Being an entrepreneur is the best way out of this mess.
The unreflected life is not worth living, Socrates once remarked, but I have recently learned that without an opportunity to earn that living, there is little chance for reflection.
Being a part of a family has been the single most meaningful experience I have ever accidentally stumbled upon. But that is not the only plane of existence, we are complex and multi-dimensional beings. In order to maintain a happy life, we must live and grow in all of our dimensions. It would be foolish to put our dreams on hold. This sacrifice is foolish. The people in our life are the reason why the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, but they don't want our sacrifice. They want love.
Capitalism is an unforgiving machine. It is beast with no conscience that beats us down with debt and cleans our wounds with credit so we are well enough to face another day. Capitalism is a beast we cannot tame.
However, David did slay Goliath. There is a way out of this madness. There is a means to win. That way is through our dreams, but only if we can turn them into something tangible.
It is not the money or success that matters, but the process. The money may never come, and every thing you touch may shatter at the slightest touch. Oscar Schindler failed at every business he ever started, before and after the holocaust, but he was the only entrepreneur, broken as he was, to dream and make a difference. Ask the families of those he saved and you will understand.
We are on a similar path. We both have families or someone close to us that we care about,and somewhere along the way we went to school and bought into the illusion that a profession, or a decent job, is what will give us what we need. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, we could be anything we wanted to be.
That is a lie. The world reinvents itself. Jobs disappear.
We don't choose our life. We only choose how we live it.
Like you, I went to school. I worked hard. I graduated with a double honours degree thanks to government assistance loans, but as lucky as I felt at the time, I always knew deep down that it was not enough. I just could not articulate it. Today, I am bold and arrogant enough to believe that I was born for more.
We all have dreams, or at least I think we do. Some may be broken and a little dusty, but I sincerely believe we all have them. Young and old; able and unable, conscious or unconscious.
Dreams are important, but the steps we take towards them is what makes all the difference. This is what people mean when they say that life is a journey and not a destination. It is an old and moldy metaphor but it tries to point us in the right direction.
We must dream. We must work towards that dream. We must monetize it.
Remember, money is not the root of all evil. It is the love of money that lies at the root of the problem.
We are meant to love people and use things, but there is nothing wrong with money. It has its own energy, and the hands that held it tells a story. If more kindhearted people controlled the world's wealth, we would have a more peaceful planet. The more you and I can stuff in our little pockets and share with others, the less there is in a bank vault, doing absolutely nothing for anyone.
We must pursue our dream. We have a purpose. We must fall again in love with that dream.
Unfortunately, love alone will make our dream stagnant. It must be monetized.
Don't quit your job and don't ever abandon your family or friends. Perhaps go easy on the gossip instead, or chicken wings, reality shows, or football games, if you need to find some extra time.
Don't ever quit. Work instead, with whatever limited time you have left in your day, and become an entrepreneur.
Begin today, and take another step. The world won't notice, but you and I will know that it has made all the difference.
