Not many people know what the rat race is or if they are a part of it.
There’s even less people who figured out how to escape the rat race.
In this video, I will go over what the rat race is and how to escape it.
So what is the rat race?
The rat race is a way of life in which people are caught up in a competitive struggle for
wealth or power.
Let’s look at an example of someone who is in the rat race.
This is Steve.
As a child, he was very smart and got good grades.
He gets accepted into a good college and graduates.
He looks for a safe and secure job, just like every college student that graduated.
Now that he is an adult, he finally has a lot of money to spend.
He starts buying his college dreams.
First, he buys a nice plasma TV.
Then, he buys a functional car as he waits to buy the car of his dreams.
At work, he works and grinds harder to get the promotion and a raise.
With his new salary, Steve can afford to move to a nicer neighborhood so he moves.
The cycle then keeps repeating.
Steve has a goal, works hard to achieve it, then moves on to a bigger goal.
As Steve climbs the corporate ladder, his materialistic desires increase.
Every year, expenses got higher and Steve had to work more hours to make more money.
And so, Steve wakes up, work, then goes back home to clock out for 5 days a week while
wishing for the next weekend to come faster every year.
He thought that by making a lot of money, driving a fancy car, and having a nice house
would make him happy.
Instead, he was tired of trying to get ahead with no end in sight and tired of working
the same repetitive job over and over again.
Without knowing it, Steve has caught himself in the rat race.
To see if you are in the rat race, there are 3 questions you need to ask yourself.
Is there an end in sight?
Is your career and overall life characterized by competition?
Is your life characterized by comparison?
If you see no end in sight, your career and life is characterized by competition and comparison,
and you find yourself tired and unhappy, you are caught up in the rat race.
So how can you escape the rat race?
The first step is to cut back on spending and live below your means.
Most people end up unhappy and finding themselves working longer hours because they are spending
too much and have too many expenses to pay off.
Even if your salary is insanely high, you can be living paycheck to paycheck if you
are not good with your finances.
It is possible to make half a million dollars per year and still live paycheck to paycheck.
The major areas where you can cut back on are food and rent.
If you can cut back on those 2, it’s a great start.
Another way to cut back on spending is to stop comparing yourself to others.
Keeping up with the Joneses or buying nice things because other people are buying nice
things will burn through most of the income you earn.
Just because your neighbor or your friend got a nice car doesn’t mean you have to
get a better one to one up them.
Don’t buy things to impress people with the money you can’t afford to spend.
The next step is to believe you can make money without having to show up to work.
Most of us are lead to believe that getting a secure job is the only way to make money.
It’s not easy by any means but it is very possible.
Before the internet, the idea of making money outside of your job sounds impossible to the
working class but now that we have the internet, making money outside of your job is realistic.
You can start a blog or grow a social media following then run ads or sell a product.
There are so many possibilities out there so pick something you would like to start.
The third step is to work outside your normal working hours.
This is the next barrier that prevents people from escaping the rat race.
Most people go to work, clock out and chill at home, sleep, then rinse and repeat the
cycle.
If you want to get out of the rat race, you have to put in the work to create another
income source.
The idea of working more to get out of the rat race may sound insane but if you are creating
income from your passion, it will relax you and it won’t feel like work.
Make sure what you are doing to create this income is something you enjoy and you are
willing to do for free.
You have to reach a certain level before you can earn any income from something you enjoy
so you better do something you like or else you will end up quitting.
By mixing your day up with an activity that isn’t geared towards making money and working
your regular job, you can slowly start getting out of the rat race.
The bonus step is to wake up excited on Monday.
Most people in the rat race hate Mondays since it means the weekend is over and they have
to work until the next weekend.
If you are free from the rat race, you know Mondays are not that different from every
other day of the week.
If you are still in the rat race, Monday is another day to put in work to escape.
If you can change your outlook on Mondays, you will be happier overall which will increase
your performance during and outside of work.
How do you tell you escaped the rat race?
You officially escaped the rat race when you can live life on your own terms.
You are free from the rat race if you are financially free.
You can do whatever you want like quitting your job or traveling the world.
You can even stay at your job for a while if you enjoy it now that you don’t feel
pressured to compete and climb the corporate ladder.
You don’t have to waste your prime years working for someone else unless the position
you have is fulfilling to you.
It’s time to take your financial future into your own hands now.
If you don’t know where to go from here, I strongly suggest you to read the 4 hour
workweek, even if some of the ideas there are a bit outdated.
If you want to watch a video that goes over the ideas in the 4 hour workweek, click on
the video shown on the end screen below.