Monday, October 14, 2013

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

By: Steve Pavlina
It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if you’re reasonably intelligent, getting a job is one of the worst things you can do to support yourself. There are far better ways to make a living than selling yourself into indentured servitude.
Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:
1. Income for dummies.
Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There’s only one problem with it. It’s stupid! It’s the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.
Why is getting a job so dumb? Because you only get paid when you’re working. Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working? Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working? Who taught you that you could only earn income while working? Some other brainwashed employee perhaps?
Don’t you think your life would be much easier if you got paid while you were eating, sleeping, and playing with the kids too? Why not get paid 24/7? Get paid whether you work or not. Don’t your plants grow even when you aren’t tending to them? Why not your bank account?
Who cares how many hours you work? Only a handful of people on this entire planet care how much time you spend at the office. Most of us won’t even notice whether you work 6 hours a week or 60. But if you have something of value to provide that matters to us, a number of us will be happy to pull out our wallets and pay you for it. We don’t care about your time — we only care enough to pay for the value we receive. Do you really care how long it took me to write this article? Would you pay me twice as much if it took me 6 hours vs. only 3?
Non-dummies often start out on the traditional income for dummies path. So don’t feel bad if you’re just now realizing you’ve been suckered. Non-dummies eventually realize that trading time for money is indeed extremely dumb and that there must be a better way. And of course there is a better way. The key is to de-couple your value from your time.
Smart people build systems that generate income 24/7, especially passive income. This can include starting a business, building a web site, becoming an investor, or generating royalty income from creative work. The system delivers the ongoing value to people and generates income from it, and once it’s in motion, it runs continuously whether you tend to it or not. From that moment on, the bulk of your time can be invested in increasing your income (by refining your system or spawning new ones) instead of merely maintaining your income.
This web site is an example of such a system. At the time of this writing, it generates about $9000 a month in income for me (update: $40,000 a month as of 10/31/06), and it isn’t my only income stream either. I write each article just once (fixed time investment), and people can extract value from them year after year. The web server delivers the value, and other systems (most of which I didn’t even build and don’t even understand) collect income and deposit it automatically into my bank account. It’s not perfectly passive, but I love writing and would do it for free anyway. But of course it cost me a lot of money to launch this business, right? Um, yeah, $9 is an awful lot these days (to register the domain name). Everything after that was profit.
Sure it takes some upfront time and effort to design and implement your own income-generating systems. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — feel free to use existing systems like ad networks and affiliate programs. Once you get going, you won’t have to work so many hours to support yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to be out having dinner with your spouse, knowing that while you’re eating, you’re earning money? If you want to keep working long hours because you enjoy it, go right ahead. If you want to sit around doing nothing, feel free. As long as your system continues delivering value to others, you’ll keep getting paid whether you’re working or not.
Your local bookstore is filled with books containing workable systems others have already designed, tested, and debugged. Nobody is born knowing how to start a business or generate investment income, but you can easily learn it. How long it takes you to figure it out is irrelevant because the time is going to pass anyway. You might as well emerge at some future point as the owner of income-generating systems as opposed to a lifelong wage slave. This isn’t all or nothing. If your system only generates a few hundred dollars a month, that’s a significant step in the right direction.
2. Limited experience.
You might think it’s important to get a job to gain experience. But that’s like saying you should play golf to get experience playing golf. You gain experience from living, regardless of whether you have a job or not. A job only gives you experience at that job, but you gain ”experience” doing just about anything, so that’s no real benefit at all. Sit around doing nothing for a couple years, and you can call yourself an experienced meditator, philosopher, or politician.


The problem with getting experience from a job is that you usually just repeat the same limited experience over and over. You learn a lot in the beginning and then stagnate. This forces you to miss other experiences that would be much more valuable. And if your limited skill set ever becomes obsolete, then your experience won’t be worth squat. In fact, ask yourself what the experience you’re gaining right now will be worth in 20-30 years. Will your job even exist then?
Consider this. Which experience would you rather gain? The knowledge of how to do a specific job really well — one that you can only monetize by trading your time for money – or the knowledge of how to enjoy financial abundance for the rest of your life without ever needing a job again? Now I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the latter experience. That seems a lot more useful in the real world, wouldn’t you say?
3. Lifelong domestication.
Getting a job is like enrolling in a human domestication program. You learn how to be a good pet.
Look around you. Really look. What do you see? Are these the surroundings of a free human being? Or are you living in a cage for unconscious animals? Have you fallen in love with the color beige?
How’s your obedience training coming along? Does your master reward your good behavior? Do you get disciplined if you fail to obey your master’s commands?
Is there any spark of free will left inside you? Or has your conditioning made you a pet for life?
Humans are not meant to be raised in cages. You poor thing…
4. Too many mouths to feed.
Employee income is the most heavily taxed there is. In the USA you can expect that about half your salary will go to taxes. The tax system is designed to disguise how much you’re really giving up because some of those taxes are paid by your employer, and some are deducted from your paycheck. But you can bet that from your employer’s perspective, all of those taxes are considered part of your pay, as well as any other compensation you receive such as benefits. Even the rent for the office space you consume is considered, so you must generate that much more value to cover it. You might feel supported by your corporate environment, but keep in mind that you’re the one paying for it.
Another chunk of your income goes to owners and investors. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.
It isn’t hard to understand why employees pay the most in taxes relative to their income. After all, who has more control over the tax system? Business owners and investors or employees?
You only get paid a fraction of the real value you generate. Your real salary may be more than triple what you’re paid, but most of that money you’ll never see. It goes straight into other people’s pockets.
What a generous person you are!
5. Way too risky.
Many employees believe getting a job is the safest and most secure way to support themselves.
Morons.
Social conditioning is amazing. It’s so good it can even make people believe the exact opposite of the truth.
Does putting yourself in a position where someone else can turn off all your income just by saying two words (“You’re fired”) sound like a safe and secure situation to you? Does having only one income stream honestly sound more secure than having 10?
The idea that a job is the most secure way to generate income is just silly. You can’t have security if you don’t have control, and employees have the least control of anyone. If you’re an employee, then your real job title should be professional gambler.
6. Having an evil bovine master.
When you run into an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and head the other way. When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, “Sorry, boss.”
Did you know that the word boss comes from the Dutch word baas, which historically means master? Another meaning of the word boss is “a cow or bovine.” And in many video games, the boss is the evil dude that you have to kill at the end of a level.
So if your boss is really your evil bovine master, then what does that make you? Nothing but a turd in the herd.
Who’s your daddy?
7. Begging for money.
When you want to increase your income, do you have to sit up and beg your master for more money? Does it feel good to be thrown some extra Scooby Snacks now and then?
Or are you free to decide how much you get paid without needing anyone’s permission but your own?
If you have a business and one customer says “no” to you, you simply say “next.”
8. An inbred social life.
Many people treat their jobs as their primary social outlet. They hang out with the same people working in the same field. Such incestuous relations are social dead ends. An exciting day includes deep conversations about the company’s switch from Sparkletts to Arrowhead, the delay of Microsoft’s latest operating system, and the unexpected delivery of more Bic pens. Consider what it would be like to go outside and talk to strangers. Ooooh… scary! Better stay inside where it’s safe.
If one of your co-slaves gets sold to another master, do you lose a friend? If you work in a male-dominated field, does that mean you never get to talk to women above the rank of receptionist? Why not decide for yourself whom to socialize with instead of letting your master decide for you? Believe it or not, there are locations on this planet where free people congregate. Just be wary of those jobless folk — they’re a crazy bunch!
9. Loss of freedom.
It takes a lot of effort to tame a human being into an employee. The first thing you have to do is break the human’s independent will. A good way to do this is to give them a weighty policy manual filled with nonsensical rules and regulations. This leads the new employee to become more obedient, fearing that s/he could be disciplined at any minute for something incomprehensible. Thus, the employee will likely conclude it’s safest to simply obey the master’s commands without question. Stir in some office politics for good measure, and we’ve got a freshly minted mind slave.
As part of their obedience training, employees must be taught how to dress, talk, move, and so on. We can’t very well have employees thinking for themselves, now can we? That would ruin everything.
God forbid you should put a plant on your desk when it’s against the company policy. Oh no, it’s the end of the world! Cindy has a plant on her desk! Summon the enforcers! Send Cindy back for another round of sterility training!
Free human beings think such rules and regulations are silly of course. The only policy they need is: “Be smart. Be nice. Do what you love. Have fun.”
10. Becoming a coward.
Have you noticed that employed people have an almost endless capacity to whine about problems at their companies? But they don’t really want solutions – they just want to vent and make excuses why it’s all someone else’s fault. It’s as if getting a job somehow drains all the free will out of people and turns them into spineless cowards. If you can’t call your boss a jerk now and then without fear of getting fired, you’re no longer free. You’ve become your master’s property.
When you work around cowards all day long, don’t you think it’s going to rub off on you? Of course it will. It’s only a matter of time before you sacrifice the noblest parts of your humanity on the altar of fear: first courage… then honesty… then honor and integrity… and finally your independent will. You sold your humanity for nothing but an illusion. And now your greatest fear is discovering the truth of what you’ve become.
I don’t care how badly you’ve been beaten down. It is never too late to regain your courage. Never!
Still want a job?
If you’re currently a well-conditioned, well-behaved employee, your most likely reaction to the above will be defensiveness. It’s all part of the conditioning. But consider that if the above didn’t have a grain of truth to it, you wouldn’t have an emotional reaction at all. This is only a reminder of what you already know. You can deny your cage all you want, but the cage is still there. Perhaps this all happened so gradually that you never noticed it until now… like a lobster enjoying a nice warm bath.
If any of this makes you mad, that’s a step in the right direction. Anger is a higher level of consciousness than apathy, so it’s a lot better than being numb all the time. Any emotion — even confusion — is better than apathy. If you work through your feelings instead of repressing them, you’ll soon emerge on the doorstep of courage. And when that happens, you’ll have the will to actually do something about your situation and start living like the powerful human being you were meant to be instead of the domesticated pet you’ve been trained to be.
Happily jobless
What’s the alternative to getting a job? The alternative is to remain happily jobless for life and to generate income through other means. Realize that you earn income by providing value — not time – so find a way to provide your best value to others, and charge a fair price for it. One of the simplest and most accessible ways is to start your own business. Whatever work you’d otherwise do via employment, find a way to provide that same value directly to those who will benefit most from it. It takes a bit more time to get going, but your freedom is easily worth the initial investment of time and energy. Then you can buy your own Scooby Snacks for a change.
And of course everything you learn along the way, you can share with others to generate even more value. So even your mistakes can be monetized.
One of the greatest fears you’ll confront is that you may not have any real value to offer others. Maybe being an employee and getting paid by the hour is the best you can do. Maybe you just aren’t worth that much. That line of thinking is all just part of your conditioning. It’s absolute nonsense. As you begin to dump such brainwashing, you’ll soon recognize that you have the ability to provide enormous value to others and that people will gladly pay you for it. There’s only one thing that prevents you from seeing this truth — fear.
All you really need is the courage to be yourself. Your real value is rooted in who you are, not what you do. The only thing you need actually do is express your real self to the world. You’ve been told all sort of lies as to why you can’t do that. But you’ll never know true happiness and fulfillment until you summon the courage to do it anyway.
The next time someone says to you, “Get a job,” I suggest you reply as Curly did: ”No, please… not that! Anything but that!” Then poke him right in the eyes.
You already know deep down that getting a job isn’t what you want. So don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise. Learn to trust your inner wisdom, even if the whole world says you’re wrong and foolish for doing so. Years from now you’ll look back and realize it was one of the best decisions you ever made.

87 comments:

  1. God I wish I could finish this article, but you were so condescending and annoying I couldn't even manage. You obviously don't even know how to talk to your audience. It's a good thing no one's hired you to write this article, because you should have been fired for this garbage.

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    1. HAHAHA, I thought I was the only one who felt this way.

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    2. Good article, I do not see how it is "so condescending and annoying". I guess they are more domesticated and hate being shown the matrix.

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    3. I thought this article was kind of funny. The idea that a job is just that, a JOB. NOT a career. Or maybe this writer was trying to convey, "it's not considered a job if you love what you do." kind of expression.

      I'm kind of lost as to why they wouldn't bring up the issue of families & what suggestions they would give to a single parent trying to provide the essentials (food, medicine, shelter) for their children while trying to ride that, "Don't get a job" train. Is it possible for them? Or is this article directed to the college graduate children who still have no clue what their purpose in life is?

      Maybe I'm going in the mind too deeply. Maybe this writer was barely scratching the surface.

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    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    5. I find this article very inspiring and concrete. I would like to share a cigarette and a whisky with the dude who wrote this, cause this is what i was looking for during my confusion. Thank you.

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    6. He shows the path but you gotta walk it yourself!! Just don't feel bad because he called you a "moron" for your brainwashed generated ideals. Actually I have always thought no one should work no more than four hrs a day and no more than three days a week cause its nonsense to have a cripple and corrupted system raise our children while having such a high unemployment rate as there actually is!!! Money means slavery just because the ideals of it's trade means interest and/or taxation to people who doesn't print the paper itself!!! Now that's what I call a moron-proof slavery!!!

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    7. of course this is true , ive been doing this since i was 19 and have never needed to really work i am now 29 also i chose not to own a home i chose not to have concrete surroundings and do live and take care of my mothers place no shame , i now know how to repair electronics cars i know how to make my own alcohol my own food my own shelter meaning i studied and mastered electronics biology mastered cultivation techniques and the list goes on and on and on of all the wonderful things i have learned and realized with all my free time i mastered fishing techniques all over the oceans and lakes so much fun i have been living life. and now have entered the corporate world once again as a sales agent but it is only to gain the necessary capital to re invest into my own business the reason being i spent 2 years in mexico enjoying myself at all the camping grounds and beaches and wildness resorts drained my own accounts having fun ahh feels so good. to be free , but now to stick thru this hell hole of a job and make some more money doing what you all call a job career for most of you robots , for me corporate slavery but just for a while untill i gain the capital to invest into my own business back at home in california were the girls are easy and the cannabis grows wild. money does grow from trees ;)

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    8. Too bad you didn't learn proper punctuation in all of your glorious travels.

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    9. I couldn't agree with you more, Anonymous 12:28 AM. For a brief moment I thought I might miss the magic snake-oil formula (sorry, I had to go back to the start of the article to find his name) Brother Steve was peddling but my "bull shit sensors" finally tore my eyes from the page. This pseudo-philosophical rational for not being a gainful contributor to society has been shopped since the days of Plato and Socrates, 2 of our early non-workers. Now, I'm not crapping on those 2 true philosophers but to earn money by relieving others of their hard earned cash with nothing more to offer than this "get-rich-quick-without working" scheme falls into the same category as the "penny stock" and "buying cheap foreclosed properties" schemes these and other lazy shyster espouse.
      If Stevo is also growing his own food, brewing his own beer, growing his own weed and building his own house I can only assume that he's not paying his share of the taxes that provide roads for him to cruise around on, hospitals that he will inevitably need at some point in his life and the pogey he'll collect when those that have been paying him to learn from his website finally give him the tin beak.
      In my humble opinion, Bro Steve has an exceptionally haughty attitude (read: piss-poor attitude) which most likely has hampered (debilitated, even) his productive involvement in the work-force. He should not be impugning the foundation of our current economic system merely because of his own short-comings.
      Gotta go- I have bills to pay and my own fulfilling job to do!

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    10. You did not finish the article because you felt threatened by the truth, actually everything he had to say was in truth, I know because I am one with a job and would love to dive into the better way for i know there is one, I m a single-mom and the ratrace in my opinion is a form of slavery! I have tried doing the website thing several times but it did not work out however i have not given up, I know in my heart that one day I will hang up my waitressing apron and figure this one out. Dont feel threatened by the article read and learn from it!

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    11. An open heart doesn't respond to goading. An ego-centric mind reacts when it is "insulted." If you were secure in yourself this wouldn't bother you and all you would see is the truth of the matter. Most, but not all jobs, are self-defeating and serve only to further the efforts of corporations that wish only to grow without considering the repercussions. There are other employers who take a conscious approach to business, considering the livelihood of their employees. Mr. Pavlina doesn't include this point in his article.

      But the truth still remains, if the things you were experiencing in your job and life weren't directly affecting you in a negative way you wouldn't have an attitude that disagreed with his tone. You want to take out your anger and feelings of frustration on an author that will never read or feel your reply. Good day to you all.

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  2. you really think you're better than everybody else huh?

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    1. He's trying to get you to think about your life, and encourage you to make change... Either follow him or go back to your 9-5.

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    2. sounds good but he obviously is unaware that most people dont have the oportunity or drive to do so

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  3. great article I really enjoyed it. this is the higher vibration that is beginning to emerge through all the lies of today.

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  4. Hey Anonymous did you at least read to this part? Because I gotta tell you this dude makes a lot of sense. At first I was thinking man this guy IS condescending, but then I realized that he was doing it on purpose to wake you up and to feel disgusted because it is disgusting to think it's ok to plateau at a shitty job wasting away your/our talents, for false security. Man the fact that this dude was so fucking blunt about it really made it click for me:

    Still want a job?
    If you’re currently a well-conditioned, well-behaved employee, your most likely reaction to the above will be defensiveness. It’s all part of the conditioning. But consider that if the above didn’t have a grain of truth to it, you wouldn’t have an emotional reaction at all. This is only a reminder of what you already know. You can deny your cage all you want, but the cage is still there. Perhaps this all happened so gradually that you never noticed it until now… like a lobster enjoying a nice warm bath.
    If any of this makes you mad, that’s a step in the right direction. Anger is a higher level of consciousness than apathy, so it’s a lot better than being numb all the time. Any emotion — even confusion — is better than apathy. If you work through your feelings instead of repressing them, you’ll soon emerge on the doorstep of courage. And when that happens, you’ll have the will to actually do something about your situation and start living like the powerful human being you were meant to be instead of the domesticated pet you’ve been trained to be.

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  5. She wrote it like that on purpose. If you were offended by it, then it obviously left its mark and will be in the back of your mind.

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  6. I couldn't agree more with the first Anonymous comment...this article was difficult to finish all the way through with your condescending & possibly pretentious tone. I understand the idea of not conforming to the rest of society of unhappily joining the job brigade...but there are many people out there who kind of rely on some steady income to provide for their families. Will they pursue something better in their future? Who knows. But your lack of understanding & empathy for these individuals is rough.

    I have a job that I actually love. I actually have 2 jobs that I love. They don't pay "a lot" of money, but they're probably the coolest jobs that I've ever had in my life; freedom of expression, art, & working with open minded individuals are kind of essential when having a job. Can many people say they love their job(s)? No. This is my personal progress.

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    1. What is valuable in this article is the distinction created between Being an Employee and Engaging in Income Generating Endeavors, not the dismantling of the word Job, or even the evocative claim that income should never be tied directly to an hourly wage.

      This shift in mental perspective rests on individual empowerment. ...something becoming ever-more-possible with the emergence of the Peer-to-Peer economy ushered in by the internet.

      This is an article about philosophy in the light of a new age, one you seem to be subscribed to having a diversified base of income that grows out of Your Bliss. Bravo! And Bravo to all of us that heed the call to throw off vestiges of hierarchical bondage and live for ourselves.

      As old ways are replaced with new, and old forms of broken economic systems are replaced with new technology and better philosophy some will be too rigid in their thinking to entertain ideas that challenge past systems. They will only pay for it in lives less lived.

      By the time we are thrust out of our schools and into the job market our default position is Employee, just as it had formerly been pupil. It is the positive philosophy that one gathers over time that makes the difference in a life, not the offense, not the perceived slight, and not the fear of change.

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    2. You seem to me, to be the only one, out of all the people who replied, who has understood what effect this article is meant to have on ones perspective. How someone treats another is only important if said treatment is considered enough to react to... in whatever way

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    3. None of this is anything new- we all heard these platitudes in grade 7 Health. The fact remains that we all have to earn some form of living to support our families and our lifestyles. The other fact remains that we all have to cooperate to a certain extent if we wish to live in and reap the benefits of modern society.
      But to think that anything constructive comes out of an abrasive insulting article on the semantics of what is a job and what is a way of earning a living is ludicrous.
      I certainly would never consider employing the services of Scribe Steve for anything more than cracking rocks.

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  7. Replies
    1. then you should do so. and find out what you love to do and then find a way to get paid for it. Life is short to be anything but happy!!! and if your job is cousing you to unhappy then QUIT!!

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  8. Not that I really care to get all sensitive and emotional about stuff, because everyone is entitled the their opinion and theories and all. However,.. the way things are stated can sound very disrespectful to good honest people who like to get up and stay active into physical work. For instance,.. domain name for a website generating money. Usually that takes a computer to manage, or smartphone, and somehow those devices need power, correct? So when you are charging/powering those devices, they are normally attached to a cord, that extends to another technologically advanced piece that plugs into a wall. See were I'm going with this,..there is an electrical out let there, that, oh no, a laboring electrician installed. Lets not forget about the building someone is in operating with little to no exertion, that first the ground was leveled and prepped for OTHER LABORERS/contractors to come in a build. Man what a bunch of cowards. Oh did I mention that I do this type of work, for the U.S Army,... and sometimes it's in a combat zone. Wow you are right, we really are cowards. But you know what, maybe you didn't mean to get volatile reactions out of people like me, after all you have the freedom of speech,.. ooo that's another door that cowards help open, sorry to mention that. So maybe you could do me a favor,.. the next time you or anyone that agrees 100% with your article, the next time you come across a veteran that was an engineer, please, by all means, call him a coward, lets see how this goes. After all, you're a coward if you don't say what's on your mind right? Oh yeah and this will be under Anonymous because I don't have the account set up, but you can find me on Facebook. I'm Timothy The-Professor Sepkoski. Please feel free to share your opinion with me

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    1. holy shit bro it's just to wake people up, for the people that work mindless fuckin jobs going no where, the u.s army isn't exactly the least corrupt place to work either...fyi

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    2. In my respectful opinion, this is not how or where you wake people up.

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    3. The article applies to electricians/engineers/labourers too: just sell your skills privately. Work when you want, charge the rates you want -or can get away with. Perform home renovations for cash, rewire houses etc.

      And in my opinion this is exactly where (altering perspectives dot com....), and how (abruptly and directly) you wake people up.

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  9. Anyone who knows the Internet and its value can look at the advertising on this site and know that it does not generate $40,000/month. I'm actually ashamed that it kept my attention long enough to read half way through point #2. That's what this whole article is... #2. The point its making about jobs is valid, but the author is still money-driven. Disconnect from that version of reality and truly set yourself free. Go live in the woods and hunt/gather your own food... learn how to truly buck the system. Douche.
    (I do understand the irony that this is all being typed by my hand, on a laptop which cost money, and transmitted via my Internet connection which cost money, in the comfort of my condo which cost money, using electricity which cost money, etc. But I did just spend five months in the wilderness. A wise man once told me that there is no value going to the top of the mountain to hear God's voice unless you come back down and share it with those who are deafened by the noise of the city.)

    I LOVE YOU ALL... included the person who wrote this article. I rescind the "douche" comment.

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    1. thankyou for pointing the direction, and i love you too

      however..

      you don't have to go living in the woods to 'buck the system'.. Because in that way you're reacting against something; and re-action is not the best idea, imho. Act by not acting.. Give up your conditioned reflex of re-acting, and try to let the action come by itself. It takes time and effort because we're not used to act. The only thing that stands in the way for love to flow is yourself: so step aside.

      ronny.

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  10. Condescending and annoying... the truth hurts I guess!

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  11. This article is an awesome wake up call for a lot of people. Many people in denial will pissed of course, but if it's a quick swoop in the ass that's needed to wake them up, then so be it.

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  12. Such a perfect article to me!. All the thoughts I had during my entire life have been written in the perfect words. It makes sense to me. Thanks whoever you are. It is all I needed to know to give the first step to freedom. I love your way of thinking, absolutely brilliant.

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  13. Thank you for this well-written article. It reflects my thoughts and feelings towards my job and my aspirations in life in every way, it’s just much more detailed and clear. Now I feel a lot more determined and a lot less confused.

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  14. Thank you for showing me the door.

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  15. Anyone who hates on this article is a sad product of the conditioning they've been put through. Well thought out and as a young entrepreneur I found it very uplifting, good stuff!

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  16. if you are hating on this article, sorry to tell you this but you think like a poor person who is to secure at there slave jobs.

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  17. AWESOME stuff... I believe he is being truthful, and anyone that feels a "sting" after reading this is just feeling a "sting" because they haven't figured there way YET. Just 6 months ago I walked out of my job at an insurance company (if I had read this 7 months ago, this article would have stung when I read it), I took two months off when my cousin asked if I would take pictures of her family, and that she'd pay me for it... I was always a "hobby photographer" and took some cool shots, but never even thought about turning into a business... Until that moment! At that moment I knew what I wanted to do... I wanted to start a photographer company. I asked my dad and mom, and they said they'd support it (but I think, they wanted me to find something more stable as well) so I've been running with it! 7 months ago I would not of believed you if you told me that I would be a business owner before the end of the year. But I did it, and it's even working! I've been SUPER busy the last three weekends and this Saturday I'm shooting my first wedding that I actually booked all by myself! Everyone has a talent, we ALL DO... find yours. You will love yourself and your life so much more! Come by my page, and see what I've created, send me links to your pages as well, I'd love to support you just as you support me.

    www.facebook.com/JessieLynnPhotography

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  18. In the past year while being treated for severe depression, I had to come to terms with two things. One was an abusive childhood, and the second was that at the age of 40 my career choices had been nothing but a mask to cover up the damage done to me as a child/teen. For 26 years I busted my butt thinking that if I worked harder, longer, better, I could get the rewards, comforts, and validation as a person I had never received in my own upbringing. That did not materialize. So two months ago at the height of my depression, I quit my job. I had to, because it was slowly killing me. After some pretty intense therapy and soul searching, one of the things I have come to learn is the difference between a job, and a vocation. A job for the most part pays the bills. A vocation is doing something you feel passionate about, is rewarding,and soul fulfilling. I guess you could say, your calling. And I think that is what the writer is trying to say, and the audience he/she is speaking to. I don't think the message is that everyone should give up their desk job, working for a major corporation etc, because for some people that is their vocation. They love what they do, feel rewarded, and wake up every day ready to go. But how many people are truly in that state of mind? So I think the idea is to stop and ask, "Am I doing what I should be doing..that which makes me happy? And yes, they author is doing it in a kind of 'tough medicine' approach, but in my situation, it was that kind of direct approach that made me re think my own situation. I love photography. It has been my hobby for a few years, and it excites me, brings me great joy, and the hours in the day fly by when I'm out with the camera. It never dawned on me, that maybe, just maybe, I should follow that passion and see where it takes me. You know the old saying, "Follow your passion, and the money will come" ? I think that is the message here. But the author also points out that it may take time, and it may take some work, it doesn't happen over night. And that is where I am at. I now have my own website, blog, and on line shop with ETSY. And I love it. Is it bringing in big bucks? No, not yet. I may have to find a 'job' to supplement for the time being, but I am working hard on the networking, promoting, and sharing of the thing I love to do, and in time, and with some work I know it will pay off. So all I ask is that you read the article, and if you feel you are working at what you feel is what you were destined to do, then say YAY!, and keep on doing what you are doing. That's awesome. But if something triggers a thought that perhaps you are not doing the thing that would bring you the most happiness, then just give it some thought. You may be surprised.

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  19. Thought this artical was very wise . i have not had a J O B ( just over broke) in ten years . I am self employed and love it .

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  20. After reading the article and many of the replies... in my opinion, this author is very hypocritical of the work force of the world. Call it what you will, but quitting your job, and working for yourself... hmm... It's still a job. Yes, having residual income is great! However, one has to have a specialized talent to start his/her own job and be successful at it. I, unfortunately, am not one of them... but, I do love what I do for work. Yes, as a self employed individual, you do pay less in taxes do to the way the loop holes in the tax system are set up. Personally, I think everyone should pay taxes and most businesses hide their taxable dollars in many different ways... Perhaps the author of this could write about that and share his/her expertise w/ the rest of us?
    To me, if you're a follower of the belief of this author... good for you! I sincerely wish you the best and that you don't quit your job in vane and end up living on welfare and becoming a burden on society. Personally, I think you should do what ever makes you happy, whether it's working for yourself, or someone else. But, you don't have to look at things in the angry, upsetting tone that all of this information was presented in.

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    1. By "upsetting" you mean critical of the status quo?

      Most of the work force of the world is built on unsustainable and morally corrupt structures of power and wealth. This extends to the way employees interact with employers at every level of most businesses. This article is less about doing what you love and more about choosing humane forms of monetary interaction over remaining a slave in denial of the real forces at work upon your life.

      Buy Local! Live Local! Buy from free men, be a free man.

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  21. Loved it! Brash and unapologetic.

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  22. Great, now I have to get through my day at my JOB having just read this... feeling inspired, but also feeling cheated and conned and just a little bit more pissed off because you reminded me of what I already knew.

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  23. So how do you gt food/clothing/running water/electricity/the damn web serves up? Oh... People working.... How 'bout that. *eye roll*. When ever I see stuff like this it makes me think psyops- let's make sure most of the dissidents have no economic resources to get in our way.

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  24. if anyone has any good info on how to create an income-generating web-site please forward. thanks

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  25. While I agree with this article, I do not agree with the authors use of words such as "moron" and "idiot". It is possible to get your point across without the added negativity.

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  27. "You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it." - Morpheus from the Matrix

    The angry comments from here and the Facebook page make it hard for me to believe that we actually aren't within the Matrix.

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  28. great article . and i exactly know why people dint liked it . most of the people are afraid to admit they are slave , go to collage get a job , get married , have kids , work like a ass , die . i wonder why ?

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  29. "10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job" -- This can address the group of people who are rich and have no job (of-course they've the basic needs to survive -- Food, Water and Shelter). But it cannot address to a group of people who are poor. They have to do a job to survive atleast. Ask them, they will be able to give "100 reasons Why You Should Get a Job".

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    1. Rich and Poor are states of mind first before they ever become your economic reality. Most of things the poorest person in North America has today were unheard of by the richest men a millenium ago.

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  30. While I agree with the article, I just wonder if the author is the same one creating shoot-em-up video games.

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  31. Any original articles on this website? So far everything I've read here is copied and pasted from elsewhere on the web...

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  32. Pointless. This article is, as many have said, mostly just a condescending series of "I'm on my high horse because ha-ha I make money without work but you do."
    I've never actually had a job before, but have gained income from hobbies and using genuinely developed skill at my leisure, but if I were to try to explain to someone how this is a more comfortable method of living... I would not put it this way.
    This article doesn't touch upon the intrinsic issues or why we are even put in the "cage" or mindset that we need jobs for income, it just calls out everyone as "the masses" or whatever other derogatory term they used. I couldn't be bothered with reading the rest of it in detail.
    It could have touched upon self-success rather than kicking people down; If you want to truly avoid the masses why would you make an article that makes people feel judged when we live in a factory of a system that is hellbent on judging people?
    Instead it was an option to tell people to try and realize their talents or develop a skill they'd enjoy, and then learn to sell it. That the time they spend studying or working on what they're told to, they could study and work on things that interest them.
    Sigh. Being no better than the system based on judgement and success is a poor method of convincing people to escape it, it just leaves them feeling upset and insecure towards the article, rather than the system.

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    1. Hear hear. I get the author's point, I've read the article and if it had not been directed at individual people just trying to make a living but at the economic system we've created that enslaves people to create ever more revenue, I would have been swayed.

      I find it utterly pointless to take seriously successful people who feel anyone can and should live the way they do. It's completely pointless, because it cannot be done within our current society and gives false hope and a sense of personal failure to those who do not succeed and an undeserved sense of entitlement to those who make it.

      Imagine the people educating our children, caring for our sick, driving the buses, trains or subways we ride, collecting the garbage we dump, connecting the pipes our water and electricity runs through, would all quit their jobs. Life would grind to a halt.

      The real problem is that society fails to fairly attach value, rewarding corrupt and exploitative CEO's with millions and cleaners with not even enough to make a living. Everyone has value to offer, I agree, but the definition of what value is, is warped by the current job based economy. Blaming those holding the jobs is just narrow minded and lacks empathy.

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    2. Well said - I didn't mind the article, but I would point out that it's ignorant and foolish to look down on those you depend upon. Unless you want to remove garbage yourself, appreciate those who do it for you. And if you are a garbage remover, I need and respect you!

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  33. I didn't think this article was condescending or annoying at all. I thought it was hilarious, actually, and the parts that people are perceiving as condescending are just sarcasm. I love reading articles like this. I want to break out of slavery to the system so so so so so so so so badly and articles like these inspire me to take the leap. It's just scary when you don't know HOW to do it, and when you don't have the MONEY to do it.

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  34. I agree this article may be annoying for certain people. Í´ve been an employee my whole life and I can not agree more with what the autor estates: we are slaves, we are not making the best choinces to live a happy, abundant and free life. It really ring my bell and made me more aware of my choices. I can change the choices I´ve been doing. It may take some extra effort and time to figure out what i can do to add value to other´s lifes. Thank you Steve Pavlina

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  35. Amusing and well written. Surprisingly, the majority of people have misunderstood. Maybe, not everyone is able to stand back, look then understand the bigger picture? It seems not just a case of enlightenment only being achieved when the mind is quiet enough to hear the truth.

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    1. I'm standing a long way back and still can't see the bigger picture he is trying to paint. We'd all like to enjoy the method by which we put food on our tables but denouncing those folks who choose to do that via the "employment" route acts as a disservice to them and their employees. I suggest that Stevie get a job and leave the pontificating to those more rational and sympathetic to the plight of their fellow man (and woman, of course)!!

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  36. sadly no solution offered. just self praise.

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  37. There is nothing wrong with having a job. I work as a Librarian and I love my "Job". I get to help people and in return they think I'm a genius. I would do it even if I was independently wealthy. This article could have been more informative and less preachy. I get the idea of what the writer is saying but lets be honest here, not everyone can do this.

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  38. VERY flawed argument (and this is coming from someone who aspires to have his own company) First of all, theres only so many independent services that can be created that have so-called ''value''. As you said yourself the easiest way is to have a business and the only way for that business to WORK (aka generate income) is for it to be different than the competition. With 7 billion people on the planet, try to have 7 billion different ideas, concepts or services without 90% of them being a rip off of something that already exists.

    Secondly you cant make money without money on a large scale in a capitalist system (except with prostitution, perhaps). So how are you going to invest, establish yourself let alone promote your business without money from an established source? Shout it out in the streets at the top of your lungs? Good luck with that

    Whoever wrote this obviously comes from a medium to high income family. With most companies closing down within 5 years of opening, it is obvious that not because you have a service or idea that people will necessarily buy into it.
    All I can say is that I humbly disagree with everything you are saying

    P.S. I would write more reasons why this article makes no sense but I am not getting paid to do it...so forget it ;)

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  39. I LOVE MY JOB!! I wouldn't work for myself for ANY amount of money!!

    It must suck for everyone else though, I couldn't imagine hating my job but still going....

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  40. The truth hurts sometimes, people. I was part of the system for 10 years. 5-star Hotels, then sales in multinational real estate then in another multinational in communication. I had a decent pay check but I was spending at least 11-12 hours at work. Including all the stress of the daily traffic, the meetings, briefings and the inferiority-complex jackass bosses and colleagues. For the first 6 years it was 6 days a week! Talking about slavery that is coated in cotton candy...minus the few bites from taxes of course. For a trilingual who majored in Journalism and Mass Com with a double minor in psychology and philosophy, this was a mental suicide. I tried to be wearing the tie and suit like my Hotel General Manager dad, but I couldn't keep playing that silly game for too long, and it affected my personal life and health. But then it happens.You wake up someday and come to realize that it doesn't make sense and that it isn't worth it. I was lucky to have a residence that I owned so I rented it out, left all my comfort zone behind and moved to the other side of the ocean to join my partner and the unknown. I merely reorganized my priorities. I now research, write, edit, translate, communicate, take photos, make videos, read. Simply CREATE by GROWING and BEING through life. I'm in my mid 30's already so I will definitely not spend those next few decades working for organizations or people I don't care about just to keep up with a crippling system designed to keep you enslaved then die. I would never, ever, exchange this simple yet enchanting life I'm blessed with at the moment.

    I understand why would some of you find this not to their liking, but again, sometimes you need to hear the truth that hurts. But also remember, everyone's truth is different, so don't take anything personal. Actually, I have had lots of conversations and debates with friends and followers and we always reach one conclusion. Some can do this and get out of the matrix and some are so entwined inside it that emancipating themselves from it seems like utter blasphemy. Anyways, it's always wise to remember that everyone is doing the best they can from their own level of consciousness. One Love Brethren <3


    “They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold; and I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.”
    ― Khalil Gibran

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  41. Keep this article away from your children!

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  42. ONE WORD OF ADVICE everyone. If you are reading something and the written piece does not address YOU by name (or other DISTINCT identifier), don't respond with "I" in your comments. The author was more than likely NOT talking to or about YOU!

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  43. Great article. People having employees' mind-sets may be against this. I have found it very impressive and realistic. Thanks and keep it up.

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  44. I agree with the general, over-arching theme of this article, but I'm not sure I agree with the methods of resolution to the problem. A website that generates residual income is a great idea. I like it. But, how does that work? Through Google Ads? If so, then you're simply feeding the system. People have "jobs" at google and people have "jobs" to produce the goods that are sold through advertising on the website. So essentially, you're making money off of other people that have jobs. Or if you're an investor, same thing. People work at the companies you invest in to make the company profitable so you can rake in the money. I'd rather make efforts to evolve the system rather than become one of the 1%-types that simply take advantage of the rest of the working class and the poor. The economic system is a human construct. We can change it.

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  45. It's time to evolve our economic system.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ovuiP_Ws2p0

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  46. I loved it! Thank you! Maybe you know more options to generate income?

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  47. I'm an intern now and I love what I'm doing even I'm not paid

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  48. Woho! Read the article with a BIG smile and have to say that I'm very glad to have found someone who think like I do about this. Thank you! :D

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  49. THIS ARTICLE MAKES ME HUNGRY HORNY AND HAPPY

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  50. yep...ok. But HOW?????
    At least point me in the direction.
    How does one do this????

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  51. it just sounds like the writer hasn't worked a lot during his lifetime.. I could be wrong though.

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  52. Fair thought. Each and everything was well thought out, but you cannot blame people for wanting to survive in a cut throat market at this time.
    When there is a chance, you take it because you don't know if it still stands tomorrow.. Not all humans are born to withstand pressure. Now when I say pressure - picture being a writer with a writers block with his wife 8 months pregnant..
    I respect your opinion, however personally I wouldn't be able to think about anything to write when I'm unsure of what I'm going to earn while I have hospital bills to pay for (which wont be backed by insurance, because hey, I don't have a fixed income to back my premiums), with 2 mouths to feed not forgetting emergency pregnancy funds and family maintenance.

    To many this is a wake up call (AGREED).
    1 among 10 who read this will have his/her life changed (Will take a little time, but will be worth the wait).. But, am I strong enough to take the risk of falling with the 9?

    Wait.. The initial kick off was regarding not wanting to work just after graduating wasn't it?
    If a 365 days passed by, and we give up and just do it like "everybody else".. and we then dream that the 366th day would have made our lives different and for the better, I would want to kill myself.. *MAN IF I JUST GAVE IT ONE MORE DAY*
    Well - WHAT IF IT DIDN'T?...

    1 among the thousands of readers will never give up.. What if you've had it slow - say 5 years and you just wont give up, 10 and still fighting, 15 still standing.. 20 and its finally here..
    *say you graduated age of 21 - you are now 40.. Start a family? or buy that Ferrari?

    To me, time isn't waiting.. You're either in sync or you aren't.
    If you are reading this article without having worked before and saying this has pointed you in the right direction (assumption) - YOU MY FRIEND ARE JUST LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO COVER UP FOR THE FAILURE OF YOUR ATTEMPT ON WHAT YOU HAVE JUST STARTED TRYING..
    I'm sure the author of this interesting article wasn't pointing at a shortcut, but was giving people who hate their jobs direction..

    I respect your thoughts, however not everyone is willing to risk if they can get by just fine ;)

    Regards,
    V.P.
    (CEO who struggled and worked his ass off, still tending to his plants)

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