As the old saying goes, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”.
It
sounds to me like you’ve made a few false assumptions about purpose and
the rat race so instead of offering you an “escape plan”, I’m going to
share a few alternatives that could be helpful.
1. Realize that Money And Purpose Aren’t Always Related
One
of the most erroneous assumptions that people make is to assume that
the way in which they acquire money and their purpose have to be one in
the same…
They aren’t.
I
know plenty of people who work an easy 9–5 to pay the bills, live a
simple and frugal life, and then devote all of their free time to
pursuing what they consider to be their purpose.
For
some of them, it’s raising well adjusted kids, for others it’s physical
competition, or creating great art, or simply working on themselves and
expanding their personal development.
Your purpose and your job don’t have to be one in the same.
They can be, and things tend to be better this way. But they don’t have to be.
Before
you quit your job or try your hand at entrepreneurship (something
infinitely more stressful than being in the “rat race”), I’d encourage
you to look at how you spend your free time.
Are you wasting 5+ hours a day on mindless TV and video games?
Do you spend countless hours on social media?
Are
you unproductive at work, allowing yourself to be distracted with web
surfing? If so, could you negotiate a remote working arrangement that
allows you to get paid for your results instead of your time? (thus allowing you to work less while earning the same and spend your free time on your purpose?).
Take a hard and honest look at how you spend your days.
Then ask yourself, “How can I inject more purpose and passion into my normal days without changing my job?”
This might be all that you need to create a life of greater passion and fulfillment.
2. Create a Purposeless Side Hustle to Pay the Bills and Pursue Your Purpose on the Side
Considering
the potential to separate money and purpose, you can also opt for a
slightly less conventional route by building a “purposeless” side hustle
to pay the bills and then pursue your purpose on the side.
What
I mean by this is that the majority of side hustles that allow you to
generate tons of income in a relatively short amount of time probably
aren’t going to be things about which you are passionate.
For
example, real estate wholesaling (once you get it going) can make you
$10,000-$30,000 a month for less than 25 hours of work a week… BUT your
purpose in life probably isn’t to help investors find off market homes
to buy.
However, if you were to spend those
25 hours making money in your own way (thus escaping the rat race) you
could spend the rest of your time pursuing something more purposeful.
You
could also grow the side hustle into a full time business, generating
7-figures and using that money to fund charitable giving, travel, or
starting a business that you truly care about.
This is probably the option that I would go with…
By
working on a side hustle for 6–12 months, you can keep the safety net
of your current job until you are earning enough to pay the bills.
Then, you can scale it up or keep it where it is so that you have the time and freedom to pursue things you really care about.
3. Build Your Dream on the Side and Then Go All In
The third, and final option is to build your dream on the side and then go all in.
Unlike
option #2, I’m betting that whatever you consider your purpose to be,
it probably won’t be something that will allow you to make money FAST.
Instead, it will be something that must be built over time, likely 2–3 years.
This is the slowest, but likely most fulfilling option.
If
you can invest only 10–15 hours a week into your passion project, you
WILL be able to make a full time living from it after 24 months.
But you must be patient and consistent and willing to sacrifice a lot more than most people.
The bottom line is this…
Escaping the rat race and living a life of purpose isn’t an “option” it’s a CHOICE.
You have to decide what you are willing to suffer for.
You
have to decide whether you care more about creating your dream life, or
living comfortably, watching your TV shows, and enjoying stress free
time off.
You can create purpose in many
different ways. But it’s up to you and you alone what you are willing to
sacrifice in order to achieve that purpose.
There are no right or wrong answers to this question.
Only what is right and wrong for you.
I hope this helps.