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The New Economy: Forging a Path to the Future
September 10, 2021 at 12:00 AM
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"Relieved of the deforming crush of financial fear, and of the world’s battering demands and expectations, people’s personalities have started to assume their true shape. And a lot of them don’t want to return to wasting their days in purgatorial commutes, to the fluorescent lights and dress codes and middle-school politics of the office. Service personnel are apparently ungrateful for the opportunity to get paid not enough to live on by employers who have demonstrated they don’t care whether their workers live or die."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/post-pandemic-dont-want-to-reenter-society/619045/

Not only did the worldwide pandemic disrupt the way business is conducted but it also gave people time to reflect and examine their lives. "How did I get to the point of working at a job I hate and having very little time for myself or my family?" People are fed up with the corporate, traditional work model. There is no time to focus on anything other than work. The old model does not afford part-time work and decent pay. Full-time work and decent pay are not synonymous either.

It is time to break the chains. Especially the mental ones that dictate if one does not work at least eight hours a day, five days a week somehow this makes you unmotivated or lazy. The pandemic lockdown gave us time to flow into our natural patterns of sleep, thought, exercise, and rest. Many have lauded the return to "normal", back to being a cog in the machine. It puzzles me that so many people are ready to fall back to an unfulfilling, monotonous routine. Security I guess...it is scary to follow the road less traveled. Others of us have decided to never go back to "normal" no matter what and are willing to forge ahead into an uncertain future and find our own path.

I had to free my mind from viewing myself negatively if I did not work the traditional 50-hour week. So, I ditched the old work model. Became my own boss, set irregular work hours, and moved away from the traditional ways of earning revenue. I realized if I focused more on task completion, the time I spent working dictated itself day to day. If I do not feel like working on a Monday maybe I do not. Exercising in the morning, tending to my garden, three-hour lunch, cool. These are all acceptable.

Now is the time to forge ahead to the future. The upcoming post Business Consultation Plan lays out all the information you need to know to start your own business including attachments, and a checklist.

Some tips to keep in mind as you decide your path ahead:

  • Acquire a skill -
    • with a skill and experience you can be your own boss, work in any state or country, teach others, dictate your salary e.g., Plumber, Home inspector, Electrician, Accountant, Mechanic, IT jobs - Information Security Analyst, Database Administrator.
  • Fill a need missing in the market
  • Think outside the box -
    • For example, I follow the Epic Gardening channel on YouTube and Instagram. Kevin, an avid gardener, started making videos with tips about houseplant care and chronicled his journey of starting a small, front-yard garden, now he has over a million subscribers. Gardening is now his full-time gig. Another example is Kountry Wayne, a comedian, who was denied the traditional opportunities afforded other comedians and choose an untraditional means to display his art by filming short daily skits on Facebook and now Instagram. He now has 6.5 million followers. Also, his full-time gig.
  • Use multiple income streams- do not rely on one source of income only, use a mix including Passive Income (e.g. Certificates of Deposits, Dividends).
  • Keep in mind you will need time to research, network, educate, and build capital.