The Great Office Escape

Need a Car? Always Buy Used

Written by Mike on February 27, 2010 — Leave a Comment

A long time ago, I wrote an article on why owning a car isn’t necessarily a requirement.

But I am all too aware that many of us live in cities where good public transportation isn’t as readily available, or we don’t live in cities at all. Not having a car is pretty much infeasible. So what are we to do if we still want to live simply and spend less, but need a reliable way to get around?

Never Lease a Car

This is a mistake. You will end up spending far more on the car (unless you practically never drive it, which defeats the purpose) than you should. On top of this, you will have absolutely nothing to show for your “investment” in the end.

Your insurance costs will be astronomical, and even though you may be tempted with the low monthly payments, you just about always end up well into the red (compared to if you had just purchased the car outright.) Not to mention the mileage restrictions you will struggle to meet.

This is a great article explaining more on why leasing is such a poor decision.

Most importantly, it is a short-sighted decision. You are looking at the financial picture of a month, instead of in the long term. You are also looking at the ease of not being as responsible for the maintenance/repairs, rather that actually learning about how your vehicle works/how to maintain it yourself.

Shirking responsibility is never a good thing.

Buying New is Better, but Still Unnecessary

This is really an ego thing – let’s face it. A product of our culture. We always have to have the newest/biggest/best thing. Advertisers push new on us relentlessly.

I have a confession to make – if you are driving a vehicle with custom rims/plates etc. I just shake my head. Why are you are enslaving yourself further by tying your ego to the kind of vehicle you drive? For every paint job you get to make your car look cooler, you are imprisoning yourself to your job that much longer. Remember my article a few days ago, about how you are not your job? Well, you are not your car, either!

Buying a new car may seem cool, but you are really doing it because the idea of “new” seems better. You can save yourself tens of thousands of dollars by purchasing something used.

My 1996 Civic

A few months ago I moved from Oregon to New Mexico. I knew I’d need a vehicle in Las Cruces, because public transportation here just isn’t what it is in Portland. While it was hard for me to do (as most of you know, I travel light) I buckled down and bought a car. Did a ton of research, agonized over it for months, and debated. But I bought a used car – with 83,000 miles. It’s not flashy. It’s very small.

But I pad for it ENTIRELY in cash. I own the car. No payments. No fees. No mileage restrictions. And it is the best car I ever owned – I love it.

That is the real definition of ownership. If you buy something that you can afford – something that you can pay cash for straight up, you are in good shape.

Monthly car payments are brutal for most people – it doesn’t matter if the payments are for a new car or a lease. Car payments will trap you, cut into your quality of life that can be spent on other things (or better, saved) and you’ll end up paying a heck of a lot more than if you had just saved up for something used.

But New Cars Have it All!

Q: But what about GPS?
A: Get a map. A US Atlas is $9 at your local gas station.
Q: What about gas mileage?
A: My Civic gets 40-45 miles to the gallon on highways. Most new cars don’t come close to that, except hybrids.
Q: What if my co-workers laugh at me for having the parking-lot clunker?
A: If you really want to escape your 9-to-5, you’ll get there a lot faster if you don’t buy a flashy new vehicle. Then you’ll be the one who is laughing.

A car is something you purchase to get around from place to place. If you can’t afford one, you’ll need to find alternative ways to get around. Don’t borrow from your future so that you can look cool with your 2010 Prius that you won’t actually own until 2015.

Posted in Money, Simple Living

6 Friendly Cities for Entrepreneurs

Written by Mike on February 26, 2010 — Leave a Comment

Trying to make a go of it on your own? Here are six cities that may give you slightly better than average odds if you are looking to start a business. While in general it is far more important that you have a good business idea and plan than a good location, in this case the grass may really be greener somewhere else.

1. Portland, Oregon

While Oregon has the highest income-tax rate in the United States, it’s largest city is particularly friendly to small business startups. There are large numbers of young, artsy-hippie types here, and the city is very friendly to those who are trying to make a go of it on their own and find a way to live “without working for the man.”

It is possible to start a business that caters to the young, counter-culture crowd by doing just about anything, from selling T-shirts, to opening a yoga studio to showing off your spoon-art collection in the Saturday Market. People here are very open-minded and just about everyone has a business idea. At the very least, you’ll find quite a few like-minded, intelligent people who are willing to try just about anything.

If you are into the food industry, Portland leads the world in environmentally-friendly and organically grown food. It would be easy to break into one of the farmer’s markets here and sell your new “natural concoction.”

2. Las Vegas, Nevada

Vegas was a proverbial desert wasteland with nothing and a cactus only 50 years ago. Today it is one of the largest entertainment explosions in the world, and in a sense almost become it’s own punchline. The opportunities for business in this fast-growing gambler’s paradise are endless, especially if you are in the hospitality industry.

While working with the casinos in any capacity really require one to know what he/she is doing, there are opportunities to open restaurants, boutiques, and even sell travel packages to the vacation-happy crowd. Vegas also leads the world in weddings and divorces. This is another hotbed of business possibilities.

The only question is whether living (and doing business) in Vegas will tempt you beyond your business into a lifestyle of hedonism yourself!

3. Austin, Texas

Austin is full of life, and another city that is on the rise. The economy hasn’t been hit quite as hard in some southern cities, and Austin has fared better than many others. While competing for jobs with many recent college grads in this young persons’ paradise might be a bit of a challenge, running a business here would be delightful.

The “live music capital of the world” has many opportunities for people into the music scene. If you want a place to promote your new sound, or you are looking to pick up talent, you might do better finding it here than in LA!

And, as always, there are plenty of up and coming areas of town with potential for new businesses, like the south Congress area and between 4th and 6th streets downtown. Don’t like winter? The average high temp here in January is over 60 degrees!

4. Denver, Colorado

Denver has a lot of different types of opportunities. One thing Colorado does not lack is mountains. And where there are mountains, there is snow. And where there is snow, there are skiers. And snowboarders. If you could find a way to make it work, you could head off to Vail or other fun mountain town where a lot of people come for the winter sports, perhaps supplying equipment for ski resorts, or even having a little snack-shop in a warming-hut in the mountains.

If snow isn’t your thing, the city of Denver, and the surrounding front range cities of Colorado Springs, Boulder and Fort Collins are full of young people, schools, and a lot of culture. You could also take business courses at the Bard Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado in Denver, or other schools in the area. The opportunities in Colorado are limitless.

5. Anchorage, Alaska

Surprised to find Anchorage on this list? It’s because of the people. Alaskans are hardy folks. Most of the time, they are happy to be left alone by the rest of the United States, feeling like they can fend for themselves. No state has a friendlier tax system in the US than Alaska, which actually pays it’s citizens to live there!

Business owners are plentiful here. If you are good at cleaning yards (and are not afraid of the occasional grizzly encounter) or fixing frozen plumbing, you could do well here. There are also opportunities in tourism, as people from all over visit beautiful Denali and other state parks in the summer. If you have a good business idea and love the wilderness, you could find yourself very happy in the frozen north.

Just bring a jacket.

6. Tampa, Florida

If a warm climate in a city with a lot of tourism and housing opportunities are what you are looking for, Tampa might be the place for you. While it doesn’t get the press and attention that Miami or even Orlando receive, there are many opportunities in this large, coastal city. There is a large influx of money to Tampa-St.Pete through tourism and a lot of wealthy people live here.

It might be a great place to start an in-home physical therapy/acupuncture/other holistic business as a lot of families down here do have money, though you’ll have to know where to look. The real-estate market here went through a definite slump in recent years, but the city has invested in/refinanced a lot of new projects, so there are signs this could be close to improving.

There are many schools down here as well, including the University of Tampa’s business program. If you feel the need to go to school to get started, you could have an opportunity here.

Posted in Self Employment, Travel

Separating Your Business from Yourself

Written by Mike on February 25, 2010 — Leave a Comment

As stated in my earlier article, 5 Things You Should Never Do When Starting a Business, you are not your business! This common mistake made by many of the newly self-employed can cause all kinds of issues later on.

When you begin a business, you will want to separate yourself (as an entity) from this business as much as possible. This means that your business finances, operations, and policies will be on one end, and you will be on the other. In a sense, the more you begin to think of yourself as “working for your business” or even “an employee of your business who happens to call the shots) the better!

Confused? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to achieve business/self separation in a healthy manner.

Financial Separation

One of the first things you will need to do is open a business account. You can do this at your local bank, where you do your regular banking, or at a different institution. It’s sometimes easier to have both your accounts with the same bank, but if you do, make sure they are separate entities.

While it will vary state-by-state (or by country) you will need to have a Tax ID number for your business before you can open this type of account. To do this, go to your local state department of taxation and revenue, fill out the correct form (which they will provide for you.) If you are hiring employees, you will also need to file for a Federal Tax ID number, at least in the United States.

There are many package deals that banks will offer for new business owners. Make an appointment with an advisor at your bank to go over different options. Generally, starting small (while you get the hang of how the account works) is best. You can always upgrade your account later.

Now, here is how you will manage your business finances:

Make all deposits into your business account when you are paid through your business, or when you see business profit
Make sure that you are taking a certain percentage out of the business account and saving it for taxes
On a certain date each month (you can choose) pay yourself a monthly salary from the business. You can do this once a month by transferring funds from your business account to your checking or savings accounts.
Repeat each month.

This is by far and away the best way to separate your business from yourself financially, if you are running your own business and just getting started. In time, it will get easier to do this, especially if you hire an accountant.

Organizational Separation

It’s easy to get your personal files and business files mixed up. Many of us have a little blue plastic file system with a tab marked “bills” where we haphazardly throw our monthly statements, hoping that we won’t actually have to go through them at any point.

This is fine if you run a business, as long as you don’t care about not being able to find anything and/or getting really confused.

Make sure to have two separate filing systems – one for you, and one for the business. You are going to be keeping track of both, but if something is related to your business dealings in any way, it should go with your business file system. This is extremely important for business receipts, as you’ll be able to write off certain purchases come tax time.

While this will not apply to all businesses, you should also consider doing all your work out of a home office (not in the living room, for example.) At the very least, this will not make you think you are still “at the office” when in fact, you are at home trying to relax!

Finally, you should really name your business. If you don’t have a title, (believe it or not, this sometimes happens to people who find themselves running a business without knowing what they were getting into after selling mattresses online, or giving friends career advice) you should come up with one. The business name will help keep your work dealings separate.

Posted in Feature, Self Employment

Becoming Your Work

Written by Mike on February 24, 2010 — Leave a Comment

It’s amazingly easy to lose yourself in your job. Let’s face it – the majority of us spend more than half of our waking hours at work – 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. When we come home at night (and the sun has already been down for an hour) it’s sometimes difficult to get out of “work mode.”

Some of us question our actions of the day, beating ourselves up over perceived indiscretions and mentally preparing for the storm tomorrow. Others just zone out in front of the TV, oblivious to the world, trying to forget the pain. Neither is particularly healthy, but it is understandable. Working for a living can be a stressful thing – if anything goes wrong, our livelihood itself can be at stake.

Because of this (and to be fair also because a lot of us have pride in what we do), many of us have developed the bad habit of “becoming our work.” We identify ourselves with our jobs so strongly, that even when we are as far away from work as we can get, we maintain this persona.

Let’s look in on a hypothetical conversation between Alex, a 30-something accountant who has just met an attractive woman at a bar. Let’s be a fly on the wall. Here is a snippet of their conversation:

Woman: So, what do you do for a living?
Alex: I am a Customer Account Representative

Notice the key words: I am.

You are Not Your Job!

Your job is something you do. It’s something that you perform – a service, or a trade for others – but this isn’t who you are.

One of the reasons so many of us feel disconnected and “out-of-whack” at work is because we lose ourselves in the job. We become an activity, rather than a person. This can be especially demoralizing for those of us who don’t have very high-ranking jobs. If you are a secretary and you have this problem, imagine the wonders this does for your self-esteem.

Sure, it’s fine to take pride in our work. But there is a better way of looking at our careers. Let’s go back to the bar with our friend, Alex and start over:

Woman: What do you do for a living?
Alex: I protect customer accounts from fraud and balance budgets at GlobalTron

Doesn’t that sound better? And now Alex can woo his fair maiden with stories of who he actually is. And if she doesn’t like his response – well there are certainly other 9-to-5ers hanging out nearby, tired from a long day at the office.

Posted in 9 to 5 Culture, Lifestyle

5 Things You Should Never Do When Starting a Business

Written by Mike on February 16, 2010 — 1 Comment

It’s exciting! Exhilarating! You are in the process of putting your dream into action – the pen to the paper. Clients are starting to come in, and your work is starting to bear fruit. Your new business is beginning to take off. But, as most experienced business owners will tell you, things can come crashing down very quickly if you are not prepared.

Here are some ways that you can fall off the edge faster than a 9-to-5er’s weekend.

1. Drink

Some of the best small business owners and rat race escapees I know don’t drink alcohol. At all. In fact, the less you drink, the better off you will be. Why is this?

Alcohol is a depressant. It acts by slowly eroding you energy and confidence away over time. And I’m not talking about the “confidence” you get while inebriated at a drunken college party in order to talk to the attractive girl from your French class. I’m talking about your confidence in yourself. The less control you have in your personal life, the less control you will feel you have over your business. Alcohol eats away at control.

Sure, a little bit is ok. But you should probably never use alcohol as a reward for a hard day’s work. If you are doing this, stop. Don’t dull the natural “high” you get from working hard and seeing your business grow by drowning yourself in a depressant that you are labeling as a reward! It’s nothing more than a crutch, and it will slow you down in time.

2. Be Available 24-7

This is a huge mistake, and a sure way to burn out eventually. Why did you start a business in the first place? One of the reasons was probably so that you had some control over your time. You were tired of giving away 40 hours of your week to your boss.

So why should you give away all your time to your clients?

Set some boundaries. If Mr. Jones calls you at 5:30pm in the evening and wants to chat with you about sales leads until 9pm, tell him that you are “open for business” until 6:00pm. Be firm about it. Don’t fidget and say, “well, I’m sorry.. it’s hard for me.. with the kids and all…” No. Just lay down the line. (Whatever your line may be!) People will be understanding, and you will be less likely to want to stick your head in the sand after awhile.

And ostriches don’t make good business owners.

3. Be Disorganized

Good business owners, entrepreneurs and the self-employed, for lack of a better term, have all their cows in the correct barn. That is to say, they have their ducks in a row.

If you are going into business for yourself, you need to keep track of everything you are doing. Even if it takes an additional hour each day, it is worth the extra time. Make sure that every transaction you make, every project you take on, and every interaction you have with a client is recorded. Put together a good invoice template and use it, even if you aren’t billing much for the project or product.

Why is this essential? Murphy’s Law will happen. You will at once point or another, need to go back over your records to find that transaction that took place between you and Mr. Jones to prove to him that he has, in fact, not yet paid you. Or you will get audited (self-employed individuals are more likely to have this happen than those who collect a steady paycheck.)

So if your filing system looks like something out of the movie Twister and your tax information is more of a daydream than a readily, you need to take action, or you will run into problems.

4. Refuse to Separate Your Business From Yourself

Check out my article: Separating Your Business From Yourself for more information on this common problem. You are not your business, any more than your dog is you.

Your business is something that you perform for others. When your business makes money, think of “taking this money” as “paying yourself a salary.” If you are just cashing your clients’ payments and taking them to Dairy Queen for ice cream, you need to make some changes. Of course, when you are just starting out, it is ok to do this occasionally. But if you are like me and running a serious business (or plan to run one) you need to have a separate account for your business. It is also strongly preferable to have a tax account that links to your business account.

If you are unsure how to do your taxes on your own, talk with an accountant or simply go to your local bank and tell them you want to open a business account. They will be familiar with the tax rates in your state/country, and can help you get started.

5. Put the Cart Before the Horse

Also known as skydiving without a parachute, or putting ketchup on your hot dog bun and then eating the hot dog before putting the actual hot dog on the bun, far too many people make this mistake.

They are so excited about their new business, that they start doing the work and pay little attention to planning and barely give any consideration to their time/finances.

While you don’t need to write out an actual business plan in all cases (though it helps), you should definitely sit down, take an honest look at your finances, an honest look at how much time you can devote to your new business, and get a general idea of how you want to proceed. If you don’t have the money required to begin, perhaps you can borrow some, or work a bit longer at your present job before devoting the time. But give it some careful thought! Don’t just jump in the ocean and hope it isn’t deep.

Thoughts

All good business owners are adaptable and pen to things going wrong. If you are making any of these mistakes, or feel that you are going to have a difficult time correcting them, it isn’t the end of the world. You can still run a great business. But it’s important to be mindful of some of your weaknesses so that you can take steps to work through them.

Nobody is irreconcilably limited by their vices!

Posted in Self Employment

Untying Your Work from Your Income

Written by Mike on February 15, 2010 — Leave a Comment

Awhile back I had an enlightening conversation with a good friend who was looking or a second job. She works at a coffee shop and is one of the may who earns an hourly wage, putting in anywhere from 30 to 35 hours per week in exchange for $10 an hour or so. Even though she lives with her parents and extended family, she isn’t earning enough to make ends meet, owing much of her financial imprisonment to student loans, credit card debt and other bills. Blame the economy.

Amazingly, she had managed to begin saving a small amount each month for the last couple of months, and was thinking of taking a cruise somewhere warm with her boyfriend. She was concerned that she would have to inform any potential future employer that she’d be unavailable for that specific week in March or April. She asked me what I would say to a potential future employer about her possible inability to work a certain week in the future should she be hired.

What was this, grade school? At first I was a bit incredulous, but then I thought about it.

Why shouldn’t she be allowed to take a vacation? If only she could just put in a bit of extra work beforehand, she’d might have enough money to offset the costs…

But then it hit me: she’s been working in a food-service/hospitality environment. She isn’t thinking in terms of working in blocks of time and then taking vacation time. She’s used to getting paid by the hour and following a schedule (which she admittedly detests!) Her income is directly tied to her work. And many of us are living the same nightmare. How do we escape?

It takes just 3 steps to begin.

Step 1: Untying is Undenying

We have it in our heads that we have to work to earn an income. It’s been hammered into us since before we left home. “Get a job,” is the rally cry of the world, it seems. So we go to school and work hard so that we can increase our salaries. To a lot of us, this is the best we can hope for. But, there is a much better way.

First we must stop denying that it is possible for us to make a good living without slaving away for 40 years. There are many people out there who have invested wisely, who have started a successful business, or have found a way to make enough money to not have to work – and they have done it without giving up their entire lives!

But the pursuit of money is a mistake. You are not pursuing money. You are pursuing a life that is your creation. A life where you can do what you love, and give back to the world. The need to earn an income often gets in the way of this very thing.

How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, I’d love to voluteer” or “I wish I could spend my time writing or painting” but “I don’t have the money!”

It isn’t fair. Separate your need to earn money from your work. Untie your hands, solve your income problem (because that is what it is) and start anew.

Step 2: Think in terms of Value

If you are going to be creating income for yourself that does not involve you trading your time and life away, you need to know the 3 ways to do this first:

Start a business
Invest Wisely
Create a Product/Service

The truth is, all three are really tied together. But you can’t just walk blindly into one, or all three of these things without some knowledge first. One of the most important things you will be attempting to do is to provide something for someone else. You need to provide value.

If you go to a farmer’s market, and the entire place is filled with people selling oranges, I doubt you will do well by putting up another orange stand. But imagine what might happen if you take some strawberries to the market instead! (Never mind the horrible analogy… I don’t know any orange-themed farmer’s markets either!)

Simple concept, but simply essential to follow. It’s been said a million times. Look for a need and provide this need, or value. This is how to create customers.

Step 3: Frontload

Remember how I was telling you that you would need to set up a business, investment, or create a product? It’s a lot of work to become successful. And you’ll need to put in a lot of time up front. In fact, you’ll probably start out working far longer hours than your fellow 9-to-5ers (who may think you are crazy, at least visibly) but in the end, if you are successful, your time will drop from 80 hours a week, to 50, to 20… to zero.

And your 9-to-5ers will remain working for 40-45 hours a week until they are old and grey, while you have separated your work from your income. Now you can do whatever you would like…

Step 4: **Surprise!** Do Something Meaningful With Your Life

Anyone can just sit around all day, or buy some fancy cars with a lot of money. But if you do this, you are doing the world a disservice.

Now is the time to do something with your time and freedom. Write. Create. Volunteer. Teach. Do what you always wanted to do – but please, please do not just go off to some island and sit around, or do nothing but live a lavish lifestyle.

You have worked hard and earned the greatest professional gift in the world: the ability to fully give of yourself to others.

Posted in Escape Routes, Money

The Great Office Escape Redesign

Written by Mike on August 24, 2009 — Leave a Comment

It’s been awhile!

I am currently in the process of redesigning The Great Office Escape with a whole new look. Sometime around October this new and improved version of the site will be ready to go, and at that time I will (finally) start updating again.

If you would like to follow the progress of my redesign, click here. I go into great detail with the web design, the graphics, and the new layout and update my progress regularly! It’s like watching a building go up.

A lot of you have expressed regret and dismay that I have not been updating much this year, but I will return with regular updates (and more features) very soon!

My web development business has started to take off and I have been focusing on that for most of the summer. And how would I be fit to continue maintaining The Great Office Escape if I was working 9 to 5? Not very! I’ve been happy with the results of my web business so far. In fact, I have not had a regular 9 to 5/40 hour a week job since the fall of 2007. I must be doing something right!

All the best to my readers, and good luck making your escape!

Posted in Uncategorized

The Perpetual Student

Written by Mike on March 28, 2009 — 2 Comments

It’s a path so many people have decided to take. A backwards path. A path of retracing, rehashing, and starting over. Why do so many people return to settings of higher education so soon after they graduate? Is it a good thing? Before I explore the answer to that question, let’s explain some common reasons that so many young people are choosing to “start over.”

1. Fear of the Real World

It can be overwhelming for many young 20-somethings to face the reality of having to work so damn much. Real life is not all it’s cracked up to be for many college grads. They get a taste of the stale 40+ hours of office air and they’ll long for the days of 2AM pizza and cramming for a midterm in a dorm.

Life seems so much less complicated when your primary concerns are about getting an “A” on a paper or where the next beer-bong party is versus where your next paycheck is coming from and if your room mate is going to make good on his threat to move out and leave you hanging.

Not out of school yet and wish you were? Keep this in mind: if you combine all the hours spent attending classes in an entire semester, you will probably end up with about 80 total. That’s two weeks of work in the real world. Two. Try to imagine what it would be like to attend all of your classes in one semester in two weeks. Over and over and over. And you can’t skip any of these “classes.” And if you get even one “F” you could be fired.

Fun, huh?

2. $9 An Hour Versus $37,000 in Loans

Guess which one wins?

Truly fair wages are hard to find these days. Try paying back your college loans while living in a recession and having to work as a Macaroni Grill waiter or Starbucks barista. Good luck, bucko. Sometimes students will return to school simply so that they can defer their loans (and then take out more!) They do this in the hope that the economy will improve in the future, or that their new career will increase their salary to the point that they can pay back the now larger loan.

Of course, now they’ll have to pay back twice as many loans, even if they can earn a higher salary when they get out. What happens then?

Let’s be honest here. Going back to school for this reason is like avoiding getting hit by a car by jumping onto the path of a trolley. Your situation just went from bad to worse.

3. Boredom

The problem with school is that it provides “something to do” for many people. Once kids finally get out of college it represents the end to a 20+ year period where their entire professional life was proscribed to them.

For the first time ever, young adults have to make their own choices and figure out what they want to do. They are in control. No educational talking heads telling them what the next step is in order to succeed. This works just fine for some people, but for others it is one of the scariest things ever to happen.

What to do now? Well, some can’t take the pressure of having to rely on their own decisions and make their own way, so they turn right back around and enter a life where once again they can let someone else do it for them.

4. Career Switch

Finally, we hit on a more positive reason for returning. And the truth is, this is a cover for many of the above reasons. Plenty of people will tell you that they are returning to school so that they can try something new, but in reality they are just bored, or they can’t pay their bills. Seriously. It sounds better this way.

However, if you are going back to school because you need to change careers and you know that this is really the best way you can reach that goal, then congratulations!

5. Love of Learning

Because of the cost of higher education these days, I have a difficult time believing that almost anybody would return to college full-time for this reason unless they are a millionaire or got some kind of scholarship.

Is Returning to School a Good Thing?

Well, it depends on the reason! Generally, if you need to achieve a specific goal, and you have explored other options, but returning to school is the best one, then of course it is a good thing.

However, if you have just graduated and you are thinking about going back, consider your motivations. Are you just scared? Are you bored? Do you hate the real world? These are actually reasons NOT to go back to school. Face your fears head-on and don’t escape back to the thing that put you where you are. What you really need to do is get in touch with yourself, establish a set of goals and ask yourself who you really are. Don’t just slap a Band-Aid on a broken arm and go play tennis. Ignoring the problem or escaping it will not help.

In other words, don’t just blindly go back to the institution that helped cause and prolong your confusion. The only person who can teach you what is really good for you is the one looking at you from the other side of the mirror.

Posted in Education, Society and Culture

The Socio-Professional Role Test

Written by Mike on February 11, 2009 — Leave a Comment

SPRT-Header

“What is my role in the world?”

Many of us ask ourselves this question in trying to find the perfect career or occupation. But there is so much more to your role than just a career. I have put together a test to help you find your purpose with a bit more clarity. It is in a similar vein to the Money Personality Test and has only 18 questions.

You can take this test completely for free at my sister site Project Personality (a new window will open.)

Once you have completed the test you can read the results here (or the more in-depth results at Project Personality.)

Interpreting and Discussing the Test

What do these letters mean? In short: you have just completed a sentence about your professional life goals:

I work within established structure to make change in…. (S)
I create my own structure to make change in…. (C)

…. my own life (O)
…. the world (W)

socio-profession-role

The Types

CO – The Wanderer

Wanderers are definitely an “against the grain” type and do not like to follow the crowd, nor can they even if they try. Basically they just want to be left alone and carve out a unique path that feels right. This can be expressed in art, theater, business, and many other areas. It isn’t as important to a Wanderer what other people are doing, and the “ways of the world” are not all that important either. In fact, Wanderers sometimes feel like a stranger in the crowd, unconcerned with what others typically think about. It is sometimes difficult to find an ideal career path for this type, as they often feel like they want to be left alone. A Wanderer will sometimes settle for a job that they do not like just so that they can have time to pursue what they really enjoy on the side, but inside this doesn’t make them content.

CW – The Revolutionary

Revolutionaries throw out the old social order. This can be on a small or large scale. They can’t work well within the system as it’s set up, but tend to have very different ideas about how things should go. Professionally they often work for themselves and find some way of creating both change and having influence. Revolutionaries can be on both ends of the spectrum. Some will be bank robbers and others will be incredibly talented scientists, writers, and business owners. As a Revolutionary you will struggle to “fit in” early in life, but then will want to do just the opposite as you get older. A Revolutionary simply does not see the world as it is set up as ideal, and will (increasingly as they get older) work to make it a better place in their eyes, especially for others who are like they are.

SO – The Performer

Probably the most common type, the Performer feels most comfortable fitting in with a good team of people on the job and doing well. They are no ground-breaking types, but are very good at being dependable, loyal, hardworking and trustworthy. They tend to get along well with others because to them, this is required for a happy life. They usually have an easier time than other types finding a career that fits them, though they will often question whether they are good enough in others’ eyes. This can lead to some career trouble. Because their sphere of immediate influence is captivating and anxiety-producing enough for them, they are not truly that interested in the “big picture” of the professional and social world on a large scale.

SW – The Leader

These people can truly initiate change from within established professions. They are not followers by any stretch, but they instinctively know that in order to make change in the world they need to adapt themselves on some level to first “fit in.” They will usually go to school, do well, and find a good job early on. Once there, they emerge as a force and will use their minds to make significant changes. Leaders can find success in almost any professional arena, but in order to be happy they will have to feel like the work they do is valid and important. They are happiest when influencing others and creating systems that improve people’s lives. While their coworkers merely toil away they are truly interested in what they do.

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Posted in Feature, Self Tests

The Art of Risk (Part 2)

Written by Mike on February 7, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Click here for The Art of Risk (Part 1)

In The Art of Risk (part 1), I discussed the often difficult decision-making process in deciding whether it is a good idea to take a personal or professional risk. Still, it’s never easy to make a final decision, especially if it could be a life-altering one.

Nevertheless, are you still standing on the edge of that mountain, bungee cord attached but still ready to turn around and go home?

This self-text will help you decide if it is worth taking that risk.

The Risk-Assesment Test

First, think about a specific risk you have been deliberating on taking, or on the fence about, but have not yet made a decision. Answer the following questions. At the end of the test, I will tell you whether or not the risk is worth taking.

Whether you do or do not eventually take this risk, however, I assume no responsibility in what happens to you! These results are merely for guidance, and I am in no way suggesting that you must do anything as a result of your taking this test! Take this risk-assesment test at your own risk.

Whew! That makes me feel better.

1 – Are you truly unhappy in your current situation?

Yes

2 – Do you find yourself coming up with reasons or justifying to yourself why you should take the risk?

Yes

3 – Do you/would you get irritated when/if people suggest to you that you should not take the risk?

Yes

4 – Is there a very low chance that taking the risk will put you in physical harm?

Yes

5 – Do you feel stuck in a rut in your current life?

Yes

6 – Do you tend to be fairly fearful of change?

Yes

7 – Do you have at least a few close friends that you know would support you if you took the risk?

Yes

8 – Are you truly willing to irreversibly change your current situation by taking the risk? Really think about this one.

Yes

Results

Count your total number of “yes” responses for your score.

0-2 – You are probably best off not taking the risk at hand. Temptation is a common thing, but there are a lot of factors working against you. Reassess what it is that drew you to this risk. Perhaps you can deal with those issues specifically by taking smaller risk.

3-4 – It is worth getting more information about the risk at hand. What would you really stand to lose? What could taking the risk get you? What could you accomplish by taking this risk that you couldn’t accomplish by not taking it? Give it a bit more time if you can.

5-6 – Go for it. It may be difficult at first, and you may need some time to adjust once you take this risk, but in the end it will be worth it.

7-8 – What are you waiting for? I’m surprised you even took this assessment! Your new life is waiting for you.

Posted in Self Tests

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The Art of Risk (Part 2)

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