There has been a trend in recent years that has the everyday employee working harder and harder for seemingly less and less. We sit here and watch fuel costs, healthcare costs and every other kind of cost rise higher and higher while our employers decide that if we are lucky we will get an annual cost of living increase (notice they aren't even called raises anymore) at somewhere between 2-4%. Somehow it seems that the expenses are rising at a higher rate which means that the employee who has worked his or her tail to the bone is left with less discretionary income - provided they had any discretionary income to start.
On top of the raw numbers we are also dealing with massive levels of corporate downsizing and restructure which means that those employees who are "lucky" enough to keep their positions are now left with more work to do. So they get to keep their job. Hooray. That is their prize. They now have more work to do, but were they given a raise? I am guessing probably not. We can assume that they were working a full work load before the restructure so now they have more than forty hours of work to perform in a week's time.
No more pay, the cost of everything is rising and now more work which leads to longer hours - the employee is being held hostage. They are working harder and getting less.
Free time or family time- what is that in the corporate world? Most people work 40-50 hours a week. Add in travel time and you now have a typical work week of 45-70+ hours. Maybe this is fine for the career oriented single person or the fathers or mothers who don't care to watch their children grow but what about the single person who wants to experience life or those who have children and want to be a part of their lives? If you head to the office at 7 or 8 am there is a good chance that you're not getting home before 6 pm. Home at 6, dinner until 7, add in bath time and what do you really have for quality time before you're putting junior to bed?
Let's now add in the fact that most households are dual income. It was bad enough in the above example when we were talking about one parent. Now think about the home where both parents are trapped in their corporate environment. What does this mean for their children? Corporate America is robbing our children of one thing that they need the most: their parent's time.
So what recourse does the employee have? Many will just sit back and hope that they get to keep their job. They'll do whatever is needed and will take their measly cost of living increase and if they are lucky it will be more than the increase in their expenditures. They will be a slave to their job, working longer and harder - but not for their benefit. Some will unfortunately lose their jobs and undoubtedly will begin the search for a new one. They'll be looking for something that is safe and secure and they will find their way right back to where they were before. Others are diamonds and will rise to the top. They will have success and good for them - we need people like them. They keep business going and after all, business is what provides most of our luxuries today. The rest, well they are the special ones. They are the people who have decided that enough is enough. They are tired of working their fingers to the bone for the benefit of someone else. They want to take back their time, their freedom and their wealth.
Emotionally many people fall into this last category but very few have the courage to do what it takes to make the jump out of the rat race. You start to hear the excuses, "I don't have the time," "I don't have the money," "I don't know what to do," "I'm not good at anything," and the list goes on. If you're reading this there is a very good chance that you may have uttered some of these words yourself. I certainly know that I have.
Don't fret, there is good news. Believe it or not there is an option out there for the person who isn't quite willing to give up everything to just make the jump. Many people are in situations where they just aren't afforded the luxury to drop everything and dive right in. Fortunately for them there is a business model that typically allows for someone to get involved at a part-time basis and then grow to their full potential as they become successful. What is this model? Multi-level Marketing (MLM), Direct Marketing and Direct Sales all fit the bill and are terms that are commonly used synonymously (although that isn't really appropriate).
All of these options allow you to be your own boss (and usually with very little start-up cost). You work when you want, where you want and as hard as you want. You want a raise? Easy, go make more money. This is the beauty.....you set the course.
An important point to keep in mind though is that these are all businesses and businesses have expenses. (However these expenses are typically much less than a traditional business would incur.) Unfortunately, many people fail in these ventures because they see a simple process and they think they can just plug-in and success will come. That's not the case. Remember, you need to work your business and your business will work for you.
Of course the person who can dedicate more time to their effort will have a better chance at making things move quickly for themselves but that doesn't mean that the person who can only work their business a few hours a week can't succeed. In fact, there are many who did it exactly this way. Persistence is the key. If you have the dedication and the desire and you are willing to listen to the people who have walked this path before you, there is no reason why you can't be successful.
Take back your life! Do what you want, when you want and with whom you want. No excuses!
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