Tired Of The Rat Race

I was tired of the rat race before I even knew I was in it. I knew I would need to find something I could do well to escape the 9 to 5. Otherwise I’d be stuck in corporate hell forever! I left school and went from one crappy job to the next. I found myself there because I chose not to follow higher education into the pre-destined option which was electronic engineering, or something. I thought too much probably and didn’t feel it was my choice. I was just being channelled down a trajectory I had no control over.

I think back to the careers lesson I remember. We opened a careers manual to the page closest to your main options or best subjects. These again were a choice, but only a choice of a very narrow selection, pre-determined by whoever decided on the subjects. Since mathematics and physics were my favourite subjects at the time, I found myself looking at electronic or mechanical engineering as my career choice.

Tired Of The Rat Race

So I chose even back then to take a different path. Besides, I came out with only the worst A-Levels narrowly scraping an A-level in Maths and failing at Physics and Chemistry. My choice was an HND in engineering somewhere. I didn’t know why I was even doing it. Little did I know the alternatives which society had in store for me! In hindsight, it might have been a much better option!

Instead I re-sat my A-levels and failed again, this time I didn’t even pass Maths. I felt like a complete failure, and this feeling was to keep me down for some time.

I dropped out of school and went from one low paid, miserable job to the next without really having a plan. Working in a job which you dislike is bearable only when you’ve got a longer term plan. I didn’t.

I ended up dropping out completely, living on benefits and living in an almost un-liveable farmhouse in the middle of nowhere with some friends. See my article rat race rebellion for the rest of this story! The short version is that I became a stuntman and a kung fu instructor in order to escape the rat race. Then I turned to the internet because I couldn’t make ends meet.

Tired Of The Rat Race – 9 to 5 etc.

Before I became a stunt performer, I worked several jobs. I worked as a lifeguard, a data inputer, a delivery driver, a model, a TV extra, an SEO specialist, a forklift truck driver, an HGV driver, a stand-in (for actors), a runner, a builders mate, a trampoline coach etc, .etc. Those are the ones I can remember. My advice is go back to school! Once I had a goal though, the jobs weren’t as difficult. A plan makes all the difference.

Working in a dead end job with no prospects is worse when you don’t have a plan.

I became tired of the stunt business too. It became like a 9 to 5 in the end. Not because it wasn’t a fun and interesting job. It definitely was interesting. But I would only get work for about half a month a year. The rest of the time I’d be working in low paid employment. When I got more regular work, the stunt work would come in. I was constantly juggling multiple employments. It was incredibly stressful. Employers didn’t like it when you had other work. They wanted you to be loyal to them and meet their needs. I turned down a number of jobs trying to juggle normal work with the stunt business.

After a while I just wanted a normal life. I started teaching martial arts and opened a class.  Constant juggling stunt jobs, a 9 to 5 and a kung fu class was exhausting. I would have had an easier time if I’d just taken a normal job. I was miserable and although I was making good money for the first time ever, it got too much. I left my 9 to 5.

Tired Of The Rat Race? Quit

Fortunately I had two other careers to back up my income, although the 9 to 5 was giving me the biggest regular income. I was running at a loss from teaching kung fu, and the stunt jobs were too infrequent to count. Although annoyingly, the jobs seemed to come in when I was in full time work! Perhaps the universe was giving me a choice?

Within a month of quitting my 9 to 5 a good stunt job came in. I ended up with a whiplash injury but was grateful I had some cash to cover the rent! It was pretty insane when I look back! Over time I began to look at the stunt work in a different way. instead of it being an amazing career, i started to see it as a foolish choice I had made in my youth! I was getting paid to get injured! At times it was amazing, but there were times when it wasn’t so great too.

I decided I was conflicted about the stunt work. I wanted it and didn’t want it at the same time. I needed it! I needed work, but I had been injured a few times now and was starting to doubt whether I could keep up my enthusiasm for it.

Get Out And Start An Online Business

I turned to the internet. I had been working on an eBay business for a while which had turned into an affiliate marketing business. Basically, I was building blogs and promoting other people’s products over the internet. After finding a 7 day video series, everything changed. Before then, I had largely been working on my own, attempting several methods of selling other people’s products online.

I had done everything. Blogging, paid advertising, website building you name it. But I didn’t know what I didn’t know. After joining an online community, I looked at things differently and was able to make much faster progress.

If you’re tired of the rat race, I’d recommend joining an online business community and building a serious online business. Start here.