be blaming the CEO’s of company’s, but rather everyone else for participating in all this. We’re teaching our kids, our friends, our brothers and sisters and our neighbors that we’re supposed to go get a job and work for someone else for 40 years until the government decides when we can stop working. Sorry all, I’m checking out of that strategy.
Don’t get me wrong. I have a job. I work for an employer. I have to do what I’m told do to. I’m not saying we should all protest this and then starve to death. Sometimes, working a job is the best thing for us at the time. I respect my employer and most of the time, I really enjoy being there and spending my time on our company’s priorities. But there are those times when the real me, the me who dreams big and thinks differently, slaps me in the face and says, “You know there is more out there. This isn’t the way it always has to be”.
And I come back to who the real me is, someone who questions this whole way of life, that of going to school for 20 years to be trained on how to work for someone else, then becoming and staying dependent on working for someone else because you keep spending all the money you make. And because of this endless cycle, having to work until the government pays you enough to live on. Am I the only one who sees this as less than ideal? Am I the only one who is going to stand up and say, this isn’t the way I’m going to live my life?
And so I say, “I’m different”. I want to create my own work, not follow directions, for the rest of my life. I want to escape the rat race, the endless cycle of consuming, spending all I have, and then having to practically beg for someone to pay me so I can continue spending. How about no? How about I’m not living like that? How about if I work my butt off trying to create something myself, something that reflects the unique, talented and original me, something that I really care about. And how about if I change my personal finance mindset as well. I’m not going to spend, spend, spend so that I can be desperate, at the mercy of someone else to feed me.
No. I’m escaping that. I’m escaping what I believe to be normal. I’m not doing it. Retire by 45? It was a childhood dream of mine and one that’s going to come true. It’s funny how who you are is just who you are. Who I am is the person I just described. Who are you?
Category: Doing What You Love
I think we’re pretty similar Kraig. I have almost the same dream: to be free from work in ten years. For me it will be around about my 38th birthday if all goes to plan. If we follow our big dreams with big actions there is absolutely no reason we can’t achieve our goals. Good luck! I’ll be following you to see how you go.
Hi James,
Yes, it sounds like we’re very similar. I’m glad you stopped by. I listed you as one of my favorite blogs in my sidebar. I love what you’re working towards, obviously. We must be at similar stages in this process as well (although you have a blog title focused around it so you may have been at this longer than me). I agree that if we take big actions to reach our big goals, there is absolutely no reason why we can’t achieve them. Hope to see you around soon.
Everyone is unique! Initially, I wanted success working for a large corporation! I started investing in income property and success changed my mind. That was 30+ years ago. I think you need to prepare for opportunities and adapt to change. You need a plan and stay flexible.
Yes, everyone is unique. That’s for sure. And like you said, everyone adapts and figures out on their own what their dream looks like.
I think it’s great that you are motivated to become financially independent at such a young age. However, there are quite a few people, like myself, who would much rather work for a large corporation than be self-employed. Being married with a child, I don’t have the time nor the energy to deal with the all the details required to be or have my own company. I’d rather work a regular 40 hour week than be at home and “always be on the clock”. In 2012, I did work on the side and I have to admit it was exciting to be able to work from home, but my family time did suffer.
There are also a small (hopefully growing) group of people, myself included, who are in love with their job working for a corporation. I found my passion in software development many years ago and every year I enjoy it more. Working with a team on common goals is exhilarating and knowing I’m an important part of the team brings me more happiness than I can express with words. I’m actually looking forward to going to work tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve. For me, I don’t consider it work, but instead a dream come true
Hi Noah,
I certainly respect that many people would rather work for a large company than be self employed. I apologize for not mentioning that in my post.
It sounds like you really like your job and that’s awesome. I like my job most of the time as well. I’ve been very lucky over the past 5 years to do something that I enjoy with my time at work. Have fun tomorrow doing what you love. Happy New Year to you and I hope to see you here again soon!
Kraig
New reader here and I love this is the first post I’m seeing on your blog! I, too, want to own my own business and escape the corporate rat race. Looking forward to reading more
Kraig,
Great post. It’s all about being you. Some of us are more unique than others, and some of us like to follow the road less traveled. I think following a new road leads to new adventures and allows you to grow as a person.
I would never want to be a “sheeple” and go to the same workplace for 30 years, come home to the same place for 30 years, go to the same restaurant every Friday night for 30 years and then slink off into death. No thanks.
I’m with you on the home ownership thing. I go back and forth on it a bit…but even if home ownership were actually cheaper (which I don’t think it is) I think I’d still be against it. I like the words “liquid” and “flexible” and “free”. Home ownership typically does not mesh will with keywords like that. Living in an RV for a few years and traveling would be an adventure most people only read and dream about.
I occasionally read: http://www.tosimplify.net/
You may want to check it out, if only to dream like the rest of us.
Best wishes!
Hi Dividend Mantra,
I’ve been reading To Simplify quite a bit. It’s a good read. It definitely intrigues me, but not sure I’d ever pull the trigger on that kind of living. None the less, I do see the awesomeness of it. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a good week!
I love my current job, but it doesn’t compare to lazy mornings at the coffee shop, traveling in a new city, or just plain hanging out with friends and family. I am hoping to be able to start cutting back on work from 35 onwards. Ideally, I’d probably like to work 6 month contracts and spend the remaining time on my own interests.