The “DEFAULT LIFE” of an EMPLOYEE !

If, you live “the default life“ as an employee, here’s an example of what it might look like:

One year from now: you’re still stuck in your dead-end job, hoping for a 5% raise instead of the typical 3% so you can at least afford to keep up with your rising cost of living. You’re merely getting by, living paycheck to paycheck, constrained by your financial limitations.

5 years from now: you’ve been with your current company for five years- the level of dissatisfaction and unfulfilled creativity is mounting, but your loved ones and everyone around you re-assure you that “you’re lucky to have a job, things could be worse”. You put your head down and keep your nose to the grindstone- after all, you have a family to support and your responsibilities are mounting.

10 years from now: it’s almost un-imaginable that you’d still be “stuck” in the same rut you found yourself in 5 years prior. Perhaps you’ve had a raise or two and maybe been promoted to a managerial position for your hard work and dedication to the company- but, they also expect more from you and you’re now working 12-16 hour days instead of the typical 9-5 you were used to. Your income has risen but your lifestyle has declined. It’s almost like you’re trapped by your own success.

With kids (maybe grand-kids) and a more expensive lifestyle you now require managerial level income just to stay afloat. It’s starting to feel like your spinning inside of a rat wheel and you can’t get ahead. The feeling of “the rat race” is becoming very real.

30-50 years from now: you’re approaching the end of your career. After 30+ years of hard work and dedication to your company, you’re rewarded with a small pension that is a fraction of the salary you’ve become accustomed to and if you were in a private job, that facility also you will not get.

You’ll be forced to downsize your home, degrade your standard of living and more than likely take up a part-time position doing un-skilled labor. You’re not qualified enough to be competitive in the job market with a continual flood of bright young graduates entering the market everyday. The worst part is, you’ve lost your sense of identity. You’ve spent the prime years of your life working for someone else with very little time to explore your passions, your hobbies and your higher calling. Your family hardly knows you because you practically worked sunrise to sunset and you’re heart is filled with regret. You played it safe.

You followed the path you THOUGHT would lead you to happiness. You feel misled, burnt out, and resentful. You have officially lived, “THE DEFAULT LIFE“.

But, how some get out of this “Default life” and the rat race?

They will be surely bitten by the entrepreneurship bug during the employee life like me.

When can the bug bite you?

The bug can bite you when you are very young or even if you have crossed 60. It can also infect you through one mere incident or a situation which channels your inner entrepreneur. When the bug actually infects you, you shrug all feelings of failure and fear and start gathering resources and making plans on how to make your plan work.

How will you know if you have been infected by the bug?

The signs of being affected are very obvious and if you concentrate upon the symptoms a little closely, you will be able to find out if you are a victim. Listed below are a few signs:

• Every single day you get the urge to quit your stable job and build upon your creative idea. You now want to be your own boss.

• You are no longer scared of financial issues and failure. Moreover, you are willing to take the risks.

• Every day you brood over how you can actually build a company around your idea and you’re willing to invest long hours of work into making it count.

• You start building on the skills required by a leader and start mentally/physically devising a plan for your enterprise.

Getting infected can be life changing !

When the bug bites, your life is bound to change as you will follow your passion without thinking about the risks of failure involved. The bug will also make you more determined and relentless to achieve your dreams which in the long run will determine your real worth.

So, if any of you have been bitten by this bug, I wish you good luck in your future endeavors…

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Nishanth Muraleedharan, also known as "Nishani," is an IT engineer who transitioned into entrepreneurship, driven by a profound passion for the textile industry. As the president of Save Handloom Foundation, (SaveHandloom.org) and the Founder & CEO of DMZ International Imports & Exports Pvt Ltd., I am passionate about reviving the Indian handloom industry and empowering the weavers and artisans across the country. With 25+ years of experience in the textile industry, I have developed deep market insights and a rich network of handloom weaving societies, master weavers, and self-help groups, who exclusively make products for our trust.