The basis of all humanity can be traced back to one thing. It’s the root of all actions; the source of all demise and unrest. It makes good men go bad, tears nations and families apart, and can drive us all to do unspeakable things, especially around Christmas. It’s not religion. It’s money–of which all things are driven for and to and because of.

And let me tell you something. It’s pure freaking evil.

I work a corporate job where I sit at a desk and get paid way more money than managers of retail establishments do. I work 40+ hours a week for this company’s goals, benchmarks, and bottom line. I’m giving them my blood, sweat, and tears for their product and their company vision. Sure, I get paid decently (relatively), sure I have benefits, but to what cost of my soul?

I want to pursue writing full-time and be an activist for child abuse victims. My dream is to be an established columnist and blogger while also campaigning for child abuse prevention and interaction in various ways. However, to do this, I must have a lot of free time on my hands. I need the time and energy to devote to these two passions, after also taking care of a toddler, going to school online, and having worked 9 hours in a day. To me, the least of these things to make me happy, and the first I consider giving up, is my job.

It’s not that I hate working in the insurance billing industry. It’s not that I just hate the confines of my stupid office while being forced to interact with co-workers who have no social skills. It’s not that my bosses have no idea what they’re doing and treat us like sweatshop workers. I simply have better things to care about. I have my own dreams and they do not involve rotting away in corporate hell while I’m being taxed to death,while health insurance premiums rise every year, while inflation increases, the cost of living goes up, too, wages barely, if at all, rises–all while I’m expected to pump out maximum efficiency and productivity with a smile on my face. Sorry, corporate America, but I have bigger fish to fry.

Yes, and while I’m doing that, I’m still going to need money. As liberating as it sounds to just let all my bills go to hell, there are certain necessities that will nag at you. Gas for your car, cell phone costs, internet bill, nutritional requirements for your 1 year old son. Although you could argue that a few of these things are overrated or unnecessary (didn’t I feed Alex last week?), you still can’t live without money. One could argue that you disappear to the woods. But what’s the point of sticking it to the man if you’re shacked up in the forest? The point is to stick it to the man so I can go do what I want.

It’s a catch-22: I want to be my own boss, but to be my own boss, I need money to sustain my lifestyle. To make money, I need a job. The job I want is to be my own boss. I feel trapped where I’m at. However, there are some alternatives…

Options are:

1. Saving up butt-tons of cash and then quitting to focus entirely on my dreams, living off that until I eventually strike gold.
2. Working part-time at some crappy job while drawing government assistance for the rest (nothing says stick it to the man like joining in on the fun).
3. Starting an in-home daycare or an eBay business
4. Becoming an actual prostitute instead of a metaphorical one

You’ve probably spotted a few obvious problems inherent in these proposed solutions, but I’ll enumerate them anyway.

1. It is a huge risk to live off saved money with absolutely no money coming in. It gives me the luxury of time, but the gamble is that I do not know when I’d have a satisfactory income. Realistically, it’ll be years, not months.
2. A part-time job would likely end up being a waitressing gig or a retail gig, neither of which would make me happy. Sure, I would have more time, but I would likely be more stressed. And that seems a little counterproductive. This option is not ruled out though if I found something like a receptionist job that only wanted a part-time worker.
3. An in-home daycare would need a home as a starting point. I don’t live in my own home, so I would need a partner. An eBay business is something I’ve revisited several times, but the investment of time and money (and inventory) up front would probably be more trouble than I’m willing to put into it. I’d have to get it going before quitting my job and I just don’t have the will to do that right now.

None of these options are completely off the table. I don’t know what I’m waiting for. I’m not getting any younger and things aren’t getting any easier. My best bet scenario would be to do something similar to my actual goal while also working on my writing, etc. I have been valiantly applying for freelance writing and blogging jobs, along with various other telecommuting/stay-at-home gigs. If I can’t persevere on my own personal fortitude, maybe I can piggyback on someone else’s coattails until I get myself going. At least I’d be out of the corporate web while building up my dreams.

So many options, still not enough time, plenty of dreams, and a deep-seated hatred of money. Just some things I’m thinking of. If anyone needs a business partner, let me know.