Rat Race Exit Strategy

I have been stuck in the blue-collar world for almost seven years now, and I must say that I am just about done being suffocated by it. I have a job that pays well, where the schedule is great and the benefits are more than generous. In the economic landscape that we currently live in, it would be unwise to think about leaving my post. If conventional wisdom had a voice, he would tell me to take my lumps, stay the course, and be thankful for the fortunate circumstance that I am in. "Think about everyone who's struggling out there to make a buck," he would say. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War is a Spiritual War. Our Great Depression... is our lives. - Tyler Durden And therein lies the rub. I may not be struggling on the outside, but on the inside, I feel like I am losing this battle. From these past seven years, I have come to the conclusion that comfort and stability does not always bring happiness, at least not for this bloke. Conventional wisdom keeps telling me otherwise, but that's the problem: I may be slowly realizing that the number one thing I don't want my life to be is just that- conventional. So I've decided to start a new project, titled the Rat Race Exit Strategy. The goal is to say goodbye to the rat race by the time I turn 35 years old. This is going to be a personal journey to find inspiration, to regain that appetite for life that is seen prevalently but wasted by youth. It will take careful planning, soul searching, self discovery, and risk taking. I'm not asking to live a life that is full of fun, excitement, and good times. I know that can never always be the case. All I am asking for is that at the end of the day, I will have no regrets about the life I have chosen to live. So here goes nothing.

Know Your Liver

Everyone wants a good buzz going on while they're out.

The key is to know what kind of alcohol you can handle, how much of it you can handle, and your body's ability to mix different kinds of alcohol. Some stick to beer, while others like mixed cocktails. If you don't know this about yourself, it's time for you to figure out so that you won't be a hot drunken mess in a public setting.

Tip The Restroom Attendant

It's got to be one of the shittiest jobs out there. Your workspace is a restroom. A public restroom. A public restroom where maximum traffic occurs during your specific hours. And not only that, a good portion of the attendants are drunken idiots. There's a mix of water, trash, piss, alcohol, and vomit all over the floor. And your main source of income comes from tips, as you give paper towels to people washing their hands.

If anything, try your best to leave a buck or two for that unfortunate s.o.b.

Clean Yourself

An unattractive but well-groomed man is better off than an attractive but poorly-groomed man.

This means - shower, shave, brush your teeth, keep your breath in check, deodorant, cologne.

Unkept, not a good look son.