If Easier is Available

Nobody will take the most difficult path if an easier path is made available to them. This is not only true for humans but also for other species as well.

My dad recently placed a bird feeder on his property and a large gathering of birds have ensued. They eat the free food with such vigor that one has to wonder what they were eating before this came along.
This has been going on long enough that birds are now waiting for the food to come rather than find their own. The birds will continue to wait for as long as they have hope that more food will come.

Humans are like that too aren't they? If you offer them social assistance, you effectively remove their willingness to go hunt for their own food. This will go on for as long as there's free money available.
While I understand that some can't get their own food and are required to be on social assistance - others are abusing it.

12 Years of Education = Minimum Wage?

In Canada, the first 12 years of education is equivalent to a minimum wage job which is a lot of years spent learning only to end up earning minimum wage. Couldn't we optimize this process?

Part of the problem is, of course, that the more people know something the less value it ultimately has in the eyes of an employer. If only one person knows how to count, then he becomes more valuable to the eyes of an employer looking for that skill. If a thousand people knows how to count, then that position goes down in value because the pool of applicants is bigger.

This suggest that part of the optimization of our educational system would require a degree of customization tailored to each child's skills (which will likely be possible with the introduction of A.I.). 

I'm certainly not suggesting that we should have 10 year old doctors... just that 12 years is a long time for someone not to get the skills necessary to earn anything more than minimum wage. The current process is only acceptable for a child growing up as they have a lot of times on their hands - something no human beings, at any other stages of their lives, has.

The temporary solution is for the students to take ownership of their education - to go beyond the basics and to start exposing researching career interests. It's possible for a child, for example, to be a certified programmer even before they complete high school. The courses are online for those that want to take advantage of them.

The 45 Year Plan - Work Until You Die

The employee career path isn't designed to make anyone wealthy - it's designed to get us to work until we die. If we succumb to the marketing pressures, it's even less likely that we'll reach retirement with significant savings.

To break free of this "rat race" cycle, one must first take notice of it and then have the financial discipline necessary to, eventually, not require to actively partake in it. Sometimes, this means that we must forgo buying things in the immediate moment for future gains. Things, such as, streaming services, gaming services, internet, excessive hobbies, cars... could be destroying our future financial situation. It's important to identify the things that are holding us back and removing them from our lives.

We need to find ways to be less of a consumer and more of a producer keeping in mind that in a society based on consumerism, it's easier to be a consumer than a producer.

"Comfort is the worse addiction."

-Marcus Aurelius

The 45 year plan...

If you have no plans for your life then you're on, what is commonly referred to as, the 45 year plan. You start working in your early 20s, get a few pay increases until you're in your 30s where you plateau until you reach the retirement age of 65 (that may change) where you'll retire with a third of the money you barely could live off of while you were working. 

If that doesn't sound like a good plan then to you spend some time thinking about how you want your life to unfold and act accordingly, Keep in mind the following:

• You need a goal and to follow-through on them.
• Be mindful of the sort of debt you decide to take on. Getting a loan for a 4wheeler isn't the same as getting a loan for a house. 
• Have a budget that include contributions to saving/investment accounts.
• You partner must also be on board with the change. If you start saving, and your partner is spending... then it's not going to work.
• To earn more, you have to become more. Invest in yourself through self-education. Spend some time reading, watching documentaries, listen to podcast... on a wide range of self-improvement subjects. 
• Exercise and eat good food. Be mindful of your body - if it's under too much stress then you won't be able to think clearly. A healthy mind/body is more productive.
• Expand your social circle to include people that have the results that you want in life. Your life is roughly the average of your 5 closets friends. If you want a better life then hangout with people with better results. Good associations can expose you to better opportunities.

The 45 year plan doesn't have to be the plan for your life. Make the decision to move away from it.

"You don't pick your destiny. You pick your habits that in turn pick your destiny." 

-Claude Hamilton

Take Ownership of the Important Decisions

Every once in a while we have to make important decisions. Avoiding making these decisions typically means that someone else will have to make them for us.

The biggest advantage of taking ownership of these important decisions is that we get to plan out how to go about it. If we no longer can afford our house, for example, deciding to sell it in favor of a smaller one is better than having the bank kick us out. In both situations, we loose the house but one way is carried out how we want to proceed while the other one isn't.

Small decisions also follow this principle however the impact of them are also small.

To take ownership of the important decisions is to have better control over the outcomes of those decisions.

The Confident and Knowledgeable Leader

“It is sad but true fact that many men of mediocre ability get further than others who have outstanding talents, merely because they know how to act confidently.

All the great leaders of men have known the importance of acting in a confident way.”

-Les Giblin

In addition to confidence, a good leader must be knowledgeable in the areas he’s expected to lead. A confident leader, without knowledge, is a leader that doesn’t know where he’s going.

I’ve realized recently that I’ve become someone knowledgeable at work but my confidence isn’t where it needs to be for me to achieve the next level of my career. There’s some doubt in my heart that likely flows through my voice, my work, or in how I behave.

Confidence isn’t something that comes up naturally to me - it’s something I constantly have to work on. Books, such as “How to have confidence and power in dealing with people” by Les Giblin, helps tremendously.

A confident person, without ability, is more likely to achieve greater success than the person with ability but with no confidence. While confidence isn’t everything, it definitely is important.