I have been studying the modern world lately and the things that our lives tend to revolve around today. From school, to work, the government,taxes, hospitals, vacation and family, the more I observe, the more I realise that the modern world wasn’t designed to bring man to his fullest potential; but rather to make him conform and be controlled.
It’s 6AM in London, where about 8.86 million people live and once it’s 6:AM, millions of alarms go off. The situation is the same in New York as well as in Lagos.
Millions of anxious people troop out of their houses half-asleep, each day to go to work.
In the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki recalls something he observed growing up: He said as a kid, he noticed adults always rushing to go to work, priortising it above anything else.
These adults will spend hours in traffic going to work, ensuring they get there early but yet, they never seem to be happy or really excited about work.
Most rush-hour traffic happens at the time people are either rushing to work or rushing back home from work and the cycle continues year in year out with most people feeling frustrated about their work and their life.
How do you break out of the monotous work cycle?
The idea of going to school, getting a job, working 35 years to go on vacation only once in a year and then saving for retirement all seems very wrong to me.
How is one supposed to enjoy the fruit of his labour when he has spent his years in vigour toiling away? Is it at the point where he no longer has no energy to enjoy all he has worked for?
The monotonous life you’re expected to follow only serves the government and the system. They need you to tow the path they already set out for you so you can be more easily controlled.
Do you think they cared about your feelings, your goals or ambitions when planning the system? To them, you are just a statistic, a number that is just a part of “the population”.
Am I saying people cannot find wealth or happiness from the conventional path set out by the syetem? Of course some people do. But compared to majority of the population, how many people do you personally know that have built wealth and found fulfillment following the path the system set out for them?
Following the conventional path will likely not make you happy or wealthy!
I mentioned Naval Ravikant in my previous article on digital assets and he again features prominently in this article. This is because I believe Naval is one of the wisest men who understands how the modern world works today and has given a blueprint on how to break from the cage, part of which I will reference in this article.
In one of the points on his famous how to get rich series, Naval said:
“Arm yourself with specific knowledge”.
Specific knowledge cannot be taught in schools. It is the knowledge you acquire by following your own curiosities till the point you uncover something useful to the world only you can deliver. Naval says:
“The most interesting thing cannot be taught, but everything can be learned”.
Specific knowledge is something that feels like play to you but is hard for other people to do thereby making you highly valued and almost irreplaceable.
Whatever you learned or discovered by following your own path can become very valuable to yourself and society earning you leverage you couldn’t have gotten by following the conventional path.
What should you do if you want to make it in the world today?
Follow the unconventional path. You will likely end up like everyother person if you do what every other person is doing. In order to maximise your potential, you must go against most of what society expects you to do.
You need to train your mind to the point where it is able to see what other people are not seeing. Can you uncover trends and patterns other people are not seeing? What can you become if you did what truly lights up your go soul?
Take a look at the successful and happy people you know today. A lot of them likely made their money following unconventional paths such as running a business, not from a regular job. The problem with pursuing your curiosities and going on your own unique journey is scary, filled with risk and there are no guarantees.
However you need to know that with great risk comes great reward and you never know if you never try.
I’m not saying it is going to be easy but a lot of authors have said at old age, people have regrets about the things they didn’t do rather than the things they did.
Ever wondered why the most brilliant ones in school tend to become mid level managers at large orgaisations while the “less intelligent” ones become the owners of these businesses? That’s becauseone had the courage and grit to pursue their own path and persevere even when there was no guarantee of success while the other stayed in the safe already established path.
Who do you think will be more fulfilled?
Is School Still relevant today?
Absolutely! Certain professions like Medicine and Law need the schools to train people to become specialist doctors and solicitors. However, the world has gone from hiring educated people to hiring people who are highly skilled in specific areas.
I know people who took on loans to the tunes of tens of thousands of dollars to get a degree which they’re still struggling to pay back or even find a good job.
Become skilled not educated!
If you still want to go to school, great! However, you also need to pursue your curiosities, follow a path that interests you and you will pick up invaluable skills that will be useful down the road. It costs less than a degree and unlock a more fulfilling job for you.
While you’refollowing your own path and learning new things, you need to go ahead and build something with whatever you are learning. It doesn’t have to be perfect but this is how you will make a body of work that will be your proof of expertise in your chosen field. See this as your portfolio and a reference point for future employers or business prospects in your fulfilling unconventional job.
While you’re ai it, find a Mentor
Finding a mentor in the field you’re interested in is a blessing as a good mentor can shorten your learning curve and save you years of mistakes.
Here’s a thread I did a while back on the importance of having mentors and how to find a good mentor.
2/2
problem is most people don’t know the importance of mentorship.It can shorten your learning curve & open you to opportunities & insights that helps you achieve your goals faster.
Your pastor has a pastor and so does your therapist.
How do you find a good mentor?
2/3— Muyiwa Lagos (@Muyiwa_Lagos) November 29, 2023
Concluding Thoughts!
In order to escape the conventional path and find fulfilment in your life, you need to follow your own path and explore your own curiosities and go against what most of society is doing. Doing this will expose you to new fields and areas in which you can become an expert and society will pay you for your unique knowledge.
You also need to find a mentor who will guide and refine your raw skills and ideas and make you more valuable to society. The journey will not be easy but following an unconventional path often leads to a life of personal fulfilment and great impact.
Enjoyed reading this? Feel free to share and reach out to me @Muyiwa_Lagos so we discuss more!
