Breaking Out of the Rat Race

We are born into a society that teaches us that certain things are valuable and worthy to achieve. Most people follow that path, only realizing in the end that the promised pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was all a lie. Even though it’s a lie, this belief is reinforced in us several times – from childhood all the way to adulthood. And then one of three things happens: People either adapt to this dysfunctional system, and by doing so, sacrifice their own dreams and health. Or they fall into despair and give up, adopting a “Screw life” attitude. Or they break out of the system, which requires bravery that cannot be understated.

I also once believed that if you follow the traditional path, which is obtaining a degree and landing a stable job, it would lead to prosperity in life. But I was utterly wrong. I was disillusioned so many times that I cannot even count. To give you a tiny example: learning in school how to write the perfect CV, making sure that your prospective employer sees you as the most suitable pick for the company. Making yourself appear so invaluable that you can never be replaced. Later on, I found out that recruiters don’t even look at your CV for 10 seconds before making a decision. Nowadays, our CVs are analyzed by AI and if you don’t have the correct keywords, you can be sure that your CV goes straight into the trash can. That’s just one of many, many things that I learned on my unsuccessful career path.

But there was one thing that kept me from ever falling too far into that pit. Something that halted my actions whenever I was straying from my path by applying very rough measures. It was my intuition. I believe that everyone has a connection to a non-physical aspect of ourselves, our soul, that is unrestricted by space and time, and also unrestricted by the emotion that is holding us back and keeping us small: fear. That gut feeling always persists no matter what you do in life. It is that feeling of “This thing is personally right for me.”

It was a very difficult path. Hitting rock bottom several times, and then finally accepting this grim reality, woke me up from this endless nightmare.

But what do I do now? I started my own language business. Self-employment is the only right path for me long-term. I also observe that most people are still stuck in the rat race. I was one of them.

I was well aware that self-employment wouldn’t be an easy journey. Just because something is right for you doesn’t mean you won’t face any challenges. Fear has become my personal companion. All the worst-case scenarios that run through my head, having almost no guidance on how to run a business, and having no one else but yourself to believe in, etc. It is hard. But it’s worth it. And in the end, no matter if I succeed or fail, I’ll be able to tell myself: “I gave my best effort to achieve this goal. That’s all that matters to me.”

The only way out of the rat race is seeing and acknowledging that you are the creator of your destiny. Listen to your intuition right from the beginning. You have the power to change your own life. And then commit your thoughts and actions to what matters to you, regardless of what people do or fail to do. If you don’t listen to your intuition, then it will make you listen by making your life so hard and unbearable that you’ll have no other way but to stop and heed your internal guidance.

I’m terrified. I feel lost. I feel disillusioned. At the same time, I also feel hopeful, determined, productive, and curious about where my entrepreneurial journey will lead me.