For WHOM do YOU work

“The biggest mistake you can make is to believe you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company however, the career is owned by YOU…” — Earl Nightingale

Although I have written previous articles discussing the benefits of “working for your-self,” there is always more which can be said and learned. After reading the quote above from Earl Nightingale, I felt compelled to write again:

Earl Nightingale wrote this over fifty years ago, and yet it seems more relevant today than ever. It is hard to think the “Corporate World” was believed to be as bad back then as it is today and yet, you have just read it for yourself. If you were to ask me the reason for this, I would say it comes from what is and is not taught in schools. What is not taught in schools of any kind is the correct thought process necessary to live a life free from debt and despair. What is currently being taught leads to a life based on credit; that is to say a life of paying later what is actually due today. This is of a certainty, due to the misconception of believing we “work” for someone else.

The truth is in a free society you work for yourself, regardless of who employs you. If you were truly working for someone else, than that someone else would be receiving the benefit of all your efforts or most of your efforts. Since they are not receiving the entire benefit of your efforts then it would be safe to assume you are working for yourself. Yes, it is true they do receive AN OVERRIDE on every dollar you make, but that is simply because they risked putting their dollar into the market place first thereby, providing the job you occupy at their company. For this, they have a right to make money on your efforts; for they are, in essence, marketing your skills with their dollars and paying you in advance of them being paid.

In order for us to begin thinking different we have to change our paradigm. For far too long we have assumed we worked for others when in fact in a free society everyone works for themselves; even if you only wash dishes or sweep floors. With a shift in our paradigm comes a change in our thinking process. The thinking now has to be one of recognizing we are responsible for our own future. IF WE WERE SLAVES, the story would be much different for then it would behoove our master to make sure we were fed, clothed and stayed healthy. That is to say, someone else would be responsible for providing us with the necessities of life. It is important to note here they are providing only the necessities of life. Notice it does not say what you want or desire; simply necessities, or enough to get by and survive. That is all we would get; there would be no extra that is, unless we found favor with our master.

What I am saying is each one of us is responsible for the monies made. Each one of us is responsible for whether those monies are spent or invested. If spent on wants and desires this will only fill your house and garage with stuff. Unfortunately however, this will leave no money for a rainy day or should a drought come into your life – and droughts can come in several different ways. Ways such as being laid off because the position has been eliminated. This is usually due to the implementation of updated equipment or a mechanized software and equipment process both capable of doing your job cheaper and faster; or being fired for whatever reason or having health issues, which force you to miss work for an extended period of time therefore, having to rely on disability, which will only cover the necessities. As we can all relate, stuff will not pay the bills; stuff will not feed you; stuff will not put gas in your car; stuff will not provide for the family; stuff will not provide a continuous or steady income. The reality is a steady income is what is necessary if you are to enjoy life.

On the other hand you might be one of those that exercised the discipline of investing rather than spending. Spending means it is literally spent or gone. Investing means you still have the value of that in which it was invested plus you have the opportunity for it to grow. Investing is like planting a seed while spending is eating the seed. By following the investment type of thinking you will be setting yourself up for success because you will have learned that money is simply an employee that will work for you. So, even though you are an employee of someone else, you may also have something working for you. You will find you have your own employees: money.

As I said at the beginning, we need to change our paradigm. We need to quit looking at money as the end all of that for which we seek. Instead, our thoughts should be that money is simply a byproduct of what we offer to the market place. Although it may be true we can generate more of it at will by and through our creativity; we need to discipline ourselves to learn how to put it to work for us. In many cases it isn’t the generation of money that is difficult it is learning how to hold onto it; it is learning how to get it to work for you.

So, the next time you think about the term employee, think about the fact you WORK FOR YOURSELF. Recognize your career is nobody’s responsibility, but your own. By taking control of your career you are taking control of your life. By taking control of your life you are taking control of your potential employees – employees (money) that will work for you tirelessly, throughout your life.

The rest is up to you…

Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…

Respectfully,

Rick Cox