Since starting The Life Design Project and delving into the income stage with IT Arsenal, (my bootstrapped online business) the most amazing things have happened. I somehow have become an “expert in my field” an “up and coming blogger” and “someone to keep an eye on” … who knew? It really is true, becoming an expert or someone of note, which is all relative by the way, is not hard, speak out and work hard, it’ll happen…hopefully this blog demonstrates that. Recently I’ve been receiving a few e-mails a week on culture surveys, and interviews for books. The most recent interviewer asked some good questions and I wanted to share my answers and see what you think. Here goes…
1. In general, how would you describe your most recent full-time “regular” job and work environment?
I still hold a full time “regular” job while building IT Arsenal and other income streams. I’m an IT Administrator and Support worker. I consider myself lucky because my work environment is built on transformational consulting, and being a part of that is empowering. It’s also at times, hectic, overbearing, invading, and offers me just enough money to keep coming back. I believe over all, it allows for rare work freedoms when compared to a typical cube worker. I get to wear jeans, use Apple Computers and help people with technology.
2. How does (or did) your job limit you either at work or personally?
A 9-5 comes with pro’s and con’s like most things in life. The cons in our time are beginning to outway the pro’s by far, and the ability for people to create their own income sources is growing rapidly. I’d like to be a part of that to enable my freedom which, yes, I would argue is limited by having a corporate job. Many would say that’s just part of life, but it doesn’t have to be, and I won’t let it limit me forever….despite the brain numbing that ensues after a hard day at a 9-5, I press on and love talking to others who do also. I’m a perpetual learner and love to adventure. I want to learn an instrument, learn new sports, compete in physical competitions and travel, these things are all pipe dreams or jammed into a 3 day weekend because of a typical job.
3. Do you know someone, perhaps even yourself, whose life is controlled by debt? If so, please elaborate.
I wouldn’t say a life is controlled by debt, but the requirement of steady income in excess of basic living needs is required when you have debt, debt locks a lot of people down to a typical 9-5, which locks people down to a specific location, and specific actions, which may or may not have anything to do with their true passions, but instead what needs to be done in the moment. Those shackles force us to be Houdini in order to do things we enjoy in life. We control our lives, but debt certainly inhibits it. Hence I’m very passionate about creative living, and business creation to break free.
4. Do you think it is possible, with the current dependency on consumer debt and the typical office culture, to ever be truly happy and content? Why or why not?
Sure it is, happiness is all in the mind. I believe debt and American culture are counter effective to being content and happy, but it’s possible. It’s not a battle I want to continually fight, that’s for sure…do all you can to alleviate that dependency, diversify your income streams, minimize your debts and belongings, keep an open mind.
5. Do you believe American culture leads people to consumer debt and causes poor work environments? If so, please elaborate.
No, I think American culture estranges people to not knowing how to manage their life. The myriad of life’s required managed systems; debt, health, money, enjoyment, paperwork, bills, work/life balance, etc. isn’t addressed properly…and so people grossly mismanage themselves…our typical response to how are you now-a-days is…”surviving” … what type of response is that?
Surviving…sheesh…our culture should teach us to manage our lives better, we don’t live in the 50’s, our todo lists don’t fit on a piece of paper anymore, our “todo” lists are multifaceted, unending, and never shut off, we need to know how to limit information, limit our belongings, control our lives, create content and profit from it…then we might not destroy our living with debt, instant but costly satisfactions and corroding environments, then we might seek to do what we love and create a means to support ourselves through it.
Instead we become another cog in the system because that’s the easiest route, that’s what we’ve been told, that’s what we see around us.
What do you think? Leave a comment. P.S. If you’d like to get automatic updates of new material here on The Life Design Project, you can simply subscribe to the RSS feed!