“You often feel tired not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks light in you.” – Unknown
Once upon a time, my career energized me. Sure, I always felt a bit like an outsider in the laced-up world of business, but I enjoyed my “well kept secret” of who I really was so that I could scoot along under the radar at work. Besides, I worked most of my career in high tech, and software / SaaS is full of misfits. For the first two decades or so, I didn’t mind “faking it” as I was making a really great living and enjoying the perks of business travel (first class flight upgrades, hotel corner suites, the finest dining, all on an expense account!)
And then came a day, sometime in my mid- late-forties, when I began to worry that I couldn’t fake it any longer. I had to be me. I had to escape the corporate life so that I could be myself. But how? The golden handcuffs are reality. Yet, I started steadily looking for escape routes. Listening to the Dave Ramsey Show and getting into FIRE (financial independence, retire early) earlier in life set me up for a comfortable financial footing providing me with options. Still, I coasted along at work. Sure, I had the ability to “downscale” my roles, trading less responsibility and no more business travel for a smaller paycheck. But I found myself still too comfortable and complacent to make a bolder move.
It was as I reached age 50 that I realized, in stark and painful contrast, that I no longer belong in corporate America. I feel more and more like I’m wearing the skinsuit of someone with a masters degree and I fat paycheck. I actually started to tune out at work and feel disdain for the constant career crowing of folks in my LinkedIn network. Fortunately, I found peace in and around our little homestead. If a meeting stressed me out, I could go dig in the garden over lunch. If the workload felt overwhelming, I collected eggs and freshened the hens’ water.
And then it occurred to me: The only thing keeping you at your desk is fear. I’ve never been particularly fearful person, but I do value security, particularly financial security. Maybe what I needed to break the chains is to begin building the thing I’m moving to so that I may set up my escape from this thing I so desperately want to run from. And that, my friends, is what Briarhopper Ranch is all about: Escaping the corporate crap to unleash the authentic me. I hope that you’ll follow my blog as I head off into uncharted waters!
KEY TAKEAWAY: I strive to provide my readers with my key takeaway from each post. Today it’s this: If you find yourself locked into the corporate world, if you feel like a fake wearing someone else’s shoes and you know there’s more to life, guess what? You’re right! Don’t wait until you can’t take it any longer. Start building your dream and plotting your escape to get where you want to go. Put the financial resources made available to you through employment to work building your freedom.