Nine to Five Escape Plan Read online

  Passion can become a double-edged sword if not wielded properly. Spending hours and hours of obsessed extra time at the workplace can affect your health as well as your family relations. Neglecting to attend your son’s school events and not cheering him at his football match can create an alienation that can never be repaired. An unfulfilled spouse can also prove very damaging in the long run. A marriage can fall apart and a string of unhappy one night stands can never take the place of a loving caring relationship.

  Passion is not about throwing huge family parties where everyone can feed on your wealth. It isn’t about giving a no-limit credit card to your wife or the latest bike to your son. It is spending time and effort to share your life and soul with your loved ones. Passion lies in transmitting your passion for life to your children, your wife and all around you.

  Your passion could be a great tool that could take you places. Don’t stifle it. Don’t let it die.

  Instead, give it the right fuel and watch it blaze like an inferno.

  Inspirational Reading – Davy Russell (Stop Thinking Like An Employee):

  The biggest, and most likely only, thing preventing you from quitting your day job and making a living doing what you love is NOT a lack of financial resources or a dependency on a steady paycheck (even if you think you depend on that paycheck to pay bills).

  * Read the above paragraph again and pay attention to any resistance you have to what it says. These resistances are excuses that are holding you firm within the life you wish to change. *

  Instead, what’s holding most people back is the FEAR OF UNCERTAINTY about leaving a steady paycheck and the DOUBT that they have it in them to generate a livable income AND have fun at the same time.

  We’re taught early that what you love to do cannot, does not, and will not (ever) pay the bills.

  We’re trained to think that in order to have a roof over our head or put food on the table, we must put on a tie, clock in, say “yes sir, yes ma’am”, and kiss corporate ass.

  Sometime between your first job flipping burgers and your current stint pushing papers around the cubicle, you might have accepted your fate within the so-called “40-year plan” of working jobs you’d rather not with the hope of being able to retire in the distant future.

  If you are just joining the workforce now, you’ll be lucky to afford retirement by age 75.

  Most people who want to leave their day jobs get stuck in the WANTING phase and never progress toward the DOING phase.

  They dream of storming into the boss’ office, saying the words “I quit!” and jetting off to a beach somewhere. And this remains a painful fantasy for the majority.

  But not for you! Not anymore!

  You are going to do something about your situation starting today!

  The first step to leaving your day job and escaping the 9-5 rat race is to stop thinking like an employee!

  An employee convinces him or herself that they are dependent on others for their income.

  The employee believes that in order to succeed, they must always impress the boss.

  They believe that working harder, faster, taking on more responsibility, and working more hours (weekends and bringing work home), is the surest way to get a raise or promotion.

  Employees tolerate a 3% to 5% annual raise regardless of results generated. They accept that they won’t be compensated for job-related expenses such as attire and commuting time.

  They accept two measly weeks per year for vacation. And if they get sick and can’t crawl into the office (which many do, anyway), then no vacation.

  It is time to change your thinking.

  Here are some affirmations to read out loud. Be sure to read them out loud! Pay attention to any resistance that you feel when you repeat these words.

  “I am capable of generating an income for myself without having to take a day job, or rely on my employer for money.

  This realization really hit me at the very last job I worked.

  The company held monthly meetings where they talked about sales and revenue goals for the month, the quarter, and the year. The company provided a service-based product and was an outsourcing solution for large clients.

  Because of this, they had to constantly work to find new business, which usually resulted in a contract that would last anywhere from 3-12 months.

  You couldn’t look two or five years into the future and know exactly how much this company would make, but because of the efforts of the sales team, they were thriving month after month, year after year.

  Most companies operate the same way. Without the efforts of a few sales people, and the quality of the product or service offered, the company would be out of business quickly.

  There’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t take the reigns and provide your own service or sell your own product to your own clients and have complete control over your own income.

  “I have valuable skills and knowledge that can be harnessed and packaged into money-making products and services.”

  You probably definitely underestimate how valuable your knowledge and skills are.

  If a company is willing to hire you for $15 per hour to do a job, rest assured you could make a lot more on your own (your salary is a portion of the profit the company makes off of your services).

  “I will be far more successful on my own than I would be as a cog in a machine at a company.”

  Employees don’t become rich. If you want to take full control of your income and really live the life of freedom you desire, you must leave your day job. There is no getting around this fact.

  Without a dependence on your day job, you can take time off whenever you want.

  You can travel and live anywhere in the world instead of spending an arm and a leg binge-traveling to some artificial resort. I recently spent 6 months wintering in the Yucatan. I couldn’t have done that if I was working a 9-5 job.

  As an employee, you are at the mercy of your company. If they do poorly, your income could be shut off with little or no warning.

  Your job can change from the one you signed up to do, to something else that isn’t at all what you want to do (or enjoy), and there’s not a thing you can do about it.

  “I take full responsibility for what I currently have and for what I want to have.

  Now is the time to stop giving your power away to your boss or “higher ups”. Instead, BE your own company and your own boss, even while you still work for others.

  Instead of thinking of yourself as “just an employee”, think of yourself as a freelancer, a self-contained company of one – YOU – providing a service to the company you work for. This mental attitude is critical to hone when you are working for yourself.

  Even if it’s just a mental game at first, thinking of yourself as company of one is an important step in segueing out of the 9-5 rat race.

  Think of the company you work for as a client who has hired you to do a long-term, freelance job assignment.

  When you want a raise, think of it as providing a quote for the services you provide (rather than permission for a few extra bucks to be thrown your way).

  Manage your resources, including your financial resources, as if you were a company.

  Instead of thinking of your income as just a paycheck you get from your boss, think of it as payment from a client based on your services.

  Be ready to “fire” clients that will not or cannot pay a fair price for your services, knowledge, and skills.

  “I recognize excuses for what they are – limiting beliefs.”

  Instead of all the “yeah, buts…” that pop into your head when you think about quitting your day job, give equal weight to the positive “what ifs…” too.

  Everybody is afraid of being homeless, broke, or bankrupt if they quit their day job. I was too.

  But instead of dwelling on the possibility of these (very temporary) problems that probably won’t happen, give equal weight to positive outcomes for quitting your job – a higher income, th
e ability to work from anywhere in the world, more time with family, and to pursue your own interests, job and life satisfaction, better health.

  Another major mental block that prevents employees from escaping their 9-5 day jobs is fear. Do you feel like staying put in your day job or quitting to pursue your dreams is a choice between freedom or security? What if you can have both?

  What if quitting your job actually provided more security (and income) than your steady paycheck? I’ve found this to be true in my life!

  “My day job is NOT a steady, secure source of income. I can generate a higher income without my job.”

  And that brings me to our last affirmation. And I know this one sounds a bit negative, but it’s 100% true. You job is NOT a steady, secure source of income.

  You can be laid off (I was twice, and my wife was once.)

  You can be fired.

  Your company can shut down or relocate.

  You could be forced to take a pay cut.

  Your employee benefits could be cut.

  You could become injured, sick, or disabled and unable to do your job.

  So what then? Stop thinking about your job as the “safe, secure, and responsible” direction in your life.

  Instead, take the reigns and direct your own life. Create your own income. Build a business that doesn’t require your butt in a cubicle in order to generate an income.

  I am Calling You Out

  The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can't do. Denis Waitley

  I like to think I have a reputation for fluff free writing. I like to get to the point and give you concise, easily actionable steps to achieve your goal. Although I will admit that from a business point of view this is a little misguided. Let me explain why. As an author when you are dealing with the big boys like Amazon, Audible and iTunes you get virtually no say in how much they are going to sell your products for.

  This hasn’t always been the case. Before the Internet rendered the knowledge of the known world available at the click of a mouse. Self-improvement audio programs were sold exclusively by niche publishing houses such as Nightingale Conant and the mark-up was huge! Back then this very same book would have sold for hundreds of dollars a copy. These days the chances are you bought this for just a few dollars via one of the Internet retailing big boys I mentioned above?

  The modern day digital audiobook pricing model is pretty simple. The longer the duration of the book the higher the retail price. It makes sense but where it falls down is the way it encourages authors to waffle on and pad out their books to earn a few more bucks. I hope more often than not I manage to avoid this bad habit. Because it is perhaps the one thing that drives me crazy whenever I invest in a book or audiobook myself.

  The reason the 80/20 law of poverty and abundance remains so stable is down to the human condition. Our inbuilt ability to adapt is both the reason why we are at the top of the food chain and it equally explains why so many people fail to take action. Nobody comes into this world with the aspiration to just be average. But we get trapped in a mediocre life because we find ways to justify it. How many people do you know who think their life would be better if they had a different boss, more luck or just a little bit of capital to get started with their own business?

  Everywhere you look there are people successfully adapting to and justifying their mediocrity. This action of our species is down to the pure arrogance and fallibility of our conscious mind. Our ego will spend the duration of our lives trying to prove that we are significant and different to other people. It has to prove this because to accept that we are just the same, means also accepting that we too will one day die. Your ego can’t accept this outcome and will devote your entire life to trying to avoid the unavoidable (if you allow it).

  When people are unhappy with their lot in life they are causing the ego pain. Think about it, how can you be a powerful and significant being if you are miserable? The ego will respond by trying to move you away from this pain. The easiest path is to justify the malaise. If you can find something external to blame your failings on then it appears to absolve you of responsibility. Somehow these excuses placate the ego and allow you to continue to function. Effectively you have used an excuse to adapt to your mediocre situation.

  Now, sometimes this function of the brain serves a valuable purpose. How did Nelson Mandela survive half a lifetime in solitary confinement? He adapted to the situation he had been forced into. Of course that doesn’t mean it wasn’t anything but brutal and horrendous but the ego gave him enough material to cope.

  Where this adaptive function doesn’t serve you is in modern life. Where you have options and opportunities all around you. People trapped in the rat race willingly choose to live an unfulfilling, poverty stricken life because it requires the least effort. It is much easier to justify our own poverty by explaining away the wealth of other people as pure luck, greed or privilege. In doing this we can look ourselves in the eye and say ‘it’s not my fault I am broke, I am just not a lucky guy’ or even worse ‘I am poor because I am an honest guy who doesn’t bend the rules’ etc.

  If you’ve got an excuse you got a license to fail and unless you wake up and dump it quick it will prevent a whole lot of amazing in your life. I am currently learning Greek and I attend a small school in Larnaca three days a week. My class is made up of a German guy called Ian, an American couple called Mark and Diane and a Scottish woman called Laura.

  Every lesson Laura arrives late for class! No sooner has she hung her coat on the back of her chair then the excuses start ‘sorry I am late I had to get the kids school lunch ready’. You can bet your last dollar on the certainty that she won’t have done the homework. As always she has a very good reason prepared ‘oh I am sorry I didn’t have time to do the homework because my husband was feeling ill last night and I had to look after him’. As sure as night follows day, Laura will never speak Greek. But she will be able to explain why it’s not her fault.

  Excuses get you nothing, even if they are valid. I hope you can already see that and I want you to commit to dumping the bullshit. There is never an occasion when an excuse will get you the desired outcome. Even if it’s a really, really great reason!

  For example, let’s say your goal is to run the 4 minute mile. Unfortunately during training one day you fall and break your leg. You may think that this is a really great reason why you have failed to achieve your goal, and perhaps it is. But does using the excuse give you anything in it’s place? You missed your target, suck it up and deal with it. Stop using excuses to justify your failure.

  Remember the Rocky quote… winning has nothing to do with how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep getting back up. When you come up with an excuse you are choosing the stay down on the mat.

  I am not done beating on you yet my friend. Along with the excuses I want you to dump the concept of luck. Too often good fortune is used to explain the disparity between our own achievements and those of people much more successful than us. Tony Robbins has significantly more money than me. He lives in a castle and flies jet helicopters for fun. Do you think it would be reasonable of me to claim that he’s just had better luck than me?

  Luck does not exist. What people point at and say ‘that’s lucky’ is really just the meeting of preparation, opportunity and action. I have an author friend called Hanna Sillitoe, back in the day she used to work in the UK radio industry with me. These days a lot of our old colleagues are very envious of Hanna. They frequently take to social media to express their shock and disbelief at how lucky she has been.

  Yesterday Hanna’s book on healthy eating went to number one on Amazon.co.uk. Three national newspapers have already run stories about her and several major television shows are fighting to book her for an appearance. I see a lot of ‘friends’ looking at her and being completely distraught at her succ
ess. I have seen comments from ‘she’s always had luck’ to ‘I think his Dad is rich, he’s paid for all this exposure’. Anything to avoid having to accept that a woman who came from the exact same background as them is on the fast track to becoming a multi millionaire. To accept that reality is to also accept that they have fallen short of their own potential – unthinkable!

  Let me tell you the truth about Hanna’s success. Hanna had a skin condition called psoriasis. She has suffered terribly with it all her life. Often she would be in so much pain she couldn’t even get out of bed. The doctors told her the ailment was incurable and the best they could do with treat the symptoms with aggressive steroid prescription. She became so depressed at always being in pain and never being able to wear any clothes that didn’t completely cover the skin that she spent years hiding away. She was miserable and dejected that there was nothing anyone could do to help her.