Why do You Have a Job? Five False Beliefs that Lead People into Jobs they Hate
by: Debra Lea Thorsen
If you find yourself stuck in a job that you don't enjoy or in a
company that isn't fun to work for, the first step to making a change is
asking yourself, “How did I get here?” Your being here at this time in
your life is not a random event. You have made choices and decisions
along the way to get here. Your individual journey has led you to this
exact point.
And you are not broken. You don't need to be fixed. No one is to
blame. You have made choices based upon beliefs that you have held. And
beliefs are nothing more than thought habits. They are ideas that you
have thought over and over again until they became a belief. Like an old
record, you may be stuck in a groove or a belief that no longer works
for you.
So, before you decide to leave your job or company or make any
change, it is a valuable exercise to pause for a moment and examine your
beliefs. If you don't take the time to do this, you will make choices
based upon old beliefs and end up in the same place.
In working with my coaching clients, I find that there are five key
beliefs that lead people into a job that does not bring them joy. I will
outline them here.
Belief #1: Money: Getting a corporate job is the best way to make
money. We are all conditioned to believe that having a job is the best
way to make money by our parents, teachers, and many well-meaning
adults. There is a systemic belief in our society that a job is the best
path to wealth. It is simply not true. You will never make significant
wealth (of the retire early, be completely financially free, lack of
money doesn't guide my decisions type of wealth) by going to a 9 to 5 job.
I often read stories in mainstream magazines of people who retire
early by having two income earners in the family, living extremely
frugally, and saving almost all of their earnings for retirement. Not a
really fun way to live in my estimation!
I would rather earn lots of money doing what I love on my own time
schedule and not waiting until I retire to have fun. Can I do this in a
regular job? I couldn't. I was making a six-figure income working insane
hours and traveling constantly. I made less money early in my career
doing the 8:30 to 5:30 grind but I wasn't having any fun and I spent
every dollar that I earned.
Why can't you good make money in a job? First, only the top echelon
of workers make over $100,000. The system is set up this way – as a
pyramid. The corporate pyramid has lots of low-paid worker bees and only
a few high-paid executives. Second, you are taxed heavily on earned
income. The tax system is designed to benefit corporations. Third, you
don't get any residual income – once you stop working, the dollars stop
coming. You aren't building up any passive income streams. You may
design a product or software for your company – but the company gets the
passive or residual income from your efforts.
Equity = wealth. All equity goes to the shareholders. It is great to
work in a company that offers its employees an ownership stake – in fact
I wouldn't consider working for one that doesn't. The only downside is
that you don't have control of most of the decisions being made. I know
many people who have been downsized out of tech companies because the
leadership team made bad decisions.
(continued...)
Why do You Have a Job? Five False Beliefs that Lead People into Jobs they Hate
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About The Author
Find out how to break free from the corporate world. Debra Thorsen is a
happy corporate escapee who helps individuals create real wealth and
happiness without 9 to 5 jobs. Visit fearlessguides.com for free
tips on career change, wealth building, and living without fear.
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