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Want To Get Out Of The Rat Race, Just follow these 10 Commandments

       Lots of people dream of getting out of the rat race. They talk about it in different ways, but essentially they all have a dream of doing something different to what they are doing now. Perhaps you too have a dream that you want to follow. This tip sheet is written for you. But don't expect anything complicated or fancy. If you're reaction is "well I know that", then my question is "why aren't you doing it?"

1. Getting out of the rat race means different things to different people. For some people it might mean a more rewarding job; for others; return to study; and for others it really could mean living on a desert island, away from it all. So the first thing to do is get very clear on where you want to go in your life. Take some time for yourself. Relax with a notebook, and jot down everything that comes to mind about the kind of life you will be living when you are no longer in the race.

2. One of the keys to achieving any of your dreams is that you need to wake up. Most people live lives of unfulfilled dreams - they go through life asleep. The only thing that happens while you sleep is more dreaming. This is going to sound like a simple, common sense thing - and it is - but the problem is common sense isn't common action. If you want to achieve your dream and get out of the rat race then you have to do something. If it takes a while for you to come to terms with that, start coming to terms now.

3. When you know where you want to go and you're willing to take responsibility for getting there, think about what you have now that will help you move forward. It may be time, money, contacts, friends, knowledge or something else. Try to think a bit differently too - for example knowledge isn't just the stuff in your head; if you have access to the Internet or a library then you have knowledge. The idea is to build a list of all the resources currently available to help you.

4. Of course it's likely that you are going to need other resources in addition to those you already have. So now make a list of the extra resources you'll need. Again, it could relate to things like time, money or people and you may need to think creatively to get there. If there are two of you sharing the dream, brainstorm your ideas together.

5. Do you really want to do this? I mean really? You see, most people 'would like' to do something different. But 'would like' is not the same as 'will'. Are you prepared to say that this is something you will do? How committed are you? Are you prepared to accept that everything has a consequence? Before you commit yourself to doing this, take some time to write down every consequence you can foresee (even if it's a remote possibility) both for achieving your dream and for failing to achieve it.

6. Still with us? When you look at those consequences, perhaps some of them churn your stomach a little, perhaps some of them make you feel panicky. Guess what? Everybody who's ever changed anything in their lives has had those feelings - those people who you admire for changing their lives, those people you aspire to be like, they had the same feelings. The thing is they were prepared to face up to the possible consequences. So you need to be clear that you will face the consequences if necessary - and keep going

7. So you know what you want, you're prepared to deal with what comes your way, you know the resources you have and the resources you need. Let's make it a bit more real. What's your deadline? This is one of those 'little cracks' that most people fall down on. "It's something I'm working towards" is no use if you don't have a deadline. A deadline makes it real, gives you something to propel yourself forwards.

8. But propel yourself into what? Now you need an action plan. Take some time to think about all the options available to you to get you started. Who can you speak to? What research can you do? What actions can you take? Is it something to do with your existing resources or something to get new resources? Aim to make a list of at least 10 things. Don't worry about creating a big 'business plan' for your dream - that's just a distraction activity: it stops you taking action. This should be a list of options for things you can do.

9. Now choose one of your options, just one that will take you forward one step towards your goal of getting out of the rat race. Don't over commit by taking on too much - that's an easy mistake to make. Choose one action that will take you forward: write it down with a deadline and commit to taking action.

10. Take action. If you need support to take action then get a friend or someone else you trust to support you. Sometimes part of the reason we don't take action is that we feel out on a limb with no one to talk to. But choose your support carefully because sometimes it's the people around you who don't want things to change and who hold you back. 

I hope that you achieve your dream of getting out of your particular rat race. The key thing from everything here is that you need to take action. Nothing will happen and nothing will change unless you do. 


Contributed by Craig Brown, Life Coach © LifeFirst, 2005, www.lifefirst.info