Living from paycheck to paycheck. Running the children to school, getting to work, taking the children to practice, picking them up, getting dinner, going home, catch up on work from the office, go to bed, and then wake up the next morning to do it all over again. It's called the rat race by some, living hell by others, but many people find common ground when they say that they want out.
Reasons for the rat race
It doesn't really matter why things are the way they are to those who don't really want to change the way things are. People who are content to run the rat race day-in and day-out might be satisfied to complain or use cute sayings like "another day, another dollar," or - better yet - "another day, another doughnut." For many, however, that just isn't acceptable. The rat race is like history: those who do not know it, understand it, and learn from it are doomed to repeat it.
Supply and demand
A universal law exists that suggests that people demand things that are of insufficient supply. For example, no one would want gold if it was as plenteous as ordinary dirt because it would be like dirt to us. It would be worthless to us and we would not be special for having it. Gold is rare, however, meaning that people want it to enrich themselves and show themselves ant the world that they are special.
Inevitably, things that are in short supply come at a higher cost. An ounce of gold costs more than $1,000 for an ounce, but twenty pounds of dirt can sell for $5 or less. Imagine if there were as many 84" high definition television sets as there are aluminum cans. If this were the case, the TVs would cost about five cents and no one would feel special if they had one.
The excess demand for things that are in short supply makes prices high which in turn makes those things hard to get. There just isn't enough of everything good for everyone to have everything they want. That's why there is a rat race.
Human nature
Supply and demand is a direct result of human nature. People want good things. They want better things than they now have, and they tend to want them now. The problem is that a supply of a key ingredient of life is also in short supply: money.
The time/money continuum
Whoever made up the saying, "Time is money," was incredibly wise and succinct. To get more things, people need more money. To get more money, people need more time. Because of this we find workaholics who practically work around the clock trying to make more and more money. Of course the problem with that type of person is that they do not have the time they need to enjoy their money and the things they can get with it.
The Power Elite
The rat race gets even more complicated because of the existence of a group of people in the country and in the world called the Power Elite. These are a small group of people who have the enviable position of having more money than they know what to do with and can therefore enjoy life without any of the burdens associated with the rat race.
Unfortunately, the existence of the Power Elite makes the rat race more difficult and more commonplace for everyone else. This is because of supply and demand.
A small piece of the pie
The Power Elite are the 10% of American families that control more than 68% of American wealth. This means that 90% of American families are fighting each other for less than one-third of American resources. This means that - by the time those who can have all that they want actually get all that they want; there is only a tiny piece of the pie left for everyone else.
Getting out of the rat race
Politicians (who are almost all part of the Power Elite class) enjoy pitting the "rich" against the "poor" in order to build their power and to distract people from understanding one thing: the Power Elite do not want everyone to be as wealthy as they are and they will not yield their wealth or their power to anyone that is not in their class. This is why no matter how much politicians claim to raise taxes on the rich; the number of rich people never decreases and the rat race becomes more intense for most people.
This is because of supply and demand: if everyone had as much money and power as the Power Elite class has, than there would be nothing special about the Power Elite and they would neither have power nor be elite!
The answer is not to look to the government to "equalize" things because the Power Elite control the government and the "Power Elite" always look out for themselves first.
Although everyone cannot become part of the Power Elite class in either America or in the world, you can, but it's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of cutting against the grain of society, and a lot of planning. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
A few tips to get started
The transformation from being a person chasing after the crumbs left behind by the Power Elite to enjoying the life of abundance that the Power Elite have is not simple, easy or fast, so it's important to get started now with some simple tips:
1. Understand your predicament. Assess your debt, your income. Consider your skills and your talents. Think about how much your employer is gaining from your work and find ways to become your own boss. Put your income in your hands, under your control, not under the control of someone else.
2. Make goals. The reason why many people do not accomplish anything is because they never aim for anything. You might be busy. You might be tired. The rat race may have gotten the best of you, but things will never change until you set some goals and make some plans for achieving them.
3. Stop spending so much. As you plan ways to increase your income, find ways to cut costs too. Remember: you are not the government. You must be responsible for and careful with everything you have.
4. Save money, become flexible. By building up some wealth of your own, you can minimize the impact emergencies have on your life. You also reduce the control other people have over what you do, putting control back in your life. As long as you depend on someone else for your livelihood, you will be in the rat race. Turn the tables, become the boss, and see how good life can be!
Get out of your comfort zone today. Escape the rat race through goal setting and planning. You will be surprised at how great life can be!
Bruce Tyson writes about financial planning and other topics at the TIW Blog.
http://word.truthintheword.org/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Tyson
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