When did you realize the system is rigged?

[AgainstAllOdds]

I've had a few of these moments. One of my favorites:

At one point I thought about getting a job. I was done with college. One of my ventures failed. I still had passive income in the form of about $20,000 a year, but everyone was telling me that I was underperforming, that I should get a job, and I believed it.

So I applied to a handful of places. One of the places I applied to had an intense interview process.

Day 1 was meeting with the two directors. They grilled me on my resume, why I wanted to work there, etc. At the end of the interview, one of the directors took me aside and told me: "Why don't you just become an entrepreneur? You're obviously a smart kid, you don't need to get a job."

I should've ended the interview process there, but I thought screw it, I'll continue on and get experience interviewing with companies so that I can develop the interviewing skill set.

Day 2 was an informal coffee meeting with another two people under which I'd be working. Nothing too bad. Flew threw it.

Day 3 F*cking sucked. 6 hours of straight interviews. They had every single person in the company interview me one by one. They'd ask me questions. I'd answer with more or less the same response to each person. Then they'd ask if I had any questions for them. Then they'd leave and the next person would come in.

Each person I'd ask the same question at the end "What's great about working here?" And half of the people would have the same response: "Well, there's a lot of rewards. For example, if you're number 1 in the office, you get a bonus of $5,000 at the end of the year. If you're in the top 10, you get a paid trip to Cabo! It's really amazing. I was one of the ones that got to go last year and it really made all of this hard work feel worth it."

Meanwhile I'm sitting there thinking: "Are you F*cking serious? You work 60 to 100 hours a week all year, so that one week of the year you can go to Cabo? And that's what makes it all worth it? F*ck. I'm technically unemployed and not making that much money, but if I wanted to, I could be in Cabo tomorrow. And I sure as F*ck could afford to splurge for one week even though I only make a fraction of what you make. My highlight of the year would be same as yours but it wouldn't come at the cost of quasi-slavery."

So around the 6 hour mark of being interviewed, I had enough. And as someone was asking me a question across the conference room table, I unconsciously closed my eyes, put my head down, and laid there for 10 seconds before I realized what I was doing. Then when I looked up, I saw a really confused look on the other person's face. I apologized. Said I was tired. They said no worries. The interviews ended, and they told me to send an email if I was still interested in working there. I was not and never did send that email.

When I left that office I realized how shitty peoples' lives are. They have these "prestigious" jobs working downtown, where they wear a suit to work, make "6-FIGURES!!", get to walk around the office like a hotshot, but end of the year only thing they appreciated was going to Cabo for one week out of the year to forget how miserable their day to day is.

It was at that point that I decided I'd rather be a $20k a year passive income bum than a $100k a year brainwashed corporate slave.

 

[Scot]

Sometimes I feel like my company sat on the committee to write The Script.

In many ways, I can defend the pharmaceutical industry in good faith. But there are days when I know thegood things we do don't outweigh the reality of it all.

I was so enamored by my job.

I was a rock star.

Walk into an office with Starbucks in one hand and a briefcase full of drugs in the other hand. Cute receptionists smiling big and waving at me. A nurse gives me a big hug and grabs her venti skinny soymilk late and calls me a life saver. I got my fat bonus check yesterday and on our morning conference call the regional director said I'm the one to go to for clinical knowledge.

Then I see the doctor, "Oh (insert name of drug), how about you go into this room and tell this patient who's dying why her prescription costs $1,200 a month"

All I can do is parrot back the party line, "blah blah insurance companies suck blah blah patient assistance program blah blah."

Suddenly, Im not a rock star. I'm the face of a company who makes a great drug for really sick people... and the price keeps going up every month.

And then I meet the husband of the patient and he tells you it's ok. Because he'll pay whatever he needs to to keep his wife alive. And then he tells me that none of the hospitals will put her on a transplant list because she's too sick.

And then my day just goes to shit.

Combine that with:

• Your CEO testifying before congress then getting fired with a $30 million severance
• Realizing that you're not getting paid for almost half the prescriptions you sold
• Realizing you're not going to hit quota because you're not getting paid on half of the scripts you sold
• Getting sold the dream of middle management only to be told you're not qualified when the position opens up

That's when I realized the system is rigged. And it sucks. And the only reason I go to work in the morning is because I can put 20% of that pay check towards my business.

When did you realize the system was rigged? More importantly, what did you do about it?

 

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[Aaron T]

I was fortunate in many ways realizing the Unscripted life early and quitting college, doing my own thing and loving it. I been more than happy with my life many times. But when I was young I didn't know how scripted the world was, how indoctrinated it was into the people around me, and I still thought a good job was a good thing. This is the story of one of those instances where things changed for me.

I was consulting for a while but decided to sell my consulting business. It as in Software Development and for some dumb reason I was not enamored with running it anymore even though it provided a good income. So I decided to take a few months off and start to build my "dream" home for that time. During the process of finding and funding my dream home I ran across a small mortgage firm that did specialized loans which was what I needed. For some reason the CEO convinced me that my skills would be helpful for them and to come work for them and build out their IT Infrastructure, their Software platforms, everything. It looked challenging so for some god awful reason I accepted this. Mind you this is after I was essentially retired, unscripted , building a multi-million dollar home with a small mortgage.

WTF was I thinking taking a job?

I have no idea. Briefly I bought into the notion that someone as young as I was at that time shouldn't be lounging around. My parents were on me that I need to work and my money wouldn't last. Insurance was expensive and a job would help me pay for it. I could build my retirement fund up even faster if I had the company 401k match and all. Yeah, I knew how to make money, but I was NOT smart about money, what I had, the value of time. I took the job. What ensued was a series of madness that got worse and worse over the years.

1. At first as we were smaller everyone was pretty nice but it didn't take long to realize company politics were incredibly toxic and nepotism was high
2. Work hours started at a leisurely 40 hours per week, but I was constantly asked for more and more and told to build the group
3. I hired over 40 people for IT/Software and hand built the entire company IT from the ground up including all the wiring/networking in a new office building
   1. 100 plus hour weeks donated to the company for that "sweet" 40 hour per week salary
   2. I had a IT Director title which I thought was important
   3. I had to manage everyone without another layer in between and I was constantly stressed out
4. Shortly after I got everything working and built up the CEO decided we needed a CTO.. I really thought it would be me
   1. He put his Uncle in charge as the CTO
   2. He gave his Uncle a huge salary that was orders of magnitude over mine
   3. His Uncle didn't even use a computer and had no idea how to push a mouse, double click or anything and then said the technical stuff was why I was there

OK so at this point I started getting frustrated and it was obvious. In a last ditch effort to keep me from leaving and the place from falling apart the CEO called me to his office with "Good" news. I was like maybe this is the bonus or something that I deserved. I quickly went up to his office and he told me that he was so happy for the work I been doing he will give me a much needed raise. He bumped me $3500 dollars. A YEAR. This is after working to the bone. He then gave me a basket of Oranges as bonus. Mind you I live in Florida. Oranges are not hard to find in Florida. I have them in backyard for free. I was shocked. He then said that over Christmas (few months away) I would be excited for what was coming and to hang tight.

I was disappointed but I thought a job was what I needed at this time so I stayed on. Believe it or not as bad as it was, that wasn't the thing that got me.

We were finishing a big paperless mortgage system that tied into an automated underwriting system. It will save the company millions and was a huge important project. I loved the work I was doing and loved the challenges so I doubled down. My home was being built and nearly finished and I was excited for that. I still had most of my money in the bank. Didn't need the work. But I thought the work was important and I needed to do it because that is what you are supposed to do at my age. Work until you can retire at a decent age. I was retired but still I bought into the script for unknown reasons.

Come end of October the system is ready to roll out. Happy times for all of us. My core team of 19 developers and I put in huge weeks, gave up on life, did everything so we could realize this system. We knew it would make millions for the company and save in overhead and time. The company planned a big Halloween party in the office and encouraged us all to come to the office in costumes. Party came, we were done, spirits are high. 3PM I got a call to go upstairs meet with CEO and President before the party. Go up, and he broke the news to me. They were going to lay off all the developers since they were not needed anymore and they wanted to start November off right. I had to bring them up to the room to deliver the news with HR so before the party started they would be out. They didn't want to damper the spirits.

Disbelief... Anger... Couldn't believe it.

I did what I was told. I took them up to the main conference room. Head of HR was there with packets. We were all in costumes. Hers? A clown outfit. Yes. It was that surreal. Everyone in my group were handed their papers and told to discreetly pack up and walk out. No severance. Nothing. Nearly a year of grueling work and that was the reward. They were highly compensated in at least they made Florida market rates for Developers, but again based on a 40 hour week not the 60+ that was required to get the job done on time. The reward? Getting kicked out so the company could save money.

The best part was the CTO, Uncle Bob, was coming into the building for the party about the time everyone was leaving. He rode up in a limo to the front of the building just as a couple of my guys were walking out, in costumes, boxes full of personal effects. He looked at them and laughed, then commented that he expected them to be gone before he showed up. It was so awful. I was escorting the poor guys out and he does that.

I couldn't contain myself. I thought, why am I doing this? I had it. I made more in my consulting gig working hours I chose to work (sometimes they were excessive then) in a month that I would get in a year. If I wanted an extra $3500 dollars then I would just do a little more work. Yes it was still changing time to value, but at a much higher level than any job. I happily sold the business. I happily retired. I then bought into the script that I was supposed to work. In return I had mostly misery for several years. I used my reputation to bring excellent developers into the business only to watch them get treated like shit and thrown out. All the while the CEO, President, and their relatives were benefiting and making millions off the company growth and stock.

My house was finished being built and I wasn't even home enough to enjoy it. My daughter was growing up and I rarely saw her. I would get up 3AM go the the office and come home at 9PM in time to kiss her goodnight. That day they let half my group go just to save a buck after this group gave them the software key to the mortgage universe, was the final straw.

It all became excessively clear to me in an instant. As the CTO was walking into the building and going to the party, I ran back inside and upstairs. I turned in my resignation. Avoided the arguments the CEO was making. Packed my stuff and walked out with my team. Shortly later nearly all of my team that had remained left.

By December their stock was delisted, Feds investigating, and lots of major issues found in the company. I didn't know how bad they were and how toxic that environment was. I for some reason bought into the job concept at a weak point in my life when I never needed to. I don't know why to this day. But I knew at that very moment it would never happen like that again.

I learned a few things out of this incident though so it was not a complete failure:

• My time was more valuable than any dollar amount
• I will never work a job unless I have control of it
• There is a concept of enough money and there should be no shame in it
• There is no shame in retiring early even if others think you are being lazy
• Time spent with your family pays back more than money could ever buy
• I am in control of my own destiny and no one anywhere will ever control it for me and as a result this period in my life was my fault as I allowed it to happen and I will choose to allow it again
• If I want more money, then start my own business and create my own things
• No excuses - seriously.. none

I left, took time off. Used that time to start a new AI based voice business that patented some items that sold to Nuance. Used that to build things for the biometric world. Not all success, but each thing built to the next. I worked hard, smart, and on my schedule. There were days I would stop, look at my daughter, and just be like.. let's go to Disney. We would up and leave that day, that moment, sometimes for a week at a time. That was living. No job allows that.

This is a long post and I left details out.. but I had to share.

TL DR
F*ck a job, shitty bosses, horrible toxic work environments. Leave all your excuses at the door and make your own life what you want of it. There is no reason for you to deal with a shitty situation for a moment. There is every reason for you to work hard for yourself and no one else. Don't work hard to make your boss rich.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

When did you realize the system was rigged?

About my 4th year in college... had a ton of debt, but felt no better prepared to provide value to the world.

It was then I knew I would graduate as a debt serf and my college would award me a piece of paper and say "Congrats! Now go get 'em kid!"

 

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[Nicoknowsbest]

When did you realize the system was rigged? More importantly, what did you do about it?

Experience one: "One of these mornings."

I had one of these moments when I was 14 and took one of my first internships over the summer.

I finished my year at high school and then got all excited the next Monday, when I entered the office at 7:30, ready to tear the world apart.

Well, a few weeks later, I didn't get it anymore.

I thought school was bad.

But this?

Getting up at 6:30 every morning to be at the office and start work at 7:30?

Gulping down lunch in around 10 minutes, because 10 minutes was spent walking to the fast food joint and 10 minutes was spent walking back?

Healthy food? Ha!

Then buzzing away in the afternoon until 5:30?

Having colleagues who just gossip?

And the list goes on and on and on...

After finishing my internship I was like: "Oh. My. God. How can somebody live through that for 40 years? I need to think of something before I finish high school."

------

Experience 02: "The world is waiting for you?"

Finishing high school with a grade average as good as it gets, I felt like the king leaving school.

"Harvard's going to call!" I thought.

Well, Harvard didn't call.

"McKenzie is going to call!" I thought.

Well, McKenzie didn't call.

Actually, nobody called.

Nobody cared.

So I went to university.

And this is where script-sh*t got real.

------

Experience 03: "We see huge potential in you."

After dabbling away at freelancing a few years back, I decided to get a REAL job.

Because hey, that's what people do, right?

So I applied for a "normal" job at an advertising agency and 3 weeks later, I started.

After my first month, I was called to the CEO's office.

"We are very impressed with you. We see huge potential in you. Just keep on going..."

I was well aware of the script back then, so I couldn't really be happy about this.

But somebody gotta pay the bills, all right?

Fast forward 1,5 years and raising through the ranks, I was promised a pay-raise when days were less hectic.

Well, it never came to that.

I was in a leading position, getting the paycheck of a student starting out.

The CEO ignored my emails for 6 weeks and avoided my attempts to talk to him in person.

Enough was enough.

I cut the rope.

------

Experience 04: "That's just the way it is."

Just yesterday I had a networking/collaboration meeting with two people in my industry.

They have been doing this for 6 and 13 years.

They still struggle to pay bills.

"This industry just sucks."

"Well, I wasn't born to have a better life."

Trying to suggest something productive, I was thinking of things that work for me.

"Nah, this is not how you do things." was the answer.

Uhm, really?

Thanks, but no thanks!

------

The script is EVERYWHERE.

We are being indoctrinated at all stages through our lives, via numerous channels.

The force is strong.

We are stronger.

Let's unsubscribe!

Let's unsubscribe from the plans somebody else made for us.

Let's unsubscribe from what the system has in place for us.

Let's unsubscribe from mental fogginess.

Let's unsubscribe from being a victim.

Let's subscribe to a life full of action and freedom.

 

[JAJT]

I had the benefit of growing up poor and also being screwed one way or another at almost every job I ever held.

First company went bankrupt 3 months after hiring me.
Second company reduced commissions and salaries every year while making the hours crappier until they fired me to make an example out of me just before the company was purchased for a sum that gave all employees gigantic paydays that I was left out of.
Third company promised the world and delivered peanuts.
Fourth company laid me off 4 months after being hired because of lies an employee was telling to get ahead
Fifth company expanded my role, limited commissions, and ultimately did a company wide "temporary" salary rollback and told me I was one of the lucky ones who didn't lose as much as some other people did.

This is the abridged version. Needless to say, it wasn't a huge leap of faith to decide that something wasn't working.

Honestly, I feel really bad for the folks that haven't hit a landmine in life yet. They have no reason not to trust the system that hasn't failed them yet. It's a pleasant stroll through the field, carried by good fortune until something goes boom. And sadly for these folks after they hit their first mine they are so deep in the shit that they are woefully ill equipped to adapt to reality.

 

[BlakeRVA]

When I was in college I began coaching young kids and was paid $10/hour.

Shortly after graduating, I moved to a new city and began running my own coaching program.

At first, I had no idea how I would get customers. I figured I would talk to the few people I knew and post on a local community app. Nevertheless, I moved forward.

I'll never forget the first email I got asking "How much do you charge?"

I wasn't sure what to say because I was so used to other people telling me how much I was worth. I calculated how much my previous employer was charging and decided to ask for half. Even though I knew that parents had gladly paid me twice what I was asking for, I still felt a sense of self doubt and immediately started justifying my price and even offered to reduce it if necessary.

Yet nobody complained about the price. My income had magically increased eight-fold doing the exact same work I had done before. And people even told me I was cheap.

This event has been a defining moment in my life. I've read for years books about entrepreneurship, self-employment, and financial independence, but I had never actually experienced it. This was my first taste of freedom. And man does it taste good!

I'm still working towards making my way out of the employee world, but this experience has instilled in me a sense of confidence that I can make the shift to an UNSCRIPTED life. I am running my program again this year and charging even more with a backlog of eager customers. I'm paying off student loans, saving money, and working on building something even bigger.

Moral of the story: YES! you really can keep for yourself all the money your employer is making off your hard work.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Essentially college teaches you how to attract someone who can feed you. (Job)

Entrepreneurship teaches you how to become someone who can feed himself. (Business)

Experience one: "One of these mornings."

I had one of these moments when I was 14 and took one of my first internships over the summer.

I finished my year at high school and then got all excited the next Monday, when I entered the office at 7:30, ready to tear the world apart.

Well, a few weeks later, I didn't get it anymore.

I thought school was bad.

But this?

Getting up at 6:30 every morning to be at the office and start work at 7:30?

Gulping down lunch in around 10 minutes, because 10 minutes was spent walking to the fast food joint and 10 minutes was spent walking back?

Healthy food? Ha!

Then buzzing away in the afternoon until 5:30?

Having colleagues who just gossip?

And the list goes on and on and on...

After finishing my internship I was like: "Oh. My. God. How can somebody live through that for 40 years? I need to think of something before I finish high school."

------

Experience 02: "The world is waiting for you?"

Finishing high school with a grade average as good as it gets, I felt like the king leaving school.

"Harvard's going to call!" I thought.

Well, Harvard didn't call.

"McKenzie is going to call!" I thought.

Well, McKenzie didn't call.

Actually, nobody called.

Nobody cared.

So I went to university.

And this is where script-sh*t got real.

------

Experience 03: "We see huge potential in you."

After dabbling away at freelancing a few years back, I decided to get a REAL job.

Because hey, that's what people do, right?

So I applied for a "normal" job at an advertising agency and 3 weeks later, I started.

After my first month, I was called to the CEO's office.

"We are very impressed with you. We see huge potential in you. Just keep on going..."

I was well aware of the script back then, so I couldn't really be happy about this.

But somebody gotta pay the bills, all right?

Fast forward 1,5 years and raising through the ranks, I was promised a pay-raise when days were less hectic.

Well, it never came to that.

I was in a leading position, getting the paycheck of a student starting out.

The CEO ignored my emails for 6 weeks and avoided my attempts to talk to him in person.

Enough was enough.

I cut the rope.

------

Experience 04: "That's just the way it is."

Just yesterday I had a networking/collaboration meeting with two people in my industry.

They have been doing this for 6 and 13 years.

They still struggle to pay bills.

"This industry just sucks."

"Well, I wasn't born to have a better life."

Trying to suggest something productive, I was thinking of things that work for me.

"Nah, this is not how you do things." was the answer.

Uhm, really?

Thanks, but no thanks!

------

The script is EVERYWHERE.

We are being indoctrinated at all stages through our lives, via numerous channels.

The force is strong.

We are stronger.

Let's unsubscribe!

Let's unsubscribe from the plans somebody else made for us.

Let's unsubscribe from what the system has in place for us.

Let's unsubscribe from mental fogginess.

Let's unsubscribe from being a victim.

Let's subscribe to a life full of action and freedom.

Rep+

1. When I had a job and every single morning while driving to work, the west-bound lane of traffic (which heads in the direction of the city) was laden with traffic, no matter how early I left home, I was guaranteed a jam, while the east-bound lane (which I like to say where the beaches are directed) the lanes were free and easy to get by - (lol, there were businesses/jobs in that direction too, but, the beaches are more that way.)

That describes a lot of cities here in the US. The roads into the city are jammed -- the roads out are free flowing.

 

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[SteveO]

My father worked construction. He left when I was in my early teens. I started working in my early teens as that was the only way for me get clothes and spending money. There was very little attention paid to what others had as that just led to envy.

I don't think that there was ever a time that concern was given about the system. The pleasures in life were there for the taking.

I feel very strongly that we are in charge of our reality. It is easy to blame circumstances and others for our problems. In reality, we have few problems as most is blown out of proportion.

It is all in our perspective.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

When things that should be FREE because of my FREEDOM, there is actually license or a fee that I have to buy. If I don't, I am threatened with penalties.

Rights are confiscated by the government and then sold back to you as a privilege.

From trash removal, to having a chicken that lays eggs, to putting shutters on your house.

Freedom is a hyperreality.

 

[JWelch]

I realized the system was rigged when I spent $800 on a college class and $150 on the books for a course that taught me how to take better notes.

 

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[TheOwl8]

When I was 23 I started to work my first "real job" after graduating from college with a fortune 500 company. I thought I was making good money with my starting salary.

I'm an accountant and so one day I decided to sit down create a projected cash flow of my future net income. I went the whole way on this spreadsheet, including promotions, inflation, investment returns, discounting the cash flows, coming up with every estimated expense I could think of. I must have put 40 hours into this stupid spreadsheet.

And what I found horrified me. There it was, right in front of me, in cold hard numbers. It was going to take me at least 30 years to reach my financial freedom. And that was if I didn't get fired or sick or divorced. That woke me up. It wasn't my opinion, it was math and I couldn't argue with it.

 

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[G-Man]

That describes a lot of cities here in the US. The roads into the city are jammed -- the roads out are free flowing.

And in every car there's a head pointed down already self-medicating on a smartphone by 8 am.

 

[Sean Kaye]

When things that should be FREE because of my FREEDOM, there is actually license or a fee that I have to buy. If I don't, I am threatened with penalties.

Rights are confiscated by the government and then sold back to you as a privilege.

From trash removal, to having a chicken that lays eggs, to putting shutters on your house.

Freedom is a hyperreality.

View attachment 15355

I take the libertarian view of victimless crimes - they should not exist.

I once got stopped by the police for taking an on-ramp onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge that was dedicated for buses between 6am-10am. The "car" lane was right next to it but an entirely different on-ramp. No actual rhyme or reason for this division of lanes, there were no buses anywhere near me, but there was a police car parked in the access lane around the corner of the on-ramp out of sight pulling over cars.

$185 ticket, 2 demerit points for choosing the wrong lane.

I asked the police officer why that was a penalty and he babbled about the flow of traffic and trying to encourage people to take public transport - which is largely bullshit because the government makes a F*ckton of money off tolls on the Harbour Bridge and all the other toll roads in Sydney.

Pissed off, I drove to my office, jumped on my computer and decided to just pay the fine right away to avoid thinking of it. About three weeks later in the mail I get a letter from the Office of State Revenue with a cheque for $185 explaining that the fine I paid was invalid. I called up a friend of mine who worked at State Revenue and he said there was a problem with the ticketing collecting system that if you paid your fine before the Police had an opportunity to enter the details, it invalidated the ticket with an incorrect ID #.

It was like poetic justice - bullshit fine invalidated because honest tax paying citizen dutifully paid the fine too quickly.

Sean 1 - Stupid Laws 0

 

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[mmcconnell1618]

When did you realize the system was rigged? More importantly, what did you do about it?

My first job right out of college was to be a programmer for a rather large life insurance company. I quickly realized the place was a hell hole and I was being asked to perform menial tasks for other lazy employees.

I was thinking about quitting when my boss called a meeting to inform everyone that he had a solution to our problems... wait for it.... Day Planners for everyone! The next two hours of pain involved my boss explaining to everyone the exact right way to use the Day Planner. Decision made. I was getting out of this place.

I asked my boss to chat privately in his office. He listened to my issues and then asked me if I was quitting. I said "unless things change." His response: "You know you'll have to give back the Day Planner!" Holy Shit! I was quitting and all he cared about was the damn Day Planner? I had no doubts about my decision.

I started a consulting business with a friend and we did IT work around the city for the next two years making twice as much as I was getting paid at the Day Planner dungeon. Unfortunately, I was still trading time for money and didn't fully realize how scripted my life had been.

I moved to NYC and got my dream job building web sites for name brand companies and feeling that my six figure salary at age 24 meant I had made it. After a year, I was called into a conference room with a couple of co-workers and the CEO was on speaker phone. He wanted to let us know that some people were being "let go" from the NY office but we didn't have to worry because he considered us his "A-Team" and our jobs were safe. Fast forward two months and I'm again called into a conference room but this time I'm told that if I agree to sign away my rights to sue the company, I can keep the severance check in the envelope in front of me. While this is happening, I'm being locked out of my computer system as a precaution in case I decide to delete something on my way out the door.

That was when I honestly knew the game was rigged. I had done everything right. I had played by the rules. I was making more than $100,000 a year at age 25 in NYC and I was part of the A-Team. The CEO said it himself! But, I was just a tool for the company. They didn't care about me in any way. They treated me like a criminal the moment they decided I was no longer needed.

I feel blessed that I got to learn that lesson at such a young age. I took a high paying contract job helping a startup get off the ground and stockpiled as much cash as I could. I moved away from NYC to a place with a much lower cost of living and I decided to start a software company helping small businesses sell online like I was doing for big businesses. The cash I built up from the contracting job paid for me to spend 6 months building version 1.0 of the software. The first year I sold $12,000. That's a far cry from a six-figure salary but at least I knew that no one could fire me but myself. I worked my tail off and eventually had 5 people working for me. I made more money than I ever did at a job and created intellectual property that still brings in royalty checks to this day.

I haven't achieved full money system independence yet but I'm on my way and I'm inspired by MJ's books and the incredible stories here.

 

[Waspy]

I realised pretty early. At school in fact. I was always a straight A student so everyone, teachers, parents, friends were expecting me to follow the good grades > good degree > good job route.

But my brain just wasn't wired that way. I can't pin point who the influencer was (nobody in my circle of influence was entrepreneurial) but it just didn't sit right with me. I knew a good job wouldn't get me where I wanted to be. I really do wish I knew who to thank, because I seemed aware of the SCRIPT at about 14 years old.

When I told people I wouldn't go to uni/college one teacher even told me it was a "waste of my intelligence" . Luckily my parents were supportive of the decision, although it still didn't sit well with them (upstanding slowlaners).

 

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[MarekvBeek]

Funny, my "realization" came after I watched the documentary series Zeitgeist.

It showed how the money system works with debt, and that debt is what keeping people aslave.

But the movies were actually very darky, because a lot of conspiracy theory was discussed in that movie. So that resulted in a very negative view of the world for me.

It took me several years before I could see that there were positive aspects about "the system" as well, like entrepreneurship/ownership.

As a young kid, I always dreamed about being an entrepreuneur. And I never gave up on that dream.

I always KNEW some people were doing things different, so they got paid in a different way.

For example, I've worked closely with an entrepreneur of about my same age. I was making sales calls for his company, but he collected the money.

If a cliënt pays $600 for a website (what everyone could do), and my comission was $100, then that $500 must go somehow to someone else's pocket, including his. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense for him to hire me.

When I was young, my family took me on trips and vacations to Asia many times. In that way I could see the difference between a person who got paid less money for doing the same amount of work.

The world is not equal. It is only in balance.

So I made the decision at a very young age, to go find the right side of "the balance".

And many people along the way, including @MJ DeMarco (thanks for his book TMF ) helped me see this path more clearly.

I just didn't wanted to be a slave of "the system".

So I made the decision to fight for freedom, no matter what would happen.

It all started with this one little tiny decision...

 

[MattR82]

I've always had an entrepreneurial mind from a young age, around 9 probably, whe n I pretty much considered myself the best hot young prospect coming up. I believe I was going to solve the problem of soaking up oil slicks in the ocean haha.

But the embarrassing truth is that I only saw the script for what it was after reading a book. And it was.. I have to say it.. rich dad poor dad. And it was only about 3 years ago at age 32. I'm of course not a fan of his now, but I can't deny I didn't take something from the book. Thankfully it led me on the path to reading TMF a year later. That's what truly got me. I always knew something wasn't right though and wanted my own business, but was definitely not aware of the script.

Edit: actually, you know what, there was a moment of clarity long before that that always stuck with me. I was in my first year of university, studying a bachelor of business full time and working full time as a trainee accountant. I remember looking around at the established guys and thinking, yeah, ok, they are making ok money now at 30, but some are still studying their CPA.. and it wasn't even amazing money. Helluva lot of work. To make it you needed to be a partner. Add another 10 years.

Then I went back to doing a tax return (well.. worksheets..) for a banana farmer that would come into the office in dirty work clothes and his big a$$ dogs (he would actually take them into my bosses office and they would sit there like hounds ready to devour him haha baller).

He made over 500k that year.

Also.. my friends are sick of hearing the banana farmer story.

 

[CareCPA]

At my first job out of college, at an accounting firm, I overheard one of partners saying how great the engagement they just booked was. Our firm did some outsourcing, so we would send our employees to a client to work - sort of like a specialized staffing office.

The engagement they booked was something like $100 an hour for our bookkeeper to be there. We were paying the bookkeeper around $20. That meant the firm kept $80 an hour just for making the connection. $3,200 a week if it was full time.

When I heard that, I vowed to do what I needed to in order to get the experience to work on my own. Why would I want to give up that kind of money? I wanted to cut out the middleman and keep it for myself.

Yes, I'm still trading hours for dollars, but at a much higher rate right now. Next step will be to scale it.

 

[InspireHD]

When I would send a piece of paper out to 100 businesses and have 100 of them tell me I wasn't good enough. At least that's how it made me feel. It wrecked me. Looking for a job with a resume was and is probably one of the worst things someone has to deal with. I still can't wrap my mind around it.

I've never had to work a corporate job so hearing all the horror stories scares me. I don't even know if I can work in an environment like that now. I've mentioned what I do in other threads and I get paid well for what I do (and don't do). The benefits put you square in the center of the comfort zone. I struggle with the idea that I might have to give that up some day, but I also can't see myself doing it for another 21 years. I'm afraid that 21 years from now I'll still be feeling the same way -- annoyed with the job, mentally drained all the time, and not feeling fulfilled. I'm comfortable, but not satisfied. As much as I feel those ways, the only outcome I see is building a business that replaces the income I make so I can work for myself. I can't imagine a scenario where I take a major pay cut to work in the corporate world. I've been getting impatient because I'm not making progress.

Maybe it's all a blessing in disguise. I'm working on it.

 

[Scot]

At my first job out of college, at an accounting firm, I overheard one of partners saying how great the engagement they just booked was. Our firm did some outsourcing, so we would send our employees to a client to work - sort of like a specialized staffing office.

The engagement they booked was something like $100 an hour for our bookkeeper to be there. We were paying the bookkeeper around $20. That meant the firm kept $80 an hour just for making the connection. $3,200 a week if it was full time.

When I heard that, I vowed to do what I needed to in order to get the experience to work on my own. Why would I want to give up that kind of money? I wanted to cut out the middleman and keep it for myself.

Yes, I'm still trading hours for dollars, but at a much higher rate right now. Next step will be to scale it.

This concept always blew my mind. When you have an agency sub contract out for a job. I remember when we got our drywall done in our house I couldn't wrap my head around this. The owner of the company simply dropped off the equipment and was never seen again. And his worker did 100% of the work. But I can guarantee you he didn't get 100% of the $4000 we paid for the work.

I guess that's what happens when you don't have an entrepreneurial mindset.

 

[CareCPA]

This concept always blew my mind. When you have an agency sub contract out for a job. I remember when we got our drywall done in our house I couldn't wrap my head around this. The owner of the company simply dropped off the equipment and was never seen again. And his worker did 100% of the work. But I can guarantee you he didn't get 100% of the $4000 we paid for the work.

I guess that's what happens when you don't have an entrepreneurial mindset.

Some people are happy just to show up and get a steady paycheck. It's much easier.

 

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[Scot]

When Tower 7 fell.

This is a thread about hating your day job. Not conspiracy theories. I worked for the government. They're too stupid to pull anything off.

 

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[SquatchMan]

We go to school from 5 years old to 18 years old.

From 8AM-3PM. We have a teacher telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to go to the bathroom, when to go on lunch/break, when to move class, and when to go to the next grade. We also can't speak up during class without raising our hand.

From 18 years old to 65 years old:

From 9AM-5PM. We have a boss telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to skip work, leave early, go to the bathroom (depending on the job), and have our company tell us when to go on break/lunch.

I slowly realized that school was just a way to prep the next generation of employees. Teach them some basic reading/writing, some arithmetic, and how to follow orders.

It's a good thing the system is setup this way. I honestly don't think it would work if there were more entrepreneurs than worker bees. Who would we hire?

I'm pretty sure I read this on this forum or in the books. It's been a while.

 

[Iammelissamoore]

I recognised the system was rigged:

1. When I had a job and every single morning while driving to work, the west-bound lane of traffic (which heads in the direction of the city) was laden with traffic, no matter how early I left home, I was guaranteed a jam, while the east-bound lane (which I like to say where the beaches are directed) the lanes were free and easy to get by - (lol, there were businesses/jobs in that direction too, but, the beaches are more that way.)

2. When the government of our country and during every single election (to date) would keep speaking about how they are creating jobs and that 'we the people can "rely on them" for employment.' They'd barely ever speak about creating business opportunities, because of the fear that people would gain some sense of independence and no longer "rely on them" as their slave-masters.

3. Whenever I had conversations wih my dad about owning my successful businesses, and because going into business for my generation is fearly a new thing (about within the past decade) and he often questioned why would I want to take such a huge risk, when I already had a great-paying, secure job.

4. When at a point I used to go to church, often times the message would always be to rely on 'someone else' to provide for me, because well, maybe I, as an individual would forever be incapable of going the extra mile in providing for myself.

5. When I spoke with some people about out-of-this-world, superb ideas and for the life of them they can't seem to fathom it, even if they apply their imagination, simply because the programming to thinking myopically is so thickly ingrained into us. Used to think I was weird, but then I overstood how and why.

This is when I began taking note and moving to the beat of my own rhythm. I recognised the system is rigged.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

If anyone wants to truly see how the system is "rigged", watch any food related documentary on Netflix and how the government and their boards and their lobbying groups are all scratching each other's backs.

Yes, I'm a capitalist, but not a capitalist because it's profitable to people into the SICKCARE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX and then profit off treating them. It's like poisoning someone and claiming you're good because you also are providing relief from the poisoning.

Big Ag gets you sick legally by pushing shit food as normal and acceptable.
Big Pharm and Big-Health and Big-Insurance treats your diabetes, obesity, low energy...

And after you feel lethargic after drinking a 32oz jug of Pepsi, BIG MEDIA will distract you, but not of course after Pepsi sponsors the Juvenile Diabetes foundation.

If there was ever 1 sign of RIGGED, there it is:



Put all 5 industries together and you get the ultimate cluster-f*ck of rigged.

I can't even do a TRUMP BILLIONS...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_aLESDql1U

Because it's TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS...

 

[Mr.Chaos]

Is the system really rigged? I mean for most people they are completely content with the script, most would cringe at the idea of having to work harder than you are "paid to do". Some would flat out rather die than go build a business after working a semi-stressful 9 hour a day job. I mean who would give up netflix and "orange is the new black" to become financially independent in 5-10+ years?

Is the system meant to contain? Yes, it is. However, the exit routes have always been available for those willing to go the extra mile.

Afterall, the system is what creates the consumer market.

Could you imagine if everyone was a "real" entrepreneur? Who would buy your fidget spinners?

Most likely your bosses, bosses, boss, the founder of the company, started off just like many of us, just an entrepreneur with a mission and drive to be different.

And soon hopefully quite a few of us here will eventually hire our own people and they too will complain about the system...but only a few will decide to escape it.

I am thankful to have immediate access to my companies director. I love to watch how he interacts with vendors and clients, even as an employepreneur I find tremendous value in how my company/bosses/managers operate and take notes daily.

Just my thoughts.

 

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[Ludachris]

I know this meme has been floating around lately, but it reminded me of the realization I had long ago and it's something I think about daily at my slow lane "day job". Business owners need people to perform tasks for them. If those people aren't performing the tasks, the business won't profit. They don't want you to work hard and get to where they are, they want you to work hard to propel them even further. You are nothing more than a lever they control to help them reach their own goals of freedom. Some people are fine knowing that. I've always felt strongly about controlling my own destiny, even as a kid. It's never been about being rich for me, it was about independence and doing things a different way while questioning/challenging the norms (or, the system). As we all know, independence requires money.

Funny enough, many of us will rely on that same slow lane workforce to get to where we want to be. Hopefully not everyone wakes up and chooses to live UNSCRIPTED all at once! We'll all be in trouble LOL!

Another realization that stands out for me...

Around 15 years ago, when I made the jump to being full time self employed I remember trying to get a new health insurance policy for myself and my wife through an individual plan. We were both working for ourselves at the time and could no longer rely on employer health plans. When you make that jump it's pretty clear how rigged the system is in favor of the corporate employer model, with health benefits being tied to employment. Working for an employer to get health benefits is certainly the safer way to go and a major incentive for people to get a job.

Health insurance plans have never really been tailored to the low volume, self employed business owner. And the average slow-laner has no clue what it's like trying to get health insurance as an individual because all they know is the scripted system and can't fathom leaving that system. After being denied for preexisting conditions a couple of times for very minor issues, then having to take a policy with riders for those issues, it was clear the risk I was was taking by working on my own business was much larger than I had originally thought - the stakes are even higher when you have kids. Configuring the system so that health insurance is tied to employment works great to keep people enslaved to a job. It will be interesting to see how the politicians shape the future on this issue.

 

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[jon.a]

Oh no trust me, I get that and I get how margins work in my industry. But it still doesn't make it easy when a doctor guilts you with dying patients.

And our former CEO belongs in prison, but that's a different story for a different day.

That would be the volunteer doctor healing people for free?

 

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[Christopher777]

On taking jobs, I would try my best not to take one even if its for earning extra dough for funding, gaining experience or finding Fastlane needs. The time costs and risks of SCRIPT indoctrination are just too dangerous to justify.

Thankfully, I didn't need to wait until I graduated and got a job to find out the system was rigged.

I totally agree here. This is a dilemma for many of us who had to start over. I have observed how this happens and it is definitely insidious.

It requires massive vigilance because the minute you step into where the crowd congregates, all arrows are pointing on you, poised to own your mind, your time and your soul. Lol


It's actually really funny because it is definitely an illusion. A trap. And the fact that everybody hates it and everybody wants to get out of it, all the while wanting the very same things WE want.

And YET VERY FEW OF US have the guts to say F*ck you to everyone else.

This post just upped my bravery level 1000%.

We often need to be reminded more than instructed.

This is MY TIME and YOUR time we're talking about here.

Time is life. We all want to spend it the best way we can.

And now that we can NEVER go back to that myopic viewpoint of life,

It's ON US. We owe it first, to ourselves, then to our confused brethren.