Wednesday, October 28, 2009

But Fear Itself...

Imagine the suspension or temporary loss of the lifestyle you now have?

Notice I didn't use the phrase "loss of job" or "loss of income". I also didn't use "lifestyle you enjoy" because, c'mon now. Having fun yet?

That fear COMPLETELY runs your life. It's why when your bosses boss makes a joke, you pretend it's hilarious. How's that feel?

It's why when your supervisor tells you to do something that's WAY out of alignment with what you KNOW is truth...you do it anyway. You do that stuff every day. You're a team player, right? Pah-leeeeease.

You've got a family to feed, you've got children to educate, you've got elderly parents who are or will soon be leaning on you, right? Check, check and check here too. (And man oh man, this message is not being delivered from a Glass House...I've been that guy before...FOR YEARS...though I never laughed at the joke from the Sr. VP of Strategic Paradigm Leveraging).

I was raised working class in a close-knit upper-middle class town on the Northshore of Boston. A couple dozen of my close friends W2 at 200K and up every year....in some cases, WAY up. I've known these people since elementary school and we were at each others weddings. We talk...and they tell me things..often they tell me things I don't want to know. They are GREAT providers, good people and- more often than not- are just trying to do the right thing.

The difference between the financial independence mindset and the typical corporate salaried high-income earner is often the difference between Tiger Woods and me accidentally destroying a golf course.

(I should add "self-made" to 'financial independence'. Most Trust Fund kids-turned adult arrive in the biggest boat with a closet full of pharmaceuticals to make them feel better).

You hear that "..tick, tick, tick."? You know what that sound is.

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