Most of us spend our lives trying to get ahead in the rat race – chasing security, status, and the next big thing.
But what if the real challenge isn’t getting ahead at all… it’s getting out of the rat race and learning how to thrive on your own terms?
This is what I’ve been wrestling with lately – what it means to step off the treadmill, trust life’s timing, and build a life that actually feels like living.
What If Success Isn’t About Getting Ahead, But Getting Out?
What if our greatest challenge in life isn’t getting ahead in the rat race… but getting OUT of the rat race and thriving in our lives anyway?
I lost my job over a year and a half ago, and since then I’ve been trying to start a business (or several…) with the hope of being able to support our family without the chains of a 9-5.
But yeah, I’ll be the first to tell you it ain’t going as I’d hoped.
For a long time I beat myself up following all of the (expensive) business advice I’d gotten without making any headway. I pushed and pushed to make something work before the bank account ran dry (which, spoiler alert… happened a long time ago).
I was home and had all this “free” time, but it felt like I was still trapped on a production hamster wheel, only this one wasn’t actually spitting out any money on the other end.
It’s been really hard not having the financial security that a job brings.
Choosing to Leave the Rat Race Anyway
But you know what else is hard?
To know that there’s a better life beyond the hustle that is just out of reach.
To send your children away from you every day at the expense of “making a living.”
To keep holding on to hope that life can be different – simpler, slower, and real.
To keep hearing the outside expectations of the world telling you to give up and play the game when you know in your heart that it isn’t your path.
So yeah… maybe I’m naive or crazy or selfish or whatever else the world would have me believe I am so that I fall in-line and keep my hat in the rat race. But I’m not there yet.
I’m still holding on to the faith that life is going to show me the right way. I’m going to live my life now as it’s meant to be lived and trust that it’s going to work out.
And I’m going to share what the journey for me looks like. All of the vulnerable mess and doubts and empty pocketbooks.
Because that’s the reality of trying to do things differently. It’s sacrifice and failures and learning, but most importantly it’s hope.
And I hope that maybe my living this experiment gives you just a tiny bit, too – a little flicker of hope that life can be what you want it to be.
XO – Bailee
