Markus Heitkoetter
Rockwell Trading
How To Escape The Rat Race Forever (4 min read)
Have you ever felt stuck in the “rat race?”
Are you tired of trying to get ahead with no end in sight – tired of doing the same repetitive job over and over again?
In this article, I will show you how to escape the rat race forever.
What Is The “Rat Race of Life?”
It’s really scary: The rat race already starts in high school.
You’re being told that you should “go to college to get a good job.”
And you do what “they” tell you: You go to college and maybe even go into debt with student loans. Or maybe you decide not to go to college. If you don’t, you just start the rat race earlier – but at least you don’t have debt (yet).
Either way, at some point, you get your first job. This job pays enough to allow you to buy what you always wanted.
For some, the first dream is to get a 70-inch TV or a 120-inch one – if you are a big dreamer. So you buy your TV.
The next dream on the list might be a car. So you get yourself a functional car as you wait to buy the car of your dreams.
At work, you grind harder. You get a promotion and a salary raise.
This means that you can now afford to move to a slightly more expensive and fancier house.
On and on it goes:
- having a dream,
- working hard to make money,
- fulfilling the dream,
- … then moving on to the next big dream.
It seems impossible to escape the rat race.
Why Do They Call It a Rat Race?
Wikipedia defines the rat race as, “an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit.”
It is usually comprised of a lot of competitiveness and comparison, a.k.a “keeping up with the Joneses.”
The competition to get ahead of others at the workplace or in business is usually endless.
When you get to defeat your coworkers and get out of the cubicle, the next competition starts:
Now you strive to get the corner office.
After that, you look at the floor above you. This competition goes on all the way to the top floor.
But wait… there’s more!
At some point, you’re getting married!
And now you want to have kids. So you need to move to a bigger house in preparation for the little one.
And you need a more reliable car. After all, you want your spouse and the little one to be safe.
As you’re buying a house, you’re getting a mortgage. And it’s time for a second car! You need to set up college funds for the kids…
… AND you need to start saving for retirement.
You keep telling yourself that you should start investing in stocks.
Every year expenses magically get higher, and so you have to work even harder to make more money.
I don’t know about you, but at some point, the rat race is hitting people hard:
Their marriage is on the rocks, considering how much time they spent at work.
And the kids? Of course, we love our kids, but when you’re in the rat race, you never really spend time with them. You’re just too busy working.
Or you’re just tired: tired of trying to get ahead with no end in sight, tired of doing the same repetitive job over and over again.
How Can We Stop The Rat Race?
What I just described is EXACTLY what happened to me.
And in 2002, I was so burned out of doing the same thing over and over again, that I decided to quit.
I decided to escape the rat race. I quit my job at IBM to become a trader.
It wasn’t an easy decision. After all, the job paid me a nice 6-figure salary!
But I knew that if I wouldn’t find a way to make money while I sleep, I would have to slave away most of the best years of my life working for a paycheck.
Is It Possible To Escape The Rat Race?
The answer is YES! If you feel stuck in the rate race, you CAN escape it.
There are 3 legitimate ways to make money WITHOUT working for somebody else.
Because if you’re not rich, you’re making somebody else rich.
It’s time you take your financial future into your own hands.
The 3 ways to make a lot of money are:
- Trading stock and options
- Investing in real estate and
- Running a successful business
I wrote another article for you in which I explain the pros and cons of these possibilities in detail.
SPOILER ALERT
I’m doing all 3:
I own $10M in real estate.
I own several businesses.
And I trade.
I personally think that trading is the best business!
Trading Futures, options on futures and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. The lower the day trade margin, the higher the leverage and riskier the trade. Leverage can work for you as well as against you; it magnifies gains as well as losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD flirts with daily highs, retargets 1.1900
EUR/USD regains upside traction, returning to the 1.1880 zone and refocusing its attention to the key 1.1900 barrier. The pair’s slight gains comes against the backdrop of a humble decline in the US Dollar as investors continue to assess the latest US CPI readings and the potential Fed’s rate path.
GBP/USD remains well bid around 1.3650
GBP/USD maintains its upside momentum in place, hovering around daily highs near 1.3650 and setting aside part of the recent three-day drop. Cable’s improved sentiment comes on the back of the Greenback’s irresolute price action, while recent hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill also collaborate with the uptick.
USD/JPY edges up above 153.50 with all eyes on US CPI figures
USD/JPY appreciates above 153.00 but remains on track for a 2.4% weekly loss. Trading volumes remain subdued on Friday, ahead of the IS CPI release. The Yen remains supported by hopes of a stable government and calls for further BoJ tightening.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD: Yes, the US economy is resilient – No, that won’t save the US Dollar Premium
Some impressive US data should have resulted in a much stronger USD. Well, it didn’t happen. The EUR/USD pair closed a third consecutive week little changed, a handful of pips above the 1.1800 mark.
Gold: Metals remain vulnerable to broad market mood Premium
Gold (XAU/USD) started the week on a bullish note and climbed above $5,000 before declining sharply and erasing its weekly gains on Thursday, only to recover heading into the weekend.
GBP/USD: Pound Sterling remains below 1.3700 ahead of UK inflation test Premium
The Pound Sterling (GBP) failed to resist at higher levels against the US Dollar (USD), but buyers held their ground amid a US data-busy blockbuster week.
Bitcoin: BTC bears aren’t done yet
Bitcoin (BTC) price slips below $67,000 at the time of writing on Friday, remaining under pressure and extending losses of nearly 5% so far this week.
US Dollar: Big in Japan Premium
The US Dollar (USD) resumed its yearly downtrend this week, slipping back to two-week troughs just to bounce back a tad in the second half of the week.
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