by John Edwardson

Created on: March 07, 2009

Most people escape from the rat race only at certain times of their lives, always wishing they could live free all of their lives! I escaped. You can too! It is a lot simpler than you think.

Just when do we feel free? The times we all remember are the holidays. As a child in school, we all treasured our free time of the summer holidays. As an adult, with jobs, families, and responsibilities, our freedom is a few annual weeks of vacation time!

Retirement

- We all dream about retirement as being the end of the rat race! Only then, after our whole lives ... do we envision permanent relief. What a waste. Some of us never get there!

Alternate lifestyles

- Beyond the rush, rush of the city, the office, the boss, somewhere where the grass is greener, where you and your family live off the land? BACK TO THE LAND is the answer. Or is it really?

I escaped the rat race.

- First, I chose a profession that really interested me, passing up others that paid ten times more. Then, after starting a family, and feeling caught up in big city life, decided to leave my career to live and provide for my family entirely 'back to the land'. My wife and I wanted the simple life. We produced more food than our family could ever consume in several lifetimes. Once, we were audited by the income tax, because they, "wanted to see how someone could exist on nothing!"

- After about twenty years, when the kids were grown up and left home, I compromised ... going back to my profession part time, but still maintaining our rural self sufficient lifestyle. We have never felt part of the rat race. Our kids are all doing their own thing. We have no regrets. I sincerely hope that after reading this, you will see the light.

How to escape the rat race is simple. You don't have to follow my example. JUST DESTROY your ALARM clock.

ALARM CLOCKS are an insight into our lives.

- If you look at yourself on holidays, or think about yourself in your future retirement ... there'll be ONE thing missing ... the alarm clock. I barely remember ever using one, except the odd time when I wanted a backup when catching a plane. (even then, I woke up before the clock!)

How to escape

- Instead of thinking the only respite is in a 'fairy tale land', inaccessible to you ... just make sure your job, or your career gets you up in the morning, and not your clock. If you can't do it in your current job ... change something about your job or the way you perceive it. Maybe you have to change jobs.

Bottom line: You don't have to move to the country. You don't have to get the job with the most money. You need a life that sparks you into living! That's thinking outside the box!

There is no 'rat race' if you enjoy what you are doing!

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