Make everything your own - Self reliance
When you work for others you are at their mercy. They own your work. They own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such postions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own. Instead, you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you if you remain dependent on others for power. Your goal in every manuever in life must be OWNERSHIP. When it is yours, it is yours to lose. You are more motivated, more creative.. more alive. The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant. Completely yourself.
Keys to fearlessness:
Step 1: Reclaim dead time.
Time is the critical factor in our lives, our most precious resource. The problem is when we work for others, so much of this becomes dead time that we wish to pass as quickly as possible. Although most of us must begin our careers working for others, it is alway within our power to transform this time from something dead to something alive. If we are going to make the determination to be an owner and not a minion, then that time must be used to learn everything you can from the environment in which you are temporarily stuck in. You must absorb all information that you come into contact with, and understand it's application to your goal- Ownership. This helps you endure work that may not seem so rewarding. In this way, we own our time and our ideas before owning a business. Remember, most people around you prefer to keep you in a dependent position. It is in their ego's interest that you do not become self reliant. This means they will tend to hoard information and passively stomp on your your aspirations. You must simply seize this information for yourself, and remove them from your path to the top. It needs no explanation, but they wish to stop you. Understand, everyone is competition.
Step 2: Create small empires.
While still working for others, your goal at some point, must be to cultivate systems that only you control. No matter how small, they allow you to develop your entrepreneurial skills. This could mean offering to take over projects that others left undone, or proposing to put into action an idea of your own. You must cultivate a taste for doing things on your own, making your own decisions, and learning from your own mistakes. If you fail in these ventures you will have earned a valuable ecucation that's just as vital as the lesson you will soon learn from success. You will be more creative and motivated because there is more at stake. You will rise to the challenge. Building your confidence are preparing to make your move. If you are not in a position to make these kind of moves, or those you work for will not allow it, then you are not in the right place and you must leave immediately. Remember, what you really value in life is ownership, not money. If ever there is a choice: more money, or more responsibilty, you must always opt for the latter. A lower paying postion that offers more opportunity to make decisions and carve out little empires, is infinitely preferable to something that pays well but restricts your movement. Restricts your being. While we may start out working for others, we must always avoid dead time like the creeping death that it is.
Step 3: Move up the food chain.
Your goal in life must always be to move higher and higher up the food chain. There, you can control your destiny and depend on no one. Since this goal is a future ideal, in the present, you must strive to keep yourself free uneccessary entanglements and allainces. Strategic relationships are important, but be clear as to what function the relationship will serve both parties and always communicate with specific intent. Furthermore, know that you may need to free yourself of the relationship should opportunity present itself, and do not take offense to others who take the same position. For these are the people you should seek out. They are strong like you,not dependant. You must remember that when most people give you things or do you favors, it is always with strings attached. Be assured, they want something from you in return. Assistance, unquestioned loyalty, and so forth. You must keep yourself free of as many of theseobligations as possible. So get in the habit of taking what you need for yourself, instead of expecting others to give it to you.
Step 4: Make your empire a relflection of your own individuality.
You desire ownership and freedom, but there is one last impediment to making this happen.. You. Your tendancy will be to look at what otherpeople have done in your field and try to figure out how you could possible repeat or emulate their success. You can gain some power with such strategy but it won't go far and it won't last. Understand, you are one of a kind.. Your character traits are a chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. Your ideas are unique to you. A specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths not your weaknesses. Beleive this with all of your being. You must not fear your uniqueness and ideas, and you must learn to care less and less what people think of you. The uniqueness that you express is not anything wild or too strange, it is an affectation in and of itself. It takes concerted effort to truly be yourself. People are rarely that different, but most are afraid to truly express themselves. This will be key to your success, for the world can not help but to respond to such authenticity.
Reversal of Perspective.
Do not be taken in by the culture of ease. Self help books and so called experts will try to convince you that you can have what you want by following a few simple steps. Things that come easy and fast will leave you just as fast. The only way to gain self reliance, ownership, and power is through great effort and painful repetition. This effort should not be seen as something ugly or dull, rather it should be seen as privilege. For the process of gaining power over yourself is the most satisfying of all. Knowing that step-by-step you are elevating yourself above the dependant masses.
