You know. He knows. She knows. We all know.
Life in the racing rodent city is not easy. It can easily suffocate the life out of you. First, it chokes you with bureaucratic hierarchy of political landmines that you need to learn to navigate and maneuver carefully, for a misstep will land you as an outcast into the woods. Then, it numbs you with mindless mountain of paperwork, processes and red tape that usually does not make sense. Questioning these, is out of the question, most of the times.
Running away from the rat race is a fantasy that many harbours; many adventurers have tried and failed miserably. Leaving the rodent city is an uphill task. Come on, just look at the bills.
The new internet millennium, has however, opened up a world of possibilities. There are many who have made a living bartering their skills on Fiverr, earning ad revenue by creating videos on YouTube, becoming influencers who command a digital presence in the commoners’ lives and dictating the next trends.
I’m tempted. But dare I take the plunge?
I started by planning my finances (did a budget that I don’t always keep to) and actively saving money. I dived into articles and YouTube videos, hoping to learn new survival skills that can help me navigate the digital world on my own. Then, the pandemic came. Sales activities were lacklustre and companies were retrenching. Months later, many businesses were faltering and announcing bankruptcies. Life got really bad at work. Already sick and bored of working the corporate life, I hypnotised myself with positive thoughts that I have it in me to kickstart a new life. Thinking that it was either now or never, I took a leap of faith and handed in my bye-bye letter.
I had bought a house to save rental costs and to collect rent money. Learn stock and options trading which hopefully, can earn me some lunches. Read up on how-to-guides to explore starting e-commerce stores and dropshipping sites. Played around with Shopify and Wordpress to build websites. Make my own marketing collaterals on Canva. Bought a MacBook Air and download iMovies to try to make videos. Write for Medium to earn some extra coins.
Shivering with excitement and anxiety everyday, I try to be productive.
There are good days and then, there are bad days where I try to sleep away my worries and unease, doing nothing constructive but watching animes and dramas in bed.
Will I survive or will I spiral down into troubling waters?
