For the majority of us, I guess
there comes a time in everyone’s life where the constant drag of a 9-to-5 day
job (where the ‘5’ often turns into a larger number) becomes too much to bear,
and we think of doing something else. As for me, I guess that time has arrived
rather soon! Although I’ve always tried, and many a times succeeded, to
contribute in whatever capacity I’ve been employed in my current firm, all new ideas
and suggestions seem to get diluted travelling up the enormous hierarchy of our
massive company and the corresponding benefits at lower levels amount to
peanuts. Couple this with excess mental stress, unreasonable expectations,
insufficient family time, and you have the perfect recipe for utter frustration
and the burning desire to seek a new purpose...
So, how do you picture your dream
life? Owning a huge business in something which interests you? Being your own
boss? Spend your time travelling the world? Sharing your thoughts and experiences as a
writer in your leisure time? Well, like anyone else’s, those are my dreams
precisely... Seem a bit far-fetched? Well, no one said we could get there
overnight now, did they? Everything has a humble beginning, but a start is what
really matters. Irrespective of how well-paying and secured your job might be,
if you dare to dream big, you know that your job alone won’t get you even
halfway there!
For the average joe, the daily
job life has an established trajectory: Slog è
Earn just enough money for leading an average or above average life è Slog more if you want
to get promoted è Then
one fine morning, retire from a mid or senior management level at the ripe age
of 60, regretting all the other fields you could have pursued in your prime.
This is a viscous cycle that even the three consecutive ‘OS’ (outstanding) ratings
that I’ve earned over my three years here, do very little to alter.
Now, I understand that resigning
from a decent job right off the bat, without having any significant backup, is like
putting one foot in your financial grave. Instead, what can be done is, you
start a small parallel venture and allow it to flourish and become
self-sustaining, so that one day it progressively grows to a level that far
overshadows your job, to the point where lack of your full-time participation in your business causes more loss than the amount you earn from your service. Then and only then, can you even think of devoting
yourself entirely to your venture. I have invested almost all the time I can
squeeze out from my routine drudge in researching the subject, including the
concepts of linear income, leverage income and passive income.
Our job life refers to a linear
source of income which pays for everyday you work, meaning if you absent
yourself exceeding the meagre number of leaves you are designated, then you
stop getting paid. Leverage income refers to a job where you put in a massive
amount of effort initially and then reap the benefits for the rest of your
life. And passive income mainly refers to returns on investment, where your
active participation isn’t required. So, our basic aim should be to gradually switch
from a linear source of income to a leverage source, with passive income being
part of both.
So, how do you choose to plan
your future? Don’t know about you, but I would rather set out on an unknown
path than following one I know for sure, will never lead to fulfilling my
aspirations whether they be for myself, my family or for anyone else!
“LIVE YOUR DREAMS!!!”
