I grew up in a traditional household.  My mom was a teacher all her life until retirement.  My dad has worked for a few companies over his lifetime, but worked for the last one for 15 or 20 years until he was forced to retire early due to cutbacks.  I grew up in an environment permeated with the attitude of “get a job, work hard, be loyal and they will take care of you.” 

As I grew up, I discovered that the culture and rules of the game were changing.  I also had the growing feeling that I didn’t want to be a cog in the machinery – that there is more to life…  Now I’ve read many investment/money/life management books which helped plant ideas, but that I never fully implemented the ideas.  I assume that would be a similar tale for most people.  A catalyst was needed: something to break the inertia of staying in my current condition.

I live in the Pacific Northwest in the US.  Many of our major companies (and smaller) in the area have started major layoffs.  My company announced layoffs too.  (Luckily, I’m in a position that is very safe – mainly due to the department I’m in.)  Also this area is IT company heavy so now the market is flooded with extra IT people.  I just got into the field 2 years ago and am going back to school to fill in the gaps.  I would have a hard time finding a job in my field if I were laid off.  I had one of those eye-opening, sinking feelings of how dependant I am on my job and how I’ve willingly spent myself into a form of slavery.  Despite good intentions and some awareness, I had completely surrendered to the consumer trap without realizing it.  While staring at the red pill, I unconsciously took the blue pill.

The catalyst had arrived.

So where to go from here?  I felt very strongly about needing to get this in order and get it started that I am taking time off from school to do this.  I’ve taken off spring and summer quarters.  My own path has been influenced by several different sources. I’ve listed below what I would consider the strongest influences on me in deciding how to move forward:

Early Retirement Extreme at http://earlyretirementextreme.com/
The Art of Nonconformity at http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

I first started with the idea that I needed different ways of bringing in income.  I believe the hot phrase is “multiple streams of income.”  Now I’ve tried several different things in the past and they didn’t succeed.  I wasn’t passionate about those ideas so the effort and desire were not there.  This was my first priority: figure out side-businesses that I am passionate about.  Over a couple of weeks, I came up with eight ideas.  Most likely only three or four have any decent chance to be a viable side-business, but I didn’t want to limit myself while brainstorming.  The next step, I got from The Art of Nonconformity’s “how to conduct your own annual review.”  I took a week off from work.  I spent most of that time in various coffee shops with a notebook and letting my mind gently focus on the task at hand.  I explored the side-business ideas, discussed those ideas with a few close friends to get feedback, listed what I had accomplished last year, and what I want to accomplish this year.  After a week, I came up with a fairly solid, life-balanced plan.  It is a good feeling.

So what are my end goals for the side-businesses?  I am not looking to make them into a full time job (neither would I ignore the chance if it appeared), but just to supplement my income.  The combination of supplementing my income and reducing my expenses will reduce the disparity between the two.  Who knows, maybe someday they will cross over and then I will be able to live on the side-business’ income if needed.

So my catalyst has arrived and broke that inertia.  Now I have to consciously keep moving and be more aware lest I fall into the trap again.

And you?  I’m curious about other people’s experiences with starting side-businesses or breaking away from consumerism.  Have you done it?  In the process or planning to?

The subjects which politics brings up tend to be very emotional.  Of course that is on purpose, but it is easy to fall into the trap.  The trap?  Why to make the subjects about moral issues.  No matter what your personal morals are, they are morals which are to be held “sacred.”  This incorrectly takes the political discussion from governance issues to moral issues.  Compromise in relation to governance issues is a matter of fact, even though the process may be extremely frustrating.  The most vivid example I can think of (no doubt being American brought this to the forefront in my mind) is of the American founding fathers hashing out the US Constitution while stuck in Philadelphia.  No one was completely happy with the final result and Benjamin Franklin summed up the feelings, "There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them." (source)  A product of compromise that seems to have held up fairly well.  Compromise in relation to morals is an unacceptable thing.  I (relative I) am correct and those that believe different are wrong.  Not much to work with for middle ground, eh?  The “discussions” turn from how best to govern to a the equivalent of a third grade argument.  “Did”  “Did not” “Did” ad nauseum…  So how do we get away from it?  I don’t know, but we must work on minimizing it so that real discussions can happen.  I think that Richard Dreyfuss put it best, “We owe ourselves…to relearn the tools of reason, logic, clarity, dissent, civility, and debate. And those things are the non-partisan basis of  democracy and without them you can kiss this thing (democracy) goodbye.” (video source)  I, myself, am struggling to learn these skills. 

I seemed to get sidetracked.  Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get sidetracked when it is dark out, nearly silent, and you have that gently breeze coming in off the water?  I love nights like these.  Very easy to let the imagination run wild on these nights.  Umm.. where was I? 

There has been a slew of news items on Palin.  There seems to be multiple ethical questions/investigations.  They are only investigations at this point, but they seem to have at least some merit at this time.  She has lied about the “bridge to nowhere” and gets caught in, shall we call them, “contradictions” which need “clarification.”  So she lies and used her office for personal matters.  Sadly, this puts her on par with the other politicians in my opinion.  So that is not my huge concern because my ethical expectations of politicians is very low.  My concern is how many times that she utters the phrase, “is God’s will.”  I was raised in a very strong Roman Catholic household.  I don’t attend church often anymore because I find some church actions hypocritical, but my dad doesn’t care: “Just read the Bible,” he says and I do.  Having also attended several Jesuit schools, I feel that I am fairly versed in the subject.  I have yet to see how it is “God’s will” that Palin builds a pipeline in Alaska and that we invaded Iraq.  (935 false statements leading up to Iraq war and excerpt from Vincent Bugliosi's new book)  I have watched video of Palin claiming that at least those two examples above were “God’s will.” (video source)  This may have just been pandering to the church she was speaking to, but I don’t know.  And I doubt in the short time before the election that I will see an interview that delves into this subject.  This scares me.  It scares me because it is a fundamentalist attitude that makes what actions she feels she wants to take into actions that are now “God’s will” of which there are no questions… you either agree or are wrong. (Seems I didn’t get so sidetracked after all!  Oh Mr. Subconscious, you are a sneaky one!)  Now I don’t know if that is how she truly feels, but I don’t think I will find out before the election.  I would rather not take the chance when the John McCain is 72 years old and has had four separate operations to remove melanoma, “an invasive form of skin cancer that claims the lives of up to 34% of those diagnosed within 10 years”, in 1993, 2000x2, 2003. (source)  If Palin is a fundamentalist, I don’t want her anywhere near making huge national decisions or having the nuclear codes.  Again, I don’t know if I am right, but this has made my change my vote from a third party candidate to Obama.  Because I don’t want to take a chance.

Posted by: lee jankowski | November 12, 2007 10:44 PM

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