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Copyright © 2023 Joe Barnes
All rights reserved.

Written in Banstead Woods, England.

http://escapethesystemnow.com

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“People can tell you don’t do this or don’t do that but my mind state is that
if we don’t ever go out of the boundaries, we will never change anything, we
will never begin anything, we will never start anything. We’ll just keep
talking about the people who did it once and told us not to go outside.
That’s like telling Christopher Columbus the world is flat.”
- Tupac Shakur

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DEDICATION
To movies, music and books for the inspiration they gave me when I was at
my lowest points.

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Contents

Foreword
Introduction
The Leader, Follower, Rebel Ecosystem
Step 1: Create your own world (but don’t get lost in it)
Step 2: Listen to your heart when making major life decisions
Step 3: Discover your passion
Step 4: Work on your own terms
Step 5: Save 10%-20% of your income each year
Step 6: Make at least 1 investment outside of a pension
Step 7: Make time for other people
Step 8: Only get married if you’re absolutely, unequivocally, certain it’s
going to work
Step 9: Avoid taking medication for mental health issues
Step 10: Never retire
Step 11: Rejoice in your curse
Step 12: Break the rules
The Ending
Your FREE Gift . . . The 13th Step
Connect With Me
Special Offer On Coaching
Back Catalogue
Acknowledgements
Notes

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FOREWORD

In the forests of North America, a large Grey Wolf observes his pack. He’s
the alpha. After years of proving himself both on the hunting grounds, and
in one-to-one combat, he’s risen to the position of pack leader. The beta
males cower before him. The females vie for his attention. He’s the master
of all he surveys and is in the ultimate position of power.

This is how we imagine a wolf pack is structured. The concept of alphas,

betas and, more recently, sigmas (the lone wolf above the petty politics of
the pack who’s free to live a self-determined life), has entered public
consciousness alongside a trove of books, and YouTube channels, teaching
struggling men how to reach the top of the human hierarchy. The terms are
so frequently used that no-one questions their origins or validity. They’re
simply accepted as a true representation of how both wolf packs, and
human society, operates.
For those with more inquisitive minds, though, a little research will
soon reveal that the alpha, beta, sigma concept is baseless. L. David Mech,
the wildlife biologist who popularised the concept with his 1970 book, The
Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, subsequently
refuted his claims in a 1999 paper, Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division
of Labour in Wolf Packs. His mistake, it seems, was assuming that the wolf
pack behaviour he observed in captivity (for his 1970 book), also
represented what occurred in the wild. It didn’t.
No matter, the rabbit was out of the hat. Now, most people could
accurately describe the characteristics of an alpha, or beta, personality type.
Furthermore, becoming an alpha represents a goal many want to achieve.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be critical of the desire to create personality
classifications, even when they lack scientific grounding. History reveals
that people have an interest in defining, and understanding, their
characteristics and drives. Before Mech’s book on wolf packs, the famous
Myers-Briggs Test gave us a choice of 16 personality classifications with
enticing names like “The Mastermind” “The Giver” “The Idealist” and
“The Performer” with which to identify. This popular test (over 2 million
people take it annually[1], typically as a means of discovering which career
they’d be best suited to) evolved out of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung’s work
on the 12 human archetypes (The Sage, The Hero, The Ruler, The Creator
etc.) which he devised earlier in the 20th century.
Are any of these classifications based on scientific evidence? No. Does
this matter? Not really. People still find value in these concepts both as a
means to understanding their place in the world and how they should
navigate their way through life.
The latest collective to throw their hats in personality classification ring
are a group of researchers led by Professor Luis Amaral of McCormick
School of Engineering. Their 2018 paper, published on the Nature Human
Behaviour website, claims to have the scientific grounding its predecessors
lack. Amaral and co suggest human personality can be split into four
categories (with far less alluring names like Average, Reserved, Self-
centred and Role-model).
Although his personality classifications haven’t penetrated the public’s
consciousness to the extent of the alpha, beta, sigma classification, or The
Myers-Briggs Test, Professor Amaral has a good understanding of why
people are interested in knowledge about themselves, their behaviour and
tendencies. Simply put, he explains that, “The way for you to grow is to
know about yourself.”[2]
With this understood, allow me to add my own offering to the
personality type genre. The most effective way for you to understand your
place in the world, and how you can make the most of it, is to see people in
terms of Leaders, Followers and Rebels.
People are, predominantly, one of these three personality types. Of
course, as every personality type creator will admit, this is not an exact
science and it’s possible for you to show traits of all three. However, there’ll
be one category you’ll lean towards and understanding this preference
could be the key to greater happiness, success and fulfilment.
For example, at present, you might be a rebel acting like a follower. You
have a regular job, a regular marriage and a regular life. Everything appears
to be good in your world. You seem normal and live a life similar to the
people you know. Why then, is there something gnawing away at you,
leaving you deeply unsatisfied with your lot?
Alternatively, you might be a rebel acting like a leader. You’ve pushed
yourself throughout school, university and now in your career. You seek to
dominate both social and work environments, constantly feeling the need to
demonstrate your value.
To some degree, this approach has worked. You make a lot of money,
have an attractive partner and occupy a respected position in society.
However, the constant pressure to stay on top feels exhausting and the work
you do, and the life you live, feels meaningless.
In both cases, society has influenced you to become something you are
not. Whether it’s the appeal to security or the appeal to power that’s grabbed
your attention, you’ve been ignoring your true nature. All along, you were a
rebel, and by understanding the difference (which will be explained
shortly), and aligning your life with your authentic drives, you’ll be a far
happier person.
To achieve this aim, this book will focus, almost exclusively, on just one
of the three personality types. I’m not concerned with teaching you how to
be a good follower or excel as a leader. The rebels are the group that
fascinate me. Misunderstood, creative, rare and potentially brilliant, it’s no
exaggeration to say this personality type holds the keys to humanity’s
advance.
Of course, The Rebel Code is primarily concerned with you and how
you’ll secure the life of your dreams. However, this is achieved through a
deeper understanding of how your personality type relates to the world and
what positive contribution you can make.
Understand this, understand yourself, and there’s no power on earth that
can prevent you from becoming the wise, courageous and charismatic
person you were meant to be.

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INTRODUCTION

Since the dawn of humanity, there have been three types of people –
leaders, followers and rebels. Which one are you?

Leaders
Leaders are driven by a need to acquire and utilise power. They want to
control. Whether this drive is born of ego or nature is, sometimes, unclear.
Either way, they excel at motivating others (either through fear or
encouragement), fighting threats and maintaining cohesion.
Leaders occupy the highest positions within society. Sometimes
respected, sometimes feared, they are almost always obeyed. They are
confident, sure of themselves, and certain that the society, or organisation,
in which they operate is right.
They typically, although not always, occupy the top jobs in small,
medium and large companies and corporations, the military, politics,
education, justice, finance and almost any major industry of which you can
think. They make ideal managers, CEO’s, presidents, heads of department,
generals, senior coaches, captains of sports teams and partners of law,
accountancy and other professional firms (although you’d be wrong to
assume everyone occupying these positions is automatically a leader).
The leaders’ role is to enforce and protect the status quo. They
benefit financially, intrinsically and socially from the continuation of the
present system. Therefore, they’ll do anything they can to maintain the
existing power structures within the society they live or the organisation
they work.
Are leaders good people? They can be. A minority use their inclination
to lead for the protection of the vulnerable and to ensure the organisations,
or family units, they govern are done so according to the principles of
justice, fairness and decency. They want to see a company, or other people,
thrive and feel it’s their life purpose to facilitate the betterment of all.
However, the majority of leaders are driven by ego and this has the
unfortunate consequence of ensuring they’ll do anything to maintain their
position of power.
These leaders may not set out to harm other people, companies or the
planet, but if it’s a choice between losing power or ensuring the right thing
is done, then the unscrupulous leader will always protect their position.
Even if it means another person’s life is ruined, a company is forced out of
business or the planet’s resources are ravaged, the unscrupulous leader
won’t hesitate to make such a call.
Good leaders, although still being driven by a need for power, would
never go this far. Rather, they’ll ensure the right thing is done even if it
contradicts their short-term personal interests.
Leaders are predominantly extroverts. They’re happy to be the
loudest voice in a social setting, are equally at ease presenting in front of a
group of people and are comfortable instructing their subordinates on a
battle plan or company strategy. They like to entertain, impress and be the
centre of attention.
Throughout history, the leader has been fundamental to
maintaining stability (which, in turn, facilitates growth and prosperity)
and ensuring the rules are obeyed. However, the leader has also been
responsible for countless power struggles (leading to war and destruction)
and resisting new ideas and change (and, thereby, stunting humanity’s
growth).

Followers
Followers are driven by the need for security. Although capable of
enjoying themselves, deep down, they feel threatened by life. They fear
running out of money, getting ill, losing their job and being ostracised by
society, friends, partners and in their place of work.
Followers adopt a “safety first” approach to life, avoiding significant
risks unless they are forced to take them. The follower doesn’t set their
sights on winning or creating a legacy. Instead, they focus on “getting by.”
Followers occupy almost all positions in society. They are, by far, the
largest group and this means you’ll find them everywhere. You’ll see them
in hospitals, working as nurses and doctors and you’ll find them at schools,
working as teachers and departmental heads.
Major companies and corporations are filled with followers. They
begrudgingly accept excessive working hours, being screwed over when it
comes to promotion and the unethical decisions of the leaders they work for
in return for a monthly pay check. The police, the civil service and armed
forces are also packed with this personality type. You’ll also find many
followers in low skilled roles (factory workers, fast food restaurant
operators, retail assistants and cleaners).
Surprisingly, followers sometimes occupy leadership roles. Supervisors
and managers are, quite often, followers who have been granted a limited
amount of power. They may appear to be leaders, when compared with
those below them in the company hierarchy, but they do very little real
leading. Instead, they simply carry out the orders of the leaders above.
The follower’s role is to implement the status quo. They’re the glue
that binds the system together. Although they don’t maintain order, they
facilitate it by being hard working, dependable and, most importantly,
limiting the questions they ask.
Are followers good people? Some of them are amongst the most kind
hearted and nicest people you’ll meet. They don’t ask for much yet are
always willing to help. While lacking personal ambition, they’ll do anything
for a friend, loved one or relative. However, other followers live their lives
wearing a mask.
Followers can be scared people stymied by societal expectation. Their
motivation for helping is not always love. Sometimes, it’s because they
believe helping is expected of them and fear being ostracised if they don’t.
Amongst their worst traits are a secret desire to see other people fail, an
overly negative outlook on life and blaming others for their own
misfortune.
Followers can be either introverts or extroverts. They’re easily led
by the company they keep and will do almost anything to ensure they fit in.
If they’re in a loud and boisterous group, they’ll make sure their voice is
heard. However, if they’re in a quieter environment, these extroverted
tendencies will soon disappear as they keep their heads down and do their
best not to be noticed.
Throughout history, the follower has been fundamental to the
sustenance of the human race, displaying both a tendency to care for
others and an ability to keep kingdoms, countries and organisations
running relatively smoothly. However, they’ve also been culpable in
humanity’s worst atrocities, blindly watching or taking part (using the
excuse they’re only doing their job) while countless others suffer.
Martin Luther King Jr once said, “In the end we will remember not the
words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” A follower’s concern
for their own security can be deadly for others.

Rebels
Rebels are driven by the need for freedom. They want to live life on their
own terms. Unlike leaders, they have no desire for power over others.
However, unlike followers, they absolutely will not tolerate another person
having power over them (especially if this power is abused).
Money, in of itself, is not important to a rebel. They find little happiness
in consumption. However, because they value their freedom so highly,
money can become important as a means to an end – granting them the
ability to live a self-determined life.
Rebels occupy some of society’s most extreme positions. You might
find them at the very top as their creativity, and ability to think outside the
box, leads them to become billionaire entrepreneurs and pioneers within
their industry. Many outstanding writers, musicians and artists are also
rebels.
Some rebels campaign on a political issue or enter a life of public
service. Their desire to affect change sees them eschew personal gain and
give their lives to a cause greater than themselves.
Other rebels shun the limelight and are content with living life on their
own terms. These are the owners of small businesses, solopreneurs and the
people with two or three side hustles.
Not all rebels are successful. Unfortunately, many experience a life of
unrealised potential as they struggle to find their place in the world.
Without any obvious outlets for their creativity and unique perspective,
some rebels try to “fit in” with societal roles and norms. This can lead to
them holding down regular jobs and seemingly stable marriages. On the
surface, they appear to live “normal,” well-adjusted lives. However,
underneath, they can’t shake the feeling they’ve compromised their dreams
and authenticity.
Some rebels can’t fake it. They struggle to maintain a job and swing
between bouts of unemployment and sporadic work. These intelligent,
creative and talented people fall by the wayside because the system doesn’t
accommodate challenges to the status quo.
This is the life of the rebel. A few soar and explore limitless horizons
but many struggle, finding it impossible to adapt to a world that appears to
have no place for their personality and ideas.
The Rebel’s role is to set the agenda for the leaders and followers.
Such a statement may seem odd considering the previous paragraphs.
However, despite the struggle so many rebels experience, many of them
were born for an exceptional life.
A rebel must sense when humanity is stagnating and drag it out of its
lethargy by presenting new ideas, innovations and ways of living. Their
inquisitive natures, and ingenuity, have been behind almost every major
paradigm shift we’ve experienced.
They helped us shake off the limiting world view of superstition and
embrace science. They understood the damage caused by religion
controlling all aspects of society and separated the church from the state.
They fought injustices, standing up to the leaders who sought to continue
the barbaric practises of torture, slavery and gender repression. Rebels
create change and, by doing so, establish a new agenda for the leaders to
rule over and the followers to operate within.
Are rebels good people? Of all the categories, they are certainly the
most misunderstood. Often the rebel is criticised by the leader and the
follower for being selfish, aloof and a dreamer. However, this assessment
only scratches the surface of the rebel’s complex psyche.
Rebels can have an unbreakable moral code. None of society’s
temptations can stop them from doing what they feel is right. They’ll
always support their friends and loved ones and never let them down. They
long for meaningful connections and will sacrifice their own desires if they
feel a cause, or person, is worth that sacrifice. However, despite these
positive characteristics, the rebel can also be troubled, the consequences of
which can be disastrous for others (and themselves).
It’s easy for a rebel to become jaded. Living your life feeling like there’s
no place for you in the world can embitter even the kindest of souls. The
rebel’s mind can be full of recriminations and accusations, pointing the
finger at a society that has never embraced them and blaming it for their
misfortunes.
Rebels lean towards being introverts but their introversion is
unique. A rebel is rarely quiet or timid by nature. In fact, when involved in
something they’re passionate about, they come alive with an energy that
even the most extroverted leader can’t match. However, disconnect them
from this passion and the rebel can appear distant, brooding and lost in their
own world.
Rebels are deep thinkers, a trait which has both its rewards and
consequences. On the plus side, the rebel’s ability to imagine and analyse
possibilities, products, inventions and creative works, can be the precursor
to real world changes and breakthroughs. At the same time, rebels display a
tendency to get lost in their thoughts. Over analysis can stymie their
attempts to take action and, if persisted in, lead to depression.
Not all rebels are introverts. Some can be impulsive, spontaneous and
thrive off the attention of others. This type of rebel can be incredibly
charismatic and disruptive. Their keen sense of intuition, combined with the
confidence to follow it, can lead to rapid success and even fame. However,
if their energy is not channelled correctly, the extroverted rebel can easily
slip into a chaotic form of disruption that leaves leaders, followers and less
extroverted rebels picking up the pieces in their wake.
Throughout history, rebels have been the ones to recognise societal
stagnation, saving humanity from a potential downfall by presenting
exciting alternatives to the status quo. However, rebels consumed by the
darkness of isolation and rejection have always represented a destructive
force for humanity (in most cases, only to themselves but, in the extreme
and if they attain positions of power, to all they have influence over).
*****
The purpose of these categorisations is not to pit one group against the
other. Despite this book being focused on the rebel; the leader and follower
should not be hated or belittled. A world full of rebels would be a disaster
and potentially lead to chaos, an idea Jordan Peterson discusses in his book,
Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. Although Peterson uses different
terminology (the leader is replaced by conservatism and the rebel by
creativity), he talks about balancing respect for tradition with the need to
embrace change.
A certain amount of arbitrary rule-ness must be tolerated – or welcomed, depending on
your point of view – to keep the world and its inhabitants together. A certain amount of
creativity and rebellion must be tolerated – or welcomed, depending on your point of
view – to maintain the process of regeneration.[3]

I disagree with Jordan Peterson on the amount (leaning more towards

the need for greater rebellion – especially with the world in its current
state), but he makes an excellent point. It takes every type of person to
make the world work.
Be proud to be a leader. Accept, and enjoy, being a follower. Embrace
your rebellious nature. The world will be a better place if we live up to the
best elements of our personality and develop a positive understanding of the
roles we naturally lean towards.

The reluctant rebel: My story

Before you begin your journey, you might wonder why you should trust this
book. Who am I to lecture you about rebels, leaders and followers and
present you with a path to freedom and success?
Like you, I’m a rebel (although of the reluctant kind). I’ve spent a
lifetime living on the fringes and, from this position, have gained a vastly
different perspective on life, work and relationships. Furthermore, along my
journey, I’ve encountered all the obstacles you’ll face and discovered what
it takes to succeed.
I checked out of a conventional life while at university. Even at this
young age, I could see the writing on the wall. If I’d continued to live the
life that was expected of me, decades of meaningless work, passionless
relationships, failing health and monotonous days awaited. However, in
deciding to walk my own path, I turned my back on a position of privilege.
I’m not from a working class or even a middle-income background. My
parents were relatively wealthy. I went to private schools, had at least two
vacations a year and lived in quiet village. Even though I worked hard for
my academic achievements, I can’t deny that I was given the best possible
chance to succeed.
With such advantages, I could’ve just stuck the course. It would’ve
taken a lot of hard work but wealth, a family, a respected position in society,
a large house and a few vacations a year were within my grasp.
More than likely, I would have become a lawyer. After all, both my
parents were in this profession and I was getting the necessary grades at
school, and university, to follow this path. However, my heart was
somewhere else and, a life that many people would’ve been satisfied with,
seemed worthless to me.
This is a bold statement and I don’t wish to sound arrogant. My
experience of a financially privileged upbringing is that it makes you realise
money can’t buy you happiness, fulfilment or greatness. Of course, it
alleviates poverty, struggle and suffering. However, without these factors
being present, it’s only natural to shoot for something more.
This is why, when I visited a career’s advisor at university and he
presented me with the options of being an accountant, lawyer or working in
finance I, in all seriousness, thought I’d rather be dead. I don’t include that
insight to mock these professions. However, I need to make it clear that, at
least for me, there’s something more important than wealth and a secure,
comfortable life.
Follow that path, I thought to myself, and you’re only playing for half
the marbles. What about the chance to realise all of your potential? What
about expressing your true thoughts and feelings? What about waking up
every day and feeling great because you’re living your life’s purpose?
Choose the path that my career’s advisor, parents and peers were
advocating and I could kiss all of that goodbye.
So, I took a crazy risk. I followed my heart instead of societal
expectations. My dream was to become a best-selling personal development
author. I used tennis coaching and hypnotherapy as a spring board to
achieve this goal. However, success didn’t come easy.
For years, I struggled with the thought of what I’d given up.
Establishing myself in these new professions wasn’t as straight forward as
I’d imagined. I’d look at people my age, earning more money than me,
appearing to have far less complications in their life than I did and question
my decision. Why had a I taken such a crazy risk? I thought I’d opted for a
life of freedom and fun yet, most of the time, all I experienced was failure
and struggle.
It seemed like every step forward was followed by half a step back. All
the self-help books I read told me that following your bliss created
opportunities and enabled you to enter a state of flow.
For me, though, nothing could have been further from the truth. I had to
fight for every inch of progress I made. The learning curve was steep, the
failures were regular and the progress was slow. However, despite all these
doubts and difficulties, I persisted, grew stronger and learned what it took to
survive, and then thrive, as a rebel.
The lessons I’ve learned, and the experiences I’ve had, inform some of
the insights shared in The Rebel Code. By embracing my inner rebel, and
the change making role this entails, I’ve experienced an incredible
transformation. My life as a failed rebel was a 4 or a 5 out 10. My life as a
successful rebel is a 9 or a 10 out of 10.
Alongside personal experience, I’ve undertaken a great deal of research
for this book. The sources I’ve investigated are far-reaching and wide. From
movies, to books, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos and scientific research,
I’ve always been fascinated and inspired by unconventional information.
I’ve distilled the best of it into these pages, with almost every step of The
Rebel Code citing a study, book or interesting example that adds credibility,
and colour, to the lessons shared.
Although personal experience, and research, play a strong role in the
creation of The Rebel Code, it’s worth noting I’ve put this knowledge to the
test in a practical capacity. Throughout the years, I’ve helped various
clients, both in the field of hypnotherapy and coaching. Some wanted help
eliminating bad habits or anxiety. Others wanted to learn how to make a
living from their passion, remove limiting beliefs and develop self-esteem.
With all of them, I got to test out my theories and discover what does
and doesn’t work. The best of this information is included in the The Rebel
Code. You’ll find both practical advice and mindset shifting insights.
Follow them, and you’ll grow stronger and wiser, eventually reaching a
point where you’re free to live life as you choose.

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THE LEADER, FOLLOWER, REBEL
ECOSYSTEM

As I write The Rebel Code, humanity is stagnating. For almost a century,

the western world (and to a lesser extent the developing nations) have
experienced a period of growth and stability never before seen in human
history. Our technological advances have solved many of life’s struggles.
Medical breakthroughs, and improvements in living conditions, have seen a
dramatic rise in our life expectancy. We’ve become enlightened to the
degree that, in many parts of the world, racism, sexism and homophobia are
no longer tolerated. A human life now means more than ever before. Many
people have lost the appetite for war, protesting against power hungry
governments who attempt to coerce, or deceive, their populations into
carrying out their evil agendas. In some ways, the post-World War Two
epoch has been a golden age.
As successful as this era has been, though, it’s coming to an end.
Materialism, in all of its facets, has taken us as far as it can. Yes, it’s been
the driving force behind our growth but this has come at a cost we are only
now beginning to understand.
Our economies keep growing and then crashing. To mitigate against the
impact, governments print more money to keep the system afloat. While
this works in the short-term, long-term it places us under even more strain
in the form of debt and inflation.
Back in 1989, Homer Simpson could afford a decent size house with a
garden, vacations, private saxophone tuition for his daughter and support
his entire family (so his wife didn’t have to work) all on the salary of a mid-
level nuclear power plant operator. Fast forward to 2022, and both parents
would need to be on high five figure salaries to enjoy the same lifestyle.
Of course, this is a fictional example but it emphasises just how difficult
it’s become to live in today’s world. The money we earn by working health-
damaging hours is having less and less impact in the market place. Child
care, the cost of food, the cost of caring for elderly relatives and the price of
fuel to run our homes and cars, keeps rising and we’re barely keeping pace.
For all but the most powerful of leaders and a scattering of rebels (who
have the wealth or ingenuity to live independently of the system), life is
getting much harder.
Even more worrying than the rise in the cost of living, is the weakening
in character affecting generation after generation. Perhaps at no point in
human history have we been more afraid (when there’s no need to be) and
more neurotic (despite most of us having our basic needs met). Why is this
occurring?
The media plays a huge role by pumping fear into the collective
consciousness. With the rise of the internet, and the advent of 24-hour news,
its influence has become all-encompassing. Now, very few of us, unless we
make a conscious effort to disconnect, can escape the daily messages of
impending doom.
The impact this has on our psyche is concerning. While our ancestors
lived through plagues, took trips across oceans which weren’t known to
have an end, challenged corrupt institutions like the church and government
and risked their entire livelihoods on creating new inventions, our
generation struggles to muster the courage to leave their homes.
It’s not the remit of the The Rebel Code to discuss the severity of the
coronavirus pandemic. The statistics (as much as they are accurate and can
be trusted) are out there. The death rates, to a degree, are known. You can
form your own conclusion. However, what this book must address is the
media’s non-stop coverage of the pandemic and its morbid presentation of
what was occurring.
Here, the picture is clear. Footage of people on ventilators, gasping for
their last breath and the constant reporting of death, and infection, rates was
overwhelming. The outcome of such attention is that millions (possibly
billions) of people have begun to live their lives in fear.
Perhaps some of this concern was necessary. Depending on your age,
and state of health, it might have behoved you to take precautionary
measures. However, at the same time, it’s important to resist the media
driven hysteria and remember you have a life to live (and one you should
continue to live positively).
You can be cautious while still being brave. You can take care even
while you take risks. However, what you should never allow to happen is
for fear to dictate your day-to-day and future life decisions.
Sadly, though, this is happening for many and we’ve been moving in
this direction for a least two decades. Before coronavirus was presented as
an existential threat, the media was constantly warning us about the threat
of terrorism. Apparently, any one of us, at any given time, was at risk of
being caught in a bombing or plane hijacking.
The health and safety movement, and greater regulations in general,
have been spreading like their own virus for an even longer period time. If
left unchallenged, the consequences of this growing trend to spread panic
and fear will be severe and far reaching.
Individuals will become even more dependent on the government,
media and big business for guidance on what to think, where to go, who to
see and how to maintain their health. Dreaming will be ridiculed.
Entrepreneurship will dwindle. Innovation will become something people in
the 19th and 20th century used to do. In short, life will become duller and
greyer and stagnation in all spheres of life will set in (a level I believe we
are approaching right now).
What follows on from stagnation?
Suffering. Many real threats lurk on the horizon. Some scientists have
known about climate change since the end of the 1950s, when an increase
of CO2 in the atmosphere was measured for the first time.[4] However, little
action has been taken to resolve the issue as doing so would pose a major
threat to the leaders in the fossil fuel (and other) industries.
We’re unable to accurately predict the consequences of runaway climate
change. Millions of displaced climate refuges are likely, many major world
cities could become uninhabitable and serious food and water shortages
could follow.
Will the instability this creates lead to major wars? We can only hope
not.
More imminently, it’s likely we’ll face another global recession (and
may even be doing so as you read this book). The repercussions of printing
money to keep the economy afloat during multiple lockdowns can’t be
escaped. According to some forecasts, this recession could be worse than
any in recent human history, creating uncertainty, instability and potentially
changing many people’s way of life.
Another worrying trend is the growing increase in governmental
control. Rightly or wrongly, during the pandemic, governments around the
world intervened in our lives in a way never before seen in western
democracies.
Such action has set a precedent. Governments now know that if a
population becomes scared enough, it won’t resist laws that severely restrict
its freedoms. With this understood, even more draconian measures could
follow (all in the name of protecting us), when dealing with new variants of
the coronavirus, struggling to cope with the fallout of another recession and
the devastation caused by climate change.
If these issues remain unaddressed, the consequences could see
humanity’s seemingly continuous progression brought to a grinding halt.
People living in the mid, and late, 21st century, could experience a quality
of life lower than anything seen for more than 100 years. Life expectancy
might decrease, violence could become more common and the freedoms we
now enjoy could be severely revoked.

The unreasonable man

Now, more than ever, the world needs its rebels. The state of play described
above calls for people brave enough to challenge the status quo and smart
enough to present a viable alternative.
Traditionally, when faced with such stagnation and suffering, the rebel,
or a group or rebels, leaders and followers, steps forward to guide us out of
the darkness and into the light.
Jesus, and his disciples, did so when belief in multiple deities was
causing spiritual stagnation. Galileo did so when religious dogma was
preventing the emergence, and growth, of science. Martin Luther King Jr
and his followers did so when racism, and the slavery that preceded it, was
blocking the love and harmony that should flow between all people. Every
time stagnation has occurred and suffering has ensued, the rebel has come
to the rescue.
But where are the rebels now? In an age of mass conformity, it’s
becoming harder to challenge the status quo. Nobody wants to appear
unpopular or present a controversial idea. Cancel culture shuts down
anything that hurts people’s feelings. Virtue signalling on social media has
taken the place of standing up for yourself in real life.
As a result, more rebels than ever before are failing in their quest to
present alternatives to the accepted ways of living, working and dealing
with global problems. Worryingly, the finely balanced ecosystem in which
humanity operates is in danger of collapsing, negatively impacting leaders,
followers and rebels alike.

In this ecosystem, leaders make up about 15% of the population. Followers,

who are by far the largest group, make up 80%. Rebels, the smallest, are
just 5%.
Although the rebels are the smallest group, they play the most important
role (relative to their size). The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once
said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.”
The rebel is viewed as an unreasonable person. Some express their
rebellion out loud, others in the solitude of their own thoughts, but both
can’t stand the inefficiency, lack of compassion, over reliance on traditions
and preoccupation with materialism, that characterise modern day society.
If a rebel is brave enough to express this dissatisfaction, or put forward
a program for change, the leader or follower will attempt to shut them down
(using both psychological and physical deterrents). The follower will
express outrage that the rebel is unwilling to shovel shit, and toe the line,
like they do. They’ll attempt to make the rebel feel selfish or arrogant and,
by doing so, humble them into compliance.
The leader reacts differently. If they don’t feel threatened by the rebel’s
ideas then they’ll ridicule him or her, making fun of their differences with
the intention of embarrassing them into giving up. However, if they see
value in what the rebel is proposing, then they’ll use every tool at their
disposal, including politicking to block their advance, banning or
suppressing their work and, in extreme cases, imprisoning or eliminating
them, to prevent the challenge to their position of power.
Ultimately, though, some rebels do succeed and both leaders and
followers should celebrate this occurrence. As George Bernard Shaw
explained, victory in these hard-fought battles facilitates progress for all.
Everyone benefits from a scientific breakthrough or discovery. We all
experience an increase in freedom when a corrupt institution is challenged
and forced to reform. Creative innovations that make our lives easier and
more convenient, eventually, help everyone.
The leaders and followers won’t facilitate these changes. They can’t
because they accept the world as it is. Therefore, it falls upon the rebel to
move humanity forward.
If the rebel refuses this call, and doesn’t challenge the status quo
(creating a change the leaders can then rule over, and the followers
implement), inertia, and then decay, sets in. Unfortunately, for at least the
last twenty years, this is what’s been happening and, as a result, the
ecosystem is slipping out of balance.
We need to see a re-emergence of the rebel personality type. You - the
rebel - have a role to play. In the past, you may have struggled against the
opposition of the leaders and followers but your vision, defiance and
innovation is needed.

The third way

Now you understand the challenges humanity faces, the delicate ecosystem
in which you operate and the important role you’re meant to play in
facilitating change, it’s important to define what success, as a rebel, might
look like.
Both the leader and the follower accept society’s definition of success.
Here, your life is judged by how it appears.
Do you make lots of money? Do you have a large house, expensive
cars, jewellery and designer clothes, to prove your wealth?
Does it seem like you’re having fun? Is your Instagram profile full of
pictures of you at exotic locations with friends/partners? Does it look like
you’re having a great time attending parties and other social functions?
How do you present yourself? Do you seem normal and likeable? Does
your marital, and parental, status reveal someone worthy of love?
Are you cool or respectable? Does your status, be that an important job
title or position within a company, or a certain number of followers on
social media, indicate you are worthy of admiration and imitation?
Leaders might be able to answer all these questions in the affirmative
(and, therefore, are considered successful). Followers might only have their
marriage, children and a carefully curated Instagram account to indicate
their success. (Furthermore, success is less important to followers. For
them, life is about survival, getting by and experiencing as much pleasure
as they can. Acceptance is a more important driver than success).
The rebel measures their success on a different scale. Whereas
appearances are everything to the leader and follower, success is an
intrinsic quality to the rebel. You may have a six-figure salary, take three
vacations a year, have an attractive or rich husband or wife, but how do you
feel inside?
If the answer is happy, loved and like I’m living my life purpose, then a
rebel would consider themselves successful. However, if a rebel was to
have all of society’s spoils, yet know they weren’t living an authentic life,
then they would feel like a fraud.
For a rebel, success has to be meaningful. So, you made a million
dollars but in what manner did you make it? Were other people helped or
inspired in the process? Did you change something, even if it was only a
small thing, for the better?
These are the questions that concern a rebel. They must qualify their
success. It’s not good enough for other people to pat them on the back and
tell them how great they are. What they achieve, the life they live, and the
relationships they experience, need to have a deep personal significance.
Such a definition may cause you to confuse a rebel with a saint.
Certainly, what I’ve presented isn’t consistent with society’s understanding,
where this architype is viewed as an outlaw; sporting tattoos, a bad attitude
and thinking of little but themselves.
To explain this lack of congruency, a distinction must be made. Rebels
are not bad people. Of course some, due to rejection and isolation, can lose
their way. However, by nature, many rebels are moral and loving people.
The problem for rebels is they exist in a world that is anything but.
Society points its fingers at them, branding them disruptive, a bad influence
and dangerous. However, in doing so, it overlooks its own faults.
We live in a world where greed is rife, image is more important than
substance and nonsensical bureaucracy has overtaken common sense.
Thriving, or functioning, in such a society isn’t necessarily a sign of being a
good person. Instead, it could be an indicator of immorality and/or insanity.
Nelson Mandela, one of history’s most famous rebels once said, “When
a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but
to become an outlaw.” A rebel’s disruptive status is forced upon them.
Remember, Mandela is now revered as a hero. However, for many years, he
was branded a terrorist by the South African government.
This demonstrates the rebel’s dilemma. In an ideal world, there would
be nothing to rebel against. It’s only because society is corrupt, and
superficial, that the rebel finds themselves in an antagonistic position.

The code
“A man gotta have a code.”
- Omar Little, The Wire

Omar Little was one of the most popular characters in the award-winning
HBO show, The Wire. The show focuses on the Baltimore underworld, the
police who try to stop them and the political system that oversees it all.
Within this world, Omar is an anomaly. Yes, he’s a criminal. However,
he’s a criminal with a code.
Omar steals from drug dealers. Using guile, meticulous preparation and
his trusty shotgun, he holds up stash houses (where drugs are kept) and
eliminates any gang members who stand in his way.
Omar’s code is simple. It has one main tenet and a few subsidiary rules.
Despite having committed numerous crimes, including robbery and murder,
he never harms a civilian. All of the crimes he commits, and the pain he
inflicts, are on criminals involved in “the game.”
This code enables him to function in a world where he could quickly
lose his conscience and life. By ensuring he never hurts any bystanders, and
using the money from selling the stolen drugs to protect his loved ones and
assist those in need within his community, he makes a pact in his mind that
allows him to profit from harming the thugs and criminals in his
neighbourhood.
There’s great value in having a code. It helps you function, and stay
sane, in a crazy environment. Furthermore, it’s something you create, or
adopt, for yourself. Unlike rules, which are typically forced upon you, a
code is part of your identity and something you choose.
Omar had his code and you’re about to be introduced to yours. While
most people absorb a number of social rules from those around them, this
code is designed specifically for the rebel personality type. It understands
your struggles and needs and provides the guidance necessary for you to
thrive.
Each step of the code builds upon the one before. Complementing each
other, they give you the complete picture on living life as a successful rebel.
Let’s begin…

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 1: CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD (BUT
DON’T GET LOST IN IT)

"What is the city in which we sit here, but an aggregate of incongruous

materials, which have obeyed the will of some man? The granite was
reluctant, but his hands were stronger, and it came."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC. Aged twenty, he became King of
Macedonia after his father, Philip II, was assassinated.
King Philip II had been a powerful leader. He defeated Athens and
Thebes (rival Greek city-states), strengthened the Macedonian army
(developing their famous phalanx formation) and turned the capital city,
Pella, into a cultural hub.
As great as King Philip’s achievements were, though, it’s his son who
history remembers. From a time before Christ, Alexander’s legend echoes
through the ages, with him now being remembered as one of the greatest
military leaders the world’s ever known. But was it accurate to call
Alexander a leader?
This may seem like an odd question as, undoubtedly, he’d have
displayed excellent leadership qualities throughout his near 13-year rule.
However, was he something more, or different, to your typical leader?
At his core, Alexander the Great was a rebel. He didn’t think like the
other Greek rulers of his time. Greece, with its struggles for supremacy
among rival city states, wasn’t his world. The world was his world (or what
was known of it at the time). Alexander wanted to create the largest empire
known to man.
This kind of vision is the clear mark of a rebel. A leader or follower
doesn’t entertain such thoughts. They operate within the status quo.
However, the rebel isn’t constrained by the norms, and limits, of their
historical epoch or culture.
Alexander ascended the Macedonian throne in 336 BC. His empire
building campaign started with battles in the Balkans, where he secured his
own borders. He then ventured into Asia Minor and challenged the might of
the Persian Empire. Three years of warfare followed (Egypt was also
conquered during this time) until Alexander gained the decisive victory at
the Battle of Gaugamela, defeating his rival, King Darius.
With the Persian Empire now under his control, Alexander was free to
push east and fulfil his dream of conquering all of the known world. He was
successful in central Asia, claiming the Punjab region (modern day
Pakistan) and then set his sights on the Indian subcontinent.
At this point, his troops mutinied. Exhausted after years of travel, battle
and missing their families in Greece, they could go no further. Alexander’s
incredible campaign made it to the banks of the river Indus (the edge of the
known world for the Greeks) where he turned around and began making his
way home.
When his campaign was over, Alexander had formed one of the largest
contiguous empires in history. He had done this in less than 13 years,
remained undefeated in approximately 20 battles and frequently defeated
armies outnumbering his own. He inherited Macedonia from his father. The
world he created for himself stretched for 3000 miles, from his homeland in
the west, to the borders of India in the east.
Within this world, he shaped the societies he ruled over according to his
own ideals. Despite protests from his officers, he required them to marry
Persian noblewomen (in the hope of fostering greater integration within his
empire) and took a Persian wife himself. During the Oath of Alexander, he
declared,
From now on, let all mortals live as one people, in fellowship, for the good of all. See
the whole world as your homeland, with laws common to all, where the best will govern
regardless of their race. Unlike the narrowminded, I make no distinction between Greeks
and Barbarians.
Such a declaration was ahead of its time and another example of his
rebellious nature. His army didn’t like the idea of treating conquered
peoples as equals. However, Alexander believed in equality and that, if an
army fought well, they should be treated with dignity.
Alexander is the ultimate example of a man who created his own world.
Dotted throughout his empire were more than 20 cities carrying his name
(Alexandria, in Egypt, still stands to this day). He created, or renamed,
these cities as a way of marking his domain, refashioning the world in his
image.

The 4 tenets to creating your own world

You may wonder what relevance Alexander the Great’s story bears to your
situation. Perhaps nothing could be further removed from your reality.
However, inside the heart of every rebel, regardless of their station in life, is
the desire to create, and live in, their own world.
What does this mean?
Primarily, that you reject society’s world. You don’t want to live with its
stifling social, occupational and lifestyle constraints, so you set out on a
mission to change the world into what you want it to be.
This is achieved in four ways;
1. Being in charge of your time. You determine your schedule; work
the hours you want and only invest your time in worthwhile
activities, projects and people.
2. Only spending time with the people you love, like or tolerate.
Surround yourself with people who add to your life and remove the
negative influences.
3. Residing/working in an environment that pleases you. Your
surroundings should, at a minimum, be somewhere that makes you
feel at peace and, at best, be an environment that improves your
quality of life.
4. Expressing yourself without concern for what other people
think. You live your life, and interact with other people, as your
authentic self.
At first, the concept of creating your own world might be difficult to
understand. You might say there is only one world, the one we all share and
inhabit, and that to talk of individual worlds within this greater whole is
inaccurate.
On the surface, this may seem to be a valid assessment. However, when
you look a little deeper, you’ll realise that no two people experience the
world in the same way.
Reality – the way we perceive the world – is different for everyone.
Two people can look at the same car crash and report widely differing
accounts of what happened and who was to blame. Someone living in a
developed nation, who has no real experience of poverty, could travel to one
of the poorest countries in the world and feel like they’re living on a
different planet.
In this respect, we all live in our own worlds. For some, especially
leaders and followers, those worlds will share many similarities, ideas and
rules (giving the impression of one, homogenous experience) but there will
always be an aspect of an individual’s existence that is unique.
As a rebel, you should understand this as a good thing. It grants you
permission to go all the way with the idea of creating your own world
(using the 4 tenets above as a guide). Make it your life’s mission to live on
your own terms, only doing what you want to do and only allowing into
your world the people you love and respect.
Of course, achieving Step 1 might take you many years but it’s
something every rebel should work towards. Why? The simple answer is
that you’re going to be a much happier and more effective person when you
create, and live in, your own world. It’s how you meet your deepest need –
freedom – and become the greatest version of yourself. Freed from the
power struggles and fear that go hand in hand with the leader’s and
follower’s world, your unique personality, and talents, can flourish.
Michael Jackson created Neverland. Elvis created Gracelands. The
writer, Alexander Dumas, built the Chateau de Monte-Cristo. Pablo Escobar
built Hacienda Napoles. The author, Ashley Vance, who wrote a biography
on Elon Musk, described his world of electric cars and spaceships as
“Muskland.” Jeff Bezos’s world is Amazon. Bill Gates’s world is Microsoft.
A single-minded determination to live life on their own terms, and create a
space where they could be themselves, enabled these greats to access their
genius and thrive.

Creating your own world might mean something as simple as working the
hours you want. Instead of the traditional 9 to 5, you work for yourself and
are in charge of your schedule. If you want to go fishing (or partake in any
other hobby you enjoy) on a Monday, then that’s exactly what you do. If
you’re feeling productive on a Friday night then you’re happy to work at
this time.
As a result of living and working in this way, week days and weekends
begin to lose their meaning. You cease to live in society’s world, where
people feel happy at the weekend only to spend the weekdays wishing it
was Friday night. Instead, you’ve created your own world where you can
feel as inspired, and free, on a Monday as you might on a Saturday.
Creating your own world might also be reflected in the way you choose
to live. Perhaps you reject the modern idea that people should live in
isolated units, either on their own or with a small family. Instead, you want
to embrace humanity’s tribal roots and form a community of likeminded
people, or families, who live together. Therefore, you amalgamate your
funds, buy a plot of land and begin to create this world.
Creating your own world could manifest itself through altering the
political, and social, landscape of the country you live in (by changing a
particular law or pursuing a meaningful cause). Animal rights activists in
the UK were determined the centuries-old tradition of fox hunting should be
made illegal. They campaigned relentlessly on this issue and, in 2004, got
the law changed and the practice abolished. As a result of this success, the
UK (on this particular issue), reflected their world.
Hopefully these examples demonstrate that there are many routes to
creating your own world. Not all of them require you to rule over a
kingdom or become a billionaire. Wherever you are, and irrespective of the
money you possess, you have some scope to start creating your own world.
(Even the person living in a one-bedroom flat, with only 400 square feet at
their disposal, can set about making that home a reflection of who they are
and how they want the world to be).

The guy in the glass

For leaders and followers, the prospect of a rebel creating their own world
is a threat to their power and security. As a result, through the use of
psychological warfare, they’ll attempt to stop you from realising Step 1.
In equal parts, leaders and followers will try to convince you that you’re
either arrogant and, or, aloof for wanting to create your own world. “Who
do you think you are to say how life should be lived? Do you think you
know better than the rest of us?” are questions you’ll frequently face. This
enquiry/accusation is designed to make you doubt yourself and your
dreams. The leaders and followers are trying to humble you and make you
feel ridiculous for thinking you could be, or do something, extraordinary.
They’re giving you, what they believe is, a reality check. They want to
remind you of your position – one tiny individual going up against the vast
power of the establishment – and get you to reconsider your plans and
ideas.
If this argument doesn’t dissuade you, the leaders and followers will try
another approach. They’ll comment on how aloof you’ve become, say
you’re “living in your own world” and call you a “dreamer.”
The connotations of both of these comments are negative. You’re either
someone who lacks the practical skills to achieve anything of substance or
you lack empathy and are socially awkward. Either way, you’re detached
from reality and your attempts to create your own world will only cause
further isolation.
There’s a chance these criticisms will cause you to reject the idea of
creating your own world. No one enjoys being alone in their opinions and
outlook. It can seem much easier to mask your discontent, follow the crowd
and dismiss the importance of Step 1. However, this is a mistake and, if you
find your resolve weakening, there are two points you must remember.
First, it’s not arrogant to want to change either your world or the
world at large. Instead, this desire is the beginning of an age-old process of
facilitating progress. A rebel looks at the world and says, “I don’t like it that
we’re always hungry, that we live in caves, that travel and transport is so
slow or that people are dying from disease,” and then sets about changing
the world into what he, or she, wants it to be. If, and once, they’re
successful, everybody benefits.
Second, understand that there’s a difference between “living in
your own world” and “creating your own world.” While both require
you to detach from society’s world, only one requires you to actively work,
every day, to refashion the world into what you want it to be. In this respect,
creating your own world is proactive. Yes, there’s an element of dreaming
involved but you’ll also have to take action.
Furthermore, being labelled a “dreamer” should be considered a
positive. James Allen, author of the self-help classic, As A Man Thinketh,
once wrote,
The dreamers are the saviours of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the
invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by
the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity can not forget its dreamers; it
cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as the realities which
it shall one day see and know . . .
He who cherishes a beautiful vision in his heart, will one day realise it. Columbus
cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision
of a multiplicity of worlds, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual
world of stainless beauty and perfect peace; and he entered into it.[5]
Perhaps now you understand your role as a rebel. Despite the criticism
levelled at you by leaders and followers, creating your own world is
fundamental to the continued progression of humanity.

Of course, you could reject Step 1, and attempt to “fit in” to society’s world,
but where will this get you? Perhaps you’ll experience the praise of fellow
workers and loved ones. Maybe, in society’s terms, you’ll be deemed a
success. However, what does this actually mean?
Not much when weighed against the inner betrayal you might feel. You
could spend years denying yourself, believing you’re doing the right thing
by adapting to the leader’s and follower’s world, only to find this endeavour
never leads to the happiness and connection you crave. Despite your
plaudits, you could be living an inauthentic life.
The poet, Dale Wimbrow, wrote about this inner conflict in his 1934
poem, The Guy in the Glass. His words come as a stark warning for any
rebel who thinks they can be happy living in the leader’s and follower’s
world,
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

These words might strike a chord. Perhaps you’ve already experienced the
“heartache and tears” Wimbrow writes about and understand the emptiness
of success if it’s achieved on someone else’s terms. Wimbrow’s words let
you know there’s only one real option when it comes to finding inner peace
and freedom. You must be true to yourself and bravely move forward in
your desire to shape the world into what you want it to be.
As you do, though, understand you’re dealing with a double-edged
sword. The more successful you become at creating your own world, the
more open you’ll be to a trap which could sabotage the hard work you’ve
put into reaching this position. It’s to this dark side of creating your own
world which we’ll now turn our attention.

The 3 commandments to prevent getting lost in your world

In his second book, Beyond Order, Jordan Peterson presents his readers
with an additional 12 rules (the first twelve being found in, 12 Rules for
Life). Rule 1 is, “Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or creative
achievements.” Peterson believes we need society, and the company of
other people, to stay sane.
He holds this belief for a couple of reasons. First, we need to be
socialised into a “correct” way of behaving so we can be accepted and
liked. Second, we need to be aware of society’s trends and desires so we
can create and contribute something of value (and hopefully be rewarded
for our creation).
Such reasoning may seem sound to a leader or follower. Succeeding
through society is so much easier than blazing your own trail. However, a
rebel might baulk at Peterson’s suggestions.
For many rebels, society imposes a limiting influence on their lives. The
constant pressure to live your life according to what your parents, friends
and colleagues deem acceptable, the limited opportunities for inspiring
work and the tendency for everyone to think, dress and act in a similar
fashion, can leave a rebel feeling trapped. However, does this mean you
should completely reject society?
No. A balance must be established. Take heed of Peterson’s advice
while remaining true to yourself. For a rebel, freedom and happiness are
found through rejecting society’s influence and creating your own world.
However, do so with the knowledge it’s both foolish, and dangerous, to
disregard society’s values or believe you don’t need other people.
This is what it means to get lost in your own world. Either because of
spite at the way you’ve been treated, or the false belief you’re untouchable,
you ignore the fact that other people and institutions occupy the same space
as you and can have an impact on your life.
At all times, you must remember that creating your own world doesn’t
leave you impervious to anything that occurs outside its borders. While it
shields you, nurtures you and allows you to thrive, never forget that your
world can be penetrated, altered and, in extreme cases, destroyed. Such
knowledge should stop you from;
1. Breaking the law (unless you are doing so for a moral reason).
2. Being ignorant of society’s taboos.
3. Ceasing to care about other people.
Ignore any one of these three commandments and you could face the loss of
your freedom, be severely discredited or end up isolated and alone.

No rebel is untouchable
Even the most powerful of rebels with, seemingly, the most impervious of
worlds, can be taken down by ignoring the above warning. The story of
Michael Jackson’s troubles with child abuse allegations provides an
example of how this can occur. Initially, and for a long time, he was
successful at creating his own world. However, Jackson experienced a
downfall through his ignorance of societal taboos.
In 2003, during the documentary Living with Michael Jackson, the
singer admitted, on camera, to sharing his bed with young children (that
weren’t his own). He was being interviewed by British journalist, Martin
Bashir, who was keen to explore his affinity with children and the
friendships he’d developed with boys as young as 11- and 12-years-old. In
one segment, he held the hand of a boy called Gavin Arviso (who Jackson
had been supporting throughout his treatment for cancer) and admitted to
sharing his bedroom with him. In another, he made a reference to sleeping
in the same bed with MacCulay Culkin and his brother and sister.
Although Jackson clearly stated that nothing of a sexual nature
occurred, the damage had been done. The documentary aired to an audience
of hundreds of millions. Six months later, Gavin Arvizo’s family brought
criminal charges against Michael Jackson for multiple counts of child
abuse.
In defence of Jackson, it could be said that an innocent man has no need
to hide his actions. To a degree, this is true. However, had Jackson been
more aware of the world outside his own, he’d have understood the
sensitivities surrounding this subject and never admitted to sharing his
room, and bed, with young children (even if he’d known no wrong doing
took place).
By making this admission, Jackson flirted with one of society’s greatest
taboos. Anyone who didn’t take the time to understand his unique
background and psyche, automatically jumped to the conclusion that sexual
abuse was occurring.
Should we be surprised that Jackson didn’t understand the implications
of what he was saying? At a glance, it seems obvious he should have
known. However, perhaps we underestimate the level to which he’d become
lost in his own world.
Michael Jackson thought he was untouchable. He’d spent so many years
being adored by millions of fans, and living life on his own terms, he made
the mistake of thinking he no longer needed to pay attention to the outside
world. He was wrong.
His massive oversight led to a lengthy child molestation trial in 2005
that shook him to the core. Although found innocent, the experience took a
toll on his health. He visibly weakened during the two-month trial, lost
weight and appeared to be relying heavily on medication.
Post-trial, his ordeal continued. Neverland, his home, the focal point of
his world and a personal refuge, lost the magic it once held. He left,
spending the remaining four years of his life as a nomad, being supported
by wealthy benefactors in the middle east and living for a period of time in
Ireland and Las Vegas.
In 2009, Michael Jackson died from of a heart attack brought on by an
overdose of propofol (a drug he was using to help him sleep). Fans might
point the finger at Doctor Conrad Murray (his physician at the time who
was subsequently found guilty of involuntary manslaughter due to his
negligent treatment of the singer), but perhaps there were deeper reasons
behind Michael Jackson’s untimely demise.
Was the true cause of Michael Jackson’s death the stress, and emotional
distress, caused by facing a trial where his was life, and legacy, was on the
line? It seems plausible. He put himself in the hands of the system because
he thought his world was impenetrable. Had he only been wise enough to
realise the implications of openly flouting society’s taboos, he could have
avoided the entire ordeal. Perhaps many more years of life awaited had he
not got lost in his own world.

What can you learn from Michael Jackson’s story? Although it’s unlikely
you’d be so naïve as to flirt with a taboo as sensitive as child abuse, there
might be other areas where you’re making mistakes.
Is there a crime you might be found guilty of committing, either by
accident or on purpose (for example, drink driving, taking banned drugs or
fraud)? Do you express opinions that society considers intolerable (for
example, making racist or sexist remarks or ridiculing other peoples’
medical conditions)? Do you use people and then discard them when they
are no longer of value? The more successful you become, the more you’ll
believe you can get away with doing any of the above.
Don’t be tempted to fall for this delusion. There’s a line that even the
most successful of rebels cannot cross. If you do, no amount of wealth or
power can protect you.
Bear this in mind as you create your own world. You shouldn’t live your
life in fear, or adopt the mindset of a follower (constantly being worried
about offending or upsetting other people), but remain aware of the world
outside your own. This simple vigilance should be enough to guard against
blind spots and protect you from the possibility of self-destruction.
*****
You are now ready to begin creating your own world. As mentioned before,
this is a rebel’s ultimate objective. By adapting the world to your wishes,
you give yourself the best chance of living a happy, free and meaningful
life. Furthermore, you’ll be giving the best of yourself to the world and
could possibly become an agent of change.
The rest of the book is designed to help you achieve this aim. The next
11 steps exist to ensure you realise the first. They require you to make
changes to your finances, and relationships, while teaching the correct
philosophical precepts to successfully navigate life as a rebel. Let’s
continue…

Summary of Step 1: Create your own world (but don’t get lost in it)
• As a rebel, you’ll never be satisfied with a life spent trying to “fit
in” to society’s world. Instead, you must create your own.
• Creating your own world is an option available to any rebel,
regardless of your present financial situation. We all have the ability
to impact some aspect of our lives and build from this foundation.
• The four keys to creating your own world are; be in charge of your
time, only work and live with people you love, like or tolerate, live in
an environment that pleases you and express yourself without
concern for what other people think. It takes time to create a life
where you enjoy all four.
• The three commandments to prevent you getting lost in your own
world are; don’t break the law, remain ignorant of society’s taboos or
stop caring about other people. No rebel is untouchable, so ignore
these commandments at your peril.
• Creating your own world is a positive and healthy idea. Don’t allow
leaders and followers to manipulate you into feeling selfish for acting
on your dreams.

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STEP 2: BE GUIDED BY YOUR HEART WHEN
MAKING MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS

"The heart has its reasons, which reason knows nothing of."
- Blaise Pascal

On a foggy Oregon morning, sometime in 1962, Phil Knight set out on a

run. It was early and as the day broke, he had a revelation.
He was 24 at the time. After 7 years away from home, gaining both a
degree, and a masters, and then spending a year in the Army, he’d returned
back to Portland, Oregon. What awaited him, midway through his 20s, was
a major life decision regarding his future career.
With a degree in business and an MBA from Stanford University,
Knight wasn’t short on options. His father was a journalist and he’d
considered following in his footsteps or a career in accounting. However,
alongside these professions, there was something else competing for his
attention.
Knight had a Crazy Idea (his own words). While studying for his MBA,
he’d completed a paper on importing Japanese running shoes and selling
them to the US market. This idea was based on a recent trend he’d noticed
where Japanese designed goods, especially cameras, were competing with,
and outperforming, imports from other countries. If it worked for cameras,
he thought, why couldn’t it work for running shoes?
For Knight, this paper was much more than a means to achieving his
MBA. It was the seed of an inspired future. He couldn’t stop thinking about
his Crazy Idea yet was uncertain about the possibility of it working as a
business. Would he be brave enough to put it into action? Where would he
get the capital to start? What would his parents say when he told them about
his plans? These thoughts, and many more, swirled around in his head while
he considered his options.
While pondering his future career, Knight also began developing his
own life philosophy. His original passion was running. He’d pursued this
throughout high school and university, competing for the Oregon team.
However, unlike some of the athletes on the university programme, he fell
short of reaching international level.
With a career as an athlete out of the picture, he was looking for some
way to capture the excitement of competition with whatever work he chose
to do. As a deep thinker, he questioned conventional standards of success.
Sure, he wanted to have a wife, kids and a house but beyond that, financial
gain didn’t provide much motivation. Instead, it was important that he
should leave his mark on the world and for his life to have meaning.
All of these thoughts led him to an exciting conclusion. If he could no
longer experience the thrill of competing in a 10,000-meter race then he
wanted to make his daily work so engaging that it felt like play.
His mind kept returning to this word. There was too much pain in the
world, he rationalised. Furthermore, a person could follow all of society’s
rules, work hard, do as they were told and still find they were unfairly
treated. Therefore, it was far better to pursue your own self-determined
dream that felt like a good fit.
Once this thought process was complete, Knight experienced his
revelation (while out on his aforementioned morning run). He was going to
start a running shoe company and put everything he had into making it
successful. In his memoir Shoe Dog, he recalls an almost ecstatic reaction
to this decision,
I was suddenly smiling. Almost laughing. Drenched in sweat, moving as gracefully and
effortlessly as I ever had, I saw my Crazy Idea shining up ahead.[6]

Internal guidance vs external guidance

Why have I chosen to highlight Phil Knight’s experience? Primarily
because, like Knight, you’re going to face many life-defining decisions on
your journey to becoming a successful rebel. In these moments, who, or
what, can you turn to for guidance?
Phil Knight followed his heart when choosing his future career. The
sensible option would have been to become an accountant or a journalist.
He’d have had a good income, been able to support a family and could have
avoided the risk of starting a company from scratch. However, despite all
these benefits, this path didn’t make him feel alive.
Notice how Knight felt on his morning run, after he’d made the decision
to commit to his new business idea. He describes himself as, “suddenly
smiling” and, “almost laughing.” The moment seems euphoric. What could
have made him feel this way?
Knight experienced an “inner knowing” about being on the right path
and this is why he felt elated. It was his spirit’s way of affirming that he’d
made the correct choice and that he should proceed with what, until that
point, had just been a Crazy Idea.
His life after this moment was far from smooth. He was pushed to
breaking point on numerous occasions while trying to establish his running
shoe company. However, the decision to follow his heart ultimately led him
to become the billionaire owner of one the world’s most popular sports
brands.

Such an incredible transformation can only occur when you follow your
heart. Over the course of your life, you might be faced with many important
decisions;
• Deciding whether or not you should go to university.
• Choosing a career or deciding to start your own business.
• Deciding whether to marry your current partner.
• Making up your mind about whether to leave your job.
On each occasion, there’ll be two voices competing for your attention and
offering you guidance. The first of these is your inner voice and the second,
society’s. It’s heart versus head. How do you know which one to follow?
Leaders and followers, typically, make their major life decisions based
on conventional wisdom and are swayed by appeals to logic or what
“makes sense.” They’ll be influenced by their parents, teachers, the media,
religious leaders, their boss, colleagues and social media. All of these
voices will amalgamate into one which they’ll trust over their inner voice
(even leaders, in this sense, will act like followers).
Leaders and followers do what’s expected of them, regardless of
whether they want to, because they believe,
1. The majority must be right.
2. That working with society is the only way to meet their needs
(security for the follower and power for the leader).
This thinking might cause them to ignore their true desires when making an
important life decision. For example, when choosing a university course,
they might select one they have no interest in studying so long as it leads to
a clearly defined career path. When deciding to get married, they might
select someone they don’t love (rather than hold out for the real thing) if
they’re getting older, facing pressure from their parents and friends to take
this step and are concerned about missing their opportunity to marry and
have children.
To a degree, this way of making decisions works for the leaders and
followers. It helps them avoid both difficult existential questions and the
disapproval of others. However, the rebel must find an alternative approach.
Rather than listening to society’s voice when making major life
decisions, the rebel must heed the call of their inner voice. This is easy to
define yet sometimes hard to hear. It’s your gut instinct, your conscience
and what your heart is telling you to do. No matter how uncertain you may
be about a decision, it will always be there. Its voice may be muted,
drowned out by all the other ones competing for your attention, but if you
can develop strong self-awareness, you’ll be able to hear its call.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with listening to external sources and
heeding the advice of others. Sometimes it will be wise to do so. However,
relying on them to the exclusion of your inner voice might cause you to
overlook your life purpose.

Divine guidance?
Phil Knight used the term “Crazy Idea” to describe his business plan to sell
Japanese imported running shoes to the US market. It didn’t make sense. He
was 24, had a degree, an MBA and had completed a spell in the army. When
it came to succeeding in the job market, he was in a strong position. A host
of professions and companies would have been more than happy to offer
him a job and pay him handsomely for his time. However, instead of
accepting the easier path, his heart was telling him to venture into uncharted
waters and start a business that, many would consider, was a shot in the
dark.
You may be wondering whether your inner voice can be trusted when
making major life decisions. After all, your heart isn’t always rational.
Sometimes, it will urge you to do something that appears to be a risk. It
might tell you to quit your job and start a business that has no guarantee of
success. Or, it could tell you to leave a marriage and put yourself in a
position where you’re on your own and at an age where, typically, it’s
harder to find a romantic partner. However, just because your heart appears
to be placing you in immediate danger, doesn’t mean the wisdom of its
guidance won’t be revealed at a later date.
Where do your feelings come from? Beyond being reactions to
chemicals released in your brain, why do you feel the way you do about
certain people, places, ideas and possibilities?
At present, science offers little explanation. You might feel an
overwhelming gut pull to be involved in a certain project or make a stand
for a certain cause, but nobody can tell you why.
This leaves you to form your own conclusions. When given such
freedom, is it too much of a stretch to assume your positive feelings exist to
draw you towards the people and projects that’ll enrich your life? (Just as
your negative feelings exist to warn you away from the people and projects
that are harmful).
Such a hypothesis seems credible. After all, don’t you do your best
work when inspired? In this state, your creativity is enhanced, answers
come to you and you can see numerous ways to improve whatever it is
you’re working on. This also applies to falling in love. If you choose a
partner because they give you butterflies and make you feel alive, it then
follows that your time together will be fun and filled with passion. Such a
reaction appears to be evidence of a feedback loop, rewarding you for
acting on your feelings.
Why would such a thing exist? Is there something deeper at play with
your feelings than just a series of chemicals being triggered in your brain?
Nobel Prize winning physicist, Max Planck’s work would suggest so. In
the early 20th century, while working in the emerging field of quantum
physics, he discussed the possibility of a connection between matter (us)
and a universal intelligence that runs through all beings. He once remarked,
All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force . . . We must assume behind this
force the existence of a conscious or intelligent mind. This Mind is the matrix of all
matter.
Some people call this intelligent mind God, others call it the universe or
infinite intelligence. The name doesn’t matter. What’s important is the
understanding that living beings are connected to an invisible force.
Of course, humans are living beings and, therefore, if Planck’s theory is
correct, there’s a deeper intelligence to which we’re connected. Is it beyond
the realms of possibility that this intelligence might communicate with us in
some way? And, if it does, could it be doing so through our intuitions and
feelings?
Once you’ve accepted, or at least entertained, the possibility this theory
might be correct, you begin to see the importance of listening to your heart
when making major life decisions. You could be part of a greater plan and
your feelings, urging you to make a certain decision (take a stand over a
particular issue, write a certain book, choose to have children with a
particular person, invent a new product), are doing their best to ensure you
harmonise with this mission.
In his book, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight hints at the validity of this concept.
He followed his heart when pursuing his “crazy” business idea. What
ensued was a battle to establish his fledgling company in an ultra-
competitive market. On the way to Nike going public in 1980, he had to
contend with corporate sabotage from his supplier Onitsuka (a Japanese
shoe manufacturer later known as Asics who originally provided Knight
with his shoes), governmental interference from embittered bureaucrats and
constant resistance from local banks when trying to raise the cash needed to
keep the company afloat.
Despite all of these obstacles, though, Phil Knight, and Nike, were
eventually successful. Looking back on this success, it’s clear Knight feels
he received some form of divine guidance. At the end of Shoe Dog, he
points out that some of Nike’s biggest stars – Michael Jordan and Kobe
Bryant – also shared names with places influential to him (The river Jordan,
Kobe in Japan) which he discovered while travelling at the age of 24. He
also feels it’s beyond coincidence that Tiger Woods (anther one of Nike’s
superstar athletes) has the same name as Nike’s first ever running shoe –
The Tiger.
The synchronicity doesn’t end there. No matter which country in the
world they’re situated, the phone number for Nike’s offices always finish
with the digits 6453. This, by chance rather than design, is the reverse of
Steve Prefontaine’s (an Olympic long-distance runner, and one of the first
athlete’s Nike sponsored) personal best for the mile – 3 minutes 54.6
seconds. Furthermore, the oldest pair of shoes in human history were
discovered in an Oregon cave (Knight’s home state) and this discovery was
made in 1938 (the year of his birth).
In the face of such evidence, would you argue against the possibility
Knight was divinely guided? He believes he was, finishing his memoir with
these questions,
Am I allowed to think that some coincidences are more than coincidental? Can I be
forgiven for thinking, or hoping, that the universe, or some guiding daemon, has been
nudging me, whispering to me?[7]

A long walk to freedom

Phil Knight’s story may give you goosebumps as you consider your next
move. Remember, though, the wisdom in your divine guidance may only
reveal itself after you decide to follow your heart. Before this occurs, you
must make a difficult decision and then, in all likelihood, face hardships
once you’ve committed to your path.
You need to remember an important point. Just because your heart is
urging you to take a course of action, and the thought of doing so generates
feelings of inspiration, doesn’t mean that once you’ve made the decision,
you’ll experience an easy ride. On the contrary, you might face professional
and personal isolation, the challenge of having to learn a completely new
set of skills, financial difficulties and, in extreme cases (as the example
below reveals), imprisonment.
Heed me now, though, when I say this is no reason to give up or turn
back. Don’t confuse the easy path with the right path. Furthermore, if the
decision you’ve made is right, then it’s still right, regardless of what you
face after it’s made.
Nelson Mandela understood this. He made a series of heart-led
decisions throughout his remarkable life. Each one, initially, led him into
greater hardship and suffering.
First, as a graduate, he refused to return to the Xhosa kingdom (his
homeland) after he finished his studies. He was sponsored by the King of
the Thembu tribe, having his school and university education paid for, on
the understanding that once complete, he would return and become a royal
advisor. However, Mandela felt drawn to the life of a lawyer.
Aware of the injustices that were occurring in his country, he wanted to
offer legal assistance to the marginalised and impoverished. In making this
decision, though, he turned his back on a life of relative privilege. As a
royal advisor, he would have had a guaranteed job, a steady income, a
respected position within his tribe and, to a degree, been shielded from the
racism that plagued South Africa at the time. As a newly qualified lawyer,
he had to build a practice from scratch, litigate against a racist system and
live in the poverty-stricken township of Soweto.
The second time Mandela followed his heart when making a major life
decision was when he sought a leadership position within the African
National Congress. This occurred in 1952, four years after apartheid had
been cemented in law, and at a time when the South African government
were violently clamping down on resistance.
Mandela had a lot to lose by making this decision. He’d built a thriving
law practise, was married and had two children. He risked everything he’d
worked for, both professionally and personally, to take on this new role
coordinating non-violent strikes, boycotts, marches and other acts of civil
disobedience.
Unfortunately for Mandela, soon after he took this role, his marriage
broke down and ended in divorce. Furthermore, he was forced into a
nomadic existence, never staying in one town for longer than a couple of
months. (He took this precaution because the authorities were hunting for
him as it was alleged he was part of an international communist conspiracy
to overthrow the government).
By 1963, they caught him. He was charged with treason and received a
life sentence (narrowly escaping the death penalty). As a result of his heart
inspired decision to become involved in the struggle against apartheid, he
spent the next 18 years on Robben Island (one of South Africa’s most
notorious prisons). He was confined to a 2 by 2-meter cell, with no bed or
plumbing and was only permitted one visitor a year.
By 1985, the situation in South Africa was becoming increasingly
volatile. International sanctions, levied as a result of the South African
governments refusal to abandon its policy of apartheid, had crippled the
economy and riots were breaking out across the country. In an effort to
defuse the tension, the then president PW Botha offered Mandela (who, by
this time, had been moved to a different prison) his freedom if he would
denounce the violent protests and make a call for peace.
As the leader of the ANC, and figurehead for the cause of freedom, such
a declaration would have had a great impact. Perhaps the rioters would have
listened, ceasing to riot and relieving the pressure on the government. On a
personal level, Mandela could have ended 22 years of imprisonment, finally
seen his family and lived life as a free man. However, despite all he stood to
gain, he couldn’t ignore the call of his conscience and refused to sell out his
people.
Mandela remained in prison for a further 5 years. In total, he spent 27
years locked up and deprived of his freedom. He missed his children grow
up, endured great hardships and risked his life for what he believed in. All
of this could have been avoided if he’d followed the path of least resistance
when making his major life decisions.
Should his example warn you against following your heart? No. If
anything, it reinforces why it must be done.
Change doesn’t happen when you listen to society’s voice. Only a heart
inspired person can shake up the world and bring greater love,
understanding and innovation to humanity. Despite everything Mandela
went through, he won in the end. He helped rid an entire nation from the
evil of apartheid and became president of South Africa in 1994. Every
heart-based decision he made tested him to the limit but they turned out to
be the right choices.
Hopefully Nelson Mandela’s story will provide you with the courage
needed to make your own tough decisions. Every factor might be against
you when choosing to follow your heart. However, despite this opposition,
you must learn to silence the external noise and connect with what your
conscience, and spirit, is telling you to do.
Suffer now or suffer later
Nobody wants to make life harder than it needs to be. You might be jealous
of the leaders and followers who get to breeze through life without facing
the challenges you’re confronted with on a daily basis. How easy it is for
them, you might think, to ignore their inner voice and do what everybody
else is doing.
As seductive as this type of thinking can be though, it’s erroneous. No
one can out run their conscience. The leader or follower may appear to be
unaffected for decades and actually seem to benefit by their decisions but,
eventually, they’ll pay a price.
This’ll be seen in a variety of ways. Loss of vitality, boredom from too
much security, isolation through too much power and, above all, as they get
older, the burden of regret.
Australian author, Bronnie Ware, wrote about this in her bestselling
book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. Originally a palliative nurse, she
cared for people during their last 12 weeks of life. While tending to her
patients, she enquired if they had any regrets. Surprisingly, many of them
were forthcoming about their mistakes, hoping their candour would prevent
younger generations from repeating the cycle.
Bronnie turned these conversations into a blog post. Published in 2009,
it soon went viral and, by 2012, had 8 million views. As a result of this
attention, she was offered a book deal where she shared the top 5 regrets in
greater detail.
Two of the five regrets are particularly relevant to our subject. The first
one, “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life
others expected of me,” offers a warning to every leader, follower and
errant rebel who thinks they can avoid the consequences of listening to their
heart. The third, “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings,”
reflects a yearning to act on one’s inner voice.
We can assume many of Bronnie’s patients were followers and some,
leaders. However, here they are, wishing they’d made important life
decisions based on what their heart was telling them to do.
Such a revelation indicates that the easy path doesn’t always remain
easy. Ignoring your heart brings its own set of consequences and hardships.
With this being the case, facing adversity, and experiencing suffering,
becomes a matter of timing. Do you do it now, when you’re young, or
younger, and can bring all your vitality to bear on the obstacles you face?
Or, do you defer the pain, only to discover your latter years are lived out in
a suffering and embitterment you can do little to change?
Preferably, you wouldn’t face any suffering. The world would accept
you for who you are and embrace your ideas. But, in the likely event this
doesn’t occur, you must make a choice. Is the opportunity to live your life
as the truest, and greatest, version of yourself worth all of the risk, ridicule
and rejection that committing to this path could bring?
I know my answer. What does your heart tell you?

Summary of Step 2: Be guided by your heart when making major life

decisions
• Throughout your life, you’ll be faced with many important
decisions. In these moments, you must learn to silence society’s voice
and listen to what you heart is telling you to do.
• Your heart-based decisions will be challenged by the outside world.
Parents, teachers, friends, bosses, colleagues and the media will urge
you to do what “makes sense” rather than what “feels right.”
• There’s a deeper reason you feel drawn to certain people, places and
projects. You are connected to an intelligence greater than yourself
and it will communicate with you through your feelings.
• After you’ve made a heart-based decision, it’s likely you’ll be faced
with adversity. Don’t use this as an excuse to give up and remember,
the easy path gets harder with time.
• Ignore your inner voice and it’s more than likely you’ll experience
regrets. These may not emerge immediately but they could be
overwhelming later in life.

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STEP 3: DISCOVER YOUR PASSION

“You have two essential tasks in life: to be a good person and to pursue the
occupation that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a
squandering of your potential.”
- Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic

In 1971, the then US President, Richard Nixon, stated that illegal drug use
was America’s “public enemy number 1.” As a result of this assessment, he
introduced a range of policies that would become known as “The War on
Drugs.”
In 2012, the documentary, The House I live in, took an in-depth look
into how effective these policies have been. With over four decades worth
of evidence, stats and anecdotal tales, the documentary exposed a situation
where almost everyone involved (barring the politicians) had been
negatively affected. Since the early 1970s, “The War on Drugs” has
accounted for 45 million arrests and the crowding of jails with non-violent
drug offenders. Furthermore, in poor black communities, an insidious belief
has developed amongst the inhabitants that if you’re young, and male,
you’re destined for incarceration.
Surprisingly though, the communities where the drugs are sold and
consumed don’t represent the only areas negatively impacted by “The War
on Drugs.” The institution tasked with enforcing these policies has also
suffered. With politicians benefitting from appearing tough on crime; arrest
stats have become political capital. Funding for a police department can be
offered, or withheld, depending on how well they appear to be running. If
the police can provide the politicians with the stats that make them look
good (i.e., lots of arrests and a reduction in the amount of crime, regardless
of the type), then the politicians, in turn, will take care of the police
departments.
In theory, this arrangement seems to benefit everyone. However, in
practise, it’s led to a perverse situation where policemen and women are
incentivised to do a worse job.
David Simon, the creator of the HBO series The Wire and former
investigative journalist for The Baltimore Sun, was interviewed for the
documentary and sheds further light on the situation,
Nobody respects good police work more than me. I spent more than a decade covering it
and there are a lot detectives who I admire for their professionalism, for their craft.
The drug war created an environment in which none of that was rewarded. A drug arrest
doesn’t require anything other than getting out of your radio car and jacking people up
against the side of a liquor store. Probable cause? Are you kidding?
The problem is that the cop who made that cheap drug arrest, he’s going to get paid.
He’s going to get the hours of overtime for taking the drugs down to ECU, he’s going to
get paid for processing the prisoner down at central booking, he’s going to get paid for
sitting back at his desk and writing the paperwork for a couple of hours. He’s going to
do that 40, 50, 60 times a month so that his base pay might end up being only half of
what he ends up being paid as a police officer. We’re paying a guy for stats.
Compare that guy to the one guy doing police work, solving a murder, a rape, a robbery,
a burglary. If he gets lucky, he makes one arrest for the month. He gets one slip signed.
And, at the end of the month, when they look and see Officer A, he made sixty arrests,
Officer B made one arrest, who do you think they make sergeant?[8]
Pause for a moment and imagine working in such an environment. Let’s say
you became a police officer for the right reasons. You were drawn to the
profession because you wanted to protect innocent people and help
maintain a functioning society. This ideal was meaningful to you and
motivated you to give everything you had to the job.
However, a few months into your career, you notice that not everyone
shares your ethos. The police department, and police work, has been
corrupted by the system. As a result, the job is not about stopping violent, or
dysfunctional, criminals who pose a threat to the people within the
communities you police. Instead, it’s about logging as many arrests as you
can so that a) you make more money and b) your bosses are happy because
they can show officials in state, or local, government they’re reducing crime
(on paper).
Job satisfaction? Zero. You’re being incentivised to maintain the status
quo and support a system that benefits those in the highest positions (the
leaders of the police department and the politicians) while those lower
down the hierarchy (you and the people in the communities you police) are
being harmed.
Meaningful work
You’d be mistaken if you thought policing was the only occupation that’s
been corrupted in this way. Almost every profession, at its core, has a
positive ethos. However, in practise, all of them have been infected by a
system that promotes greed and individual gain over doing what’s right.
The politician is supposed to serve the people and balance the needs of
society’s multiple interest groups. In reality, they mainly serve the interests
of the wealthy individuals and interest groups who fund their campaigns
and offer them jobs either during their political career (see the UK where
MPs are allowed second jobs, sometimes sitting on the board of major
companies), or once it’s over.
The lawyer is supposed to defend the innocent, or prosecute the guilty,
ensuring that the rule of law, rather than the rule of might, determines a
citizen’s fate. In reality, they play a sophisticated game where the innocent
can be encouraged to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit (over 97%
of federal cases are settled by plea bargain in the US[9]) and prosecutors
persecute the innocent with ego driven zeal to enhance their conviction
rates (see the story of the Central Park 5).
The journalist is supposed to seek, and report, the truth (without bias) so
the public can remain informed about the politicians and businesses that
operate in and rule over their country. In reality, they shape the news to suit
their employer’s agenda, using sensation and fear to sell newspapers, or
gain viewers, rather than truth and balance to inform the public.
A doctor takes a Hippocratic oath to “do no harm” and this underpins
the lifesaving role they’re meant to play, and often do. However, some over-
prescribe medications which harm their patients, partly because
pharmaceutical companies provide financial incentives to do so and partly
because generalised government guidelines will punish them for not
meeting targets (see the UK where, in 2004, a “payment by performance”
system for General Practitioners was introduced and, between the years
2003 and 2018, prescriptions by family doctors have increased
threefold[10]).
Is the picture getting clearer? The above explanation acts as a warning
to any rebel who’s thinking of being, or currently is, conventionally
employed. You could be mistaken if you imagine such a job is going to
meet your needs. Working in such an environment could leave you feeling
demotivated, frustrated and that your entire career, beyond providing you
with enough money to survive, is pointless.
As a rebel, you must be aware that your motivation to work is different
than a leaders’ or followers’. A leader will be satisfied if their work provides
them with access to a position of power. A follower, although not
necessarily satisfied, will accept their work if it provides enough security to
live comfortably. However, the rebel will only be satisfied if they can find
work that brings a sense of meaning into their life.

Meaning is a rebel’s second most important drive. Each rebel wants the
work they do, the relationships they develop and the life they live, to make
a positive difference to the world and the people whose lives they touch.
For example, they can’t marry and start a family because it’s something
they’re expected to do. Instead, they do it because they feel a deep passion
for the person they commit to and can think of few greater legacies than
raising good, strong and successful children. Likewise, they can’t work a
job just because it makes them enough money to survive, or provides them
with the kind of lifestyle that makes other people envious. Instead, they do
it because they feel they’re on this earth for a reason and the work they
choose to do is part of fulfilling this mission.
With such deep motivations, perhaps you can see why it’ll be hard to
fulfil your need for meaning through a conventional job. At every turn, your
well-meant intentions will be sabotaged by a system that promotes greed
and superficiality over doing what’s important and right.
It should also be noted that a conventional job will encroach on your
need for freedom. Few rebels are made to be in the same place, at the same
time, week in, week out. You need variety and adventure. The most suitable
way of life for your talents and temperament is not one that can be
structured by week days, weekends and perennial early starts.
For these reasons, a conventional career is unlikely to meet your needs.
But, what else can you do? The necessity of making money doesn’t
disappear because you’re a rebel. Just like the leaders and followers, you
must find some way to make enough money to support yourself and
perhaps a family. However, unlike the leaders and followers, you must do
this and fulfil your need for meaningful work.
How is this achieved?

Passion equals meaning

To satisfy your need for meaningful work, you must find, or create, a
business, career, goal, role or cause you’re passionate about and that
provides you with a liveable income.
Why is passion so important? This is the quality that lets you know your
work is meaningful. You get excited because there’s the potential to do
something significant.
In Step 2, we discussed the possibility that you could be connected to a
power greater than yourself. How does that power communicate with you?
Through your feelings. Therefore, the inspiration, or sense of intrinsic
reward, you feel when engaged with a certain project, job, cause or activity,
lets you know it could be a vehicle through which you can realise your need
for meaning.
You may have many questions and doubts about finding a passion you
can earn a living from.
• What if, at present, you have no passions or interests?
• What if, sometimes, you find your passion boring or certain parts of
the work are tedious and uninspiring?
• What if all of the ideas that really inspire you offer no clear path to
making a sustainable income?
• Can an inspiring goal be considered a passion if it doesn’t lead to a
financial endpoint? (For example, you might be inspired by the idea
of climbing Mount Everest).
All of these questions will be answered. For now, understand that there are
only three steps you need to follow when it comes to finding your passion
and making a living from it.
1. Find something that inspires you.
2. Make sure you have the potential to succeed at this endeavour.
3. Commit to it for a sustained period of time.
Let’s explore each one of them now.

A moment of inspiration
Quincy Jones is one of America’s greatest musicians and producers. He’s
been key to the success of megastars such as Frank Sinatra and Michael
Jackson and also produced the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and
Oscar winning films. However, being born in crime infested 1930’s
Chicago, his life could have followed a very different path.
In an interview for The Sunday Interview, on CBC News, he recalls that
his early childhood ambition was to be a gangster. His father worked as an
architect for one of the most notorious crime families in the area and this
introduced him to a world of Tommy Guns, money in backrooms, flowing
alcohol and even the sight of dead bodies. Surprisingly, this didn’t scare the
young Jones. In fact, he was enamoured with what he saw and it wasn’t
long before he formed his own gang.
At eleven years old, Jones moved from Chicago to Bremerton,
Washington. Still convinced a life of crime was for him, he joined a new
crew and broke into a local Armoury. Once inside, the gang split up, each
one invading a different room looking for anything they could steal. The
room Jones entered contained a piano. However, being too large to remove,
he initially dismissed the discovery.
As he was leaving the room, Jones recalls being compelled to return
after hearing a voice in his head. “Idiot, go back into that room!” it
announced and, upon doing so, he felt drawn to the piano. He touched the
keys and, in that moment, it was as if the piano was speaking to him. “It
told me right then, ‘this is what you’ll do for the rest of your life,’” Jones
recalls in the CBC interview[11].
Prior to that moment, there had been a disconnect. Jones had heard
music throughout his childhood but never connected the dots when it came
to knowing what created the sounds. When he could actually see, and touch,
a piano, the connection was made. It became real to him, as did the path he
was destined to walk.
The very next day, Jones went back to his junior high school and began
exploring the brass section of the music faculty. His aim was to get good
enough to play in the school’s marching band. Although he may have not
known it at the time, he had just discovered a passion that would dominate
his life for eight decades and influence the music millions of people around
the world would come to enjoy.

Jones’s story offers a useful insight into how you might discover your
passion. Take note of his reaction when he saw the piano for the first time
and touched the keys. He felt drawn to the instrument and experienced an
almost divine “knowing” that music was to play a pivotal role in his life. To
say that he was inspired is an understatement. He was transfixed.
The actor, Anthony Daniels, described a similar experience when
auditioning for his most famous role. In around 1975, he found himself in
front of up-and-coming director, George Lucas, attempting to get a part as a
robot in a film called Star Wars. As a looked over Lucas’ shoulder, he saw a
picture of C-3PO, the character he was hoping to play and had a
transformative experience.
In a documentary (Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars
Trilogy), made almost 30 years later, Daniels shares his recollection of the
moment, “I kind of looked at this face, and the face looked back at me and
we had this extraordinary eye contact. You know, he’s looking out of the
picture and he seemed to be saying, ‘come, come, be with me.’”[12]
As with Jones, Daniels experienced a divine connection with an object
he’d encountered. This let him know he’d found something he was
passionate about and that he must pursue this avenue. But what do their two
examples teach you and should you expect to experience something similar
when seeking to discover your passion?
Both Jones’s and Daniels’s stories are useful because they highlight a
moment of extreme interest and inspiration. However, they are also
potentially harmful precisely because of their extreme nature.
The worst thing you could do is dismiss a genuine passion because its
moment of discovery wasn’t, or won’t be, as dynamic as the
aforementioned examples. These were perhaps extraordinary cases. Your
passion may or may not “speak to you” in such a manner.
One thing is for sure, though, and that’s that your passion will grab your
attention. Fascination, stimulation and an unquenchable desire to learn more
will be present. You will know something significant is occurring. You
might imagine yourself partaking in, or succeeding at, this business, job, or
goal and this feels so compelling you’re determined to explore further.

When can you expect to discover your passion?

Before you anticipate the arrival of this moment, consider the
possibility that it has already occurred. Through my work running seminars,
coaching clients and responding to readers of my books, I would hazard a
guess that at least half the people I encounter are already aware of their
passion. Discovery isn’t always the problem. Sometimes, the real issue is
having the courage to pursue the path your passion reveals.
A coaching client of mine from Australia was a classic example of this
paradox. She’d read my previous book, Do The Work you Love, and then
contacted me for coaching. Within the book is a tool called The Dream Job
Chart. This helps the reader identify and grade their passions. They must list
5 to 10 potential passions and then score each one out of 10 for four
different categories. Once completed, they have scores out of 40 which they
can use to select the most viable option.
My client wasn’t short on ideas. She listed working as a cake maker,
using her marketing knowledge to partner with a friend on his start up and
travel vlogging. However, when she mentioned her childhood passion, there
was an entirely different reaction.
Acting and performing on stage were my client’s passion. Her beaming
smile, and energised demeanour as she discussed some of the productions
she’d worked on, left me in no doubt. Sadly, though, since her teens and
early adulthood, she’d allowed parents and naysayers to convince her that
this option wasn’t viable. As a result, her passion had been downgraded to
the status of a hobby. Although she described it as her “calling” in an
introductory email, she’d written off the possibility of being able to make a
living doing the work she loved the most.
You may have done something similar with one of your passions. Often,
we’re told what we want to do isn’t possible. Either it’s an impossible feat
(imagine what the Wright brothers would have been told before they
invented their first flying machine) or we don’t possess the skills and
qualities necessary to be successful in such a competitive field or industry.
As a result of hearing this repeatedly, and from numerous authority
figures, we accept it as the truth. Just like my client did, we’ll overlook
something we’re clearly passionate about, and which has the potential to
make us a living, because we’ve relegated it to the realm of the
unachievable.
Does this apply to you? If so, reconsider that interest you’ve always
been passionate about yet dismissed as a fantasy. Give yourself permission
to dream. More importantly, start to experiment with ways to make money
from this passion.

If you struggle to look back into your past and identify a passion, or you
haven’t yet had a discovery as impactful as Quincy Jones’s, then there’s still
hope. The good news is that there’s no expiry date on finding your passion.
Your moment of discovery could be right around the corner. You might be
watching TV, browsing social media or the internet and come across
something you find fascinating. Likewise, while watching a movie or
reading a book, something may spark your interest and make you want to
pursue it further (many children were inspired to pursue careers as martial
artists after watching a Bruce Lee or Jean-Claude Van Damme film).
Inspiration is everywhere. You might overhear a group of people talking
about a business opportunity and decide you want to be involved. Or, you
might attend a course while at work and find the subject matter far more
interesting than your present occupation. The opportunities are out there.
Your discovery, regardless of your age, could happen at any time.
Although Quincy Jones discovered his passion aged 11, TV chef Julia
Child, the woman who “changed the way America cooks,” didn’t start
cooking until her mid-thirties. Furthermore, Sir Captain Tom Moore
discovered his passion at the age of 99. It was then, after the coronavirus
pandemic had spread to the UK, and its National Health Service (NHS) was
struggling with a flood of new admissions, he began his money raising
efforts. He decided to walk 100 lengths of his garden every day to raise
money for the NHS. By the time he’d reached his 100th birthday, his daily
walks had garnered national media attention and succeeded in raising
almost £33 million in donations.
Perhaps this wasn’t his only passion. Afterall, he raced motorcycles
competitively in his youth. However, if asked, he might have said the
money he raised to assist the NHS in helping victims of the virus, so late in
his life, was the most significant action of his 100 years.

Filtering your passions

Once you’ve discovered a potential passion, a filter must be applied. You
must be very honest with yourself and ask a difficult question. Do you have
the skills required to succeed at the business, role or cause that’s captured
your imagination? Are you already experienced in the work or, upon
becoming involved in your would-be passion, are you showing a natural
aptitude which will permit you to advance?
There’s a chance you’ll be inspired by more than one thing. You could
be excited about a sport, a business idea, something creative and even a
political cause. How do you decide which one to pursue?
The answer to this question is ability. Which one of your interests do
you stand the most chance of being successful at? If potential passion A
inspires you more than potential passion B, but there’s far less chance of
you being successful with A, then select B. You can’t go wrong. After all,
you’re still interested in B and this interest level, if successful, is only likely
to grow.
In 2001, Jim Allen and Rolf Van der Velden published an academic
paper titled, Educational mismatches versus skills mismatches: effects on
wages, job satisfaction, and on-the-job search. They discovered, after
questioning almost 2500 people, that being good at your work plays a
significant role in how much you enjoy it. This conclusion was reached after
discovering a correlation between worker dissatisfaction levels and lack of
competency at a job.
Such evidence has important implications for discovering your passion.
It indicates that an initial moment of inspiration, although important, may
not be the most decisive factor when determining which passion you should
choose. You should also give equal consideration to your ability to enjoy
success and make an impact with your passion. If it’s just too difficult to
master the skills required to be successful, or the market to sell your
product or services is so small you can never make an impact with your
work, then the initial inspiration you felt for your would-be passion could
fade.
Human well-being theory supports these findings. The father of positive
psychology, Professor Martin Seligman’s PERMA theory offers five key
components to a fulfilled life. The fifth, and the A of the PERMA acronym,
is accomplishment. To be fulfilled, we need to experience important
achievements in our work (and other areas of our lives).
The takeaway from all this research? Being good at a business, skill or
role could make you enjoy it more. The buzz created by winning a contest,
securing some business, helping a client or getting positive feedback or
reviews, is incredibly motivating. As much as a person can be passionate
about something because of what they get to do, they can be equally
inspired by the intrinsic, and material, rewards of success.
Achievement is addictive. Remember this when choosing your passion.
It gives you options. You don’t have to go with the passion that generates
the most powerful emotions. If you’re struggling to make progress, these
will soon wear thin. Instead, if you can find a business idea, role or cause
you find stimulating and in which you can succeed, this will meet you need
for meaningful work.

While this combination presents the ideal convergence, you might have a
different concern. What if you find a goal, or cause, you find inspiring and
that you’re good at, but it doesn’t appear to offer an opportunity to make
money?
Earlier, I mentioned the example of someone who was passionate about
climbing Mount Everest. At the outset, this would appear to offer no
opportunity for financial return. Instead, it seems to be a hobby. Even
though you’d have to invest a lot of time, and money, into training, buying
equipment and hiring guides, it would be relegated below the importance of
your day job because it wouldn’t remunerate you in any way.
As a result of this categorisation, you put your plans of climbing
Everest to the side and look at other opportunities for discovering your
passion. However, try as you might to find something else, you keep getting
drawn back to the idea of scaling the world’s most famous mountain.
What should you do?
If you find yourself in a similar situation, then I’d advise you to pursue
your passion regardless of the fact there appears to be no obvious means of
making a living from your plans. You’re being drawn to this idea for a
reason. Completing the climb (or whatever it is you wanted to do),
irrespective of financial return, would be incredibly meaningful. Perhaps it
would facilitate a breakthrough in your personal development or give you a
new perspective on life.
Take heart from the example of the English explorer, Ed Stafford. After
a brief career in the army, Stafford was inspired by the idea of being the
first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River.
At the start, this was a privately funded expedition that offered no
financial reward upon completion (in fact, Stafford ran out of money
halfway through the journey and had to rely on Pay Pal donations received
via a link on his YouTube channel to continue). In total, it took Stafford
over two years to walk the Amazon River, from its source on the Nevado
Mismi mountain in Chile, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil (more
than 4000 miles). It was a huge commitment and there was no promise of
any material return.
Clearly though, Stafford didn’t undertake the challenge for money. He
had a rebel’s heart and wasn’t following the typical life path of a man in his
early 30s. He wasn’t thinking about working a well-paid job so he could
buy a home, settle down and get married. Instead, he was inspired by the
idea of doing something nobody had ever achieved and testing his survival
skills in one of the most unforgiving environments known to man. So,
without thought to how this expedition would make money, he followed his
passion.
Stafford completed his 860-day journey on the 9th August 2010. By this
time, his expedition had gained worldwide media attention and he emerged
from the jungle into a world of opportunity. A year later, a documentary
about his journey, Walking the Amazon, was released on the Discovery
channel. In 2012, his book with the same title was published. From here,
Stafford went on to have a successful and lucrative career in television as
both a host, and participant, in multiple survival themed TV shows. None of
this would have occurred without the bravery, and possibly wisdom, of
following a passion which at the outset held little promise of financial
return.
Your passion may not reward you immediately. However, you shouldn’t
underestimate the ways in which following it will enhance your life.
You’ll become stronger, your character will be developed, you’ll master
new skills and meet new people. As this new and improved version of
yourself, there will be some way you can monetise the experience you’ve
gained.

Putting your passion to the test

Once you’ve found a business idea, job, cause or role that inspires you, and
that you believe you’ll be good at, the next step is to put it to the test. You
must commit a significant amount of time to progressing in this passion and
discover how you feel about it in one, two- or three-years’ time.
At the outset, there’s a possibility you might lose interest in your
passion. Upon working on it for a few months, you may discover you were
only passionate about one aspect of the business, job, cause or role and that
nine of the other ten components are tiresome and uninspiring.
Or, perhaps you overestimated your ability to progress in this passion.
You either didn’t have a natural aptitude for the work or the demands of the
business or skill you’d chosen were greater than the effort you were willing
to commit.
These possibilities will be revealed when you commit to your passion
for a sustained period of time. What you’re facing is a process. You need to
determine whether your proposed vehicle for experiencing meaningful
work is just a passing interest or whether it’s a genuine passion.
In May of 2007, Steve Jobs appeared alongside Bill Gates at the All
Things Digital Conference in San Francisco. When questioned on the
importance of being passionate about the work you do, he shared this
revealing insight,
People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you’re doing and it’s absolutely
true. And the reason is that it’s so hard, if you don’t, any rational person would give up.
It’s really hard and you have to do it over a sustained period of time. So, if you don’t
love it, and you’re not having fun doing it, you’re going to give up. And that’s what
happens to most people actually. If you really look at the ones that ended up being
successful in the eyes of society, and the ones that didn’t, often times it’s the ones that
are successful loved what they did so they could persevere when it got really tough.[13]
Succeeding in your passion is not easy. The next, one, three, five or ten
years could be incredibly demanding. That’s why putting your passion to
the test is so important. Without committing to your passion for a sustained
period of time, you’ll never know how you’ll react when everything falls
apart (and it will).
Will you still be passionate about your new business, project or role
when it’s been over a year and you haven’t made a sale? Will the fire still be
there when your laptop or computer wipes out an important piece of work,
which took you months to complete, and you forgot to make a backup?
How enthused about your business will you be when you get rejected for
funding for the twentieth time? Such setbacks will reveal just how
passionate you are and they can only be experienced after you’ve
committed to your would-be passion.
How long is needed?
At least a year. You must commit to your passion, and nothing else
(barring working a regular job to support yourself), for long enough to
develop a degree of mastery over the skill and a deeper insight into the
industry you’re working in. In fact, a year probably won’t be long enough.
It might be closer to five years before you can determine whether you’re
still inspired by the work; have the potential to succeed in this endeavour
and that no setback is going to stop you. Only then can you say you’ve truly
discovered your passion.

*****
With your passion discovered, the next step is to make a full-time living
from this endeavour. As discussed, this can be incredibly challenging,
especially when you have to pursue your passion as a side project while you
keep working your main job. For this reason, you’ll need an entirely new
approach to balancing your need for money with your need for meaning.
Working on your own terms is a necessity for almost every rebel and it’s to
this subject which we now turn our attention.

Summary of Step 3: Discover your passion

• As a rebel, you must be cautious about regular jobs. Although the
work may appear meaningful, the system has polluted almost all
mainstream careers to the point where their positive ethos is no
longer upheld.
• You won’t be satisfied with a job that only rewards you financially.
Your drive for meaning means your work needs to have a positive
impact or create change.
• The first part of discovering your passion is finding a business idea,
cause, goal or project that inspires you. The feeling that leads you to
this discovery may range anywhere between divine inspiration and
keen stimulation.
• The second part of discovering your passion involves ascertaining
whether you have an aptitude for this endeavour. Human motivation
is strongly influenced by competency so it’s important you select a
passion at which you can succeed.
• The final step to discovering your passion involves committing to it
for a sustained period of time. Only when you’ve experienced
setbacks, and are still in love with your business idea, cause, goal or
project, can you say you’ve discovered your passion.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 4: WORK ON YOUR OWN TERMS

Now that you understand a rebel’s need for meaningful work, and have
discovered a passion that can meet this desire, you require a strategy
enabling you to make a living from whatever it is you’ve chosen. It isn’t
enough for your passion to become a hobby. A rebel’s drive for meaning is
too strong for this to satisfy. Making a full-time living from your passion is
a “must achieve” objective.
Having established this objective, your attention now turns to the
potential chasm that lies between you and your destination. How can you
find the time necessary to advance in your passion while providing for
yourself, and possibly a family, and also dealing with the other difficulties
life presents?
Being successful at making a living from your passion requires a unique
approach to your working life. You must free your mind from the idea
there’s no other option than working 40 to 50 hours a week at a company
that pays you for your time.
In this model, your work owns you. You have to report, or log in, at 9am
every morning (or whatever time you start) and then be prepared to work
through the entire day. You can’t take time off in the afternoon to train for
an upcoming expedition or attend an important meeting for your new
business. You can’t even go on vacation when you want, first having to
check with your company if it fits their schedule. Furthermore, if they want
you to work late every night then you must comply and you may even have
to give up your weekends.
Working on these terms will leave you little time to pursue your passion.
Momentum is possibly the most important factor when it comes to being
successful in this endeavour. You need to work consistently on your
passion, putting as many hours as possible into your project.
Such a commitment can only be maintained if you’re in charge of your
schedule. To some degree, you need to set your hours and be in control of
when, and for how long, you’ll work.
But how is this achieved? When the only work model you’re familiar
with revolves around subjugating yourself to a company, or other people,
how do you start working on your own terms?

In a moment, I’ll introduce you to three options to achieve this aim. Before
I do, though, a caveat must be addressed. I need to explain why meaningful
work can, in some cases, be found through a conventional career.
Your passion could be working as a doctor, or a lawyer, or any number
of the professions mentioned in Step 3. If your passion for the work is
strong, and your heart is telling you to follow this path (Step 2), then I
wouldn’t want to dissuade you from pursuing a conventional career. Despite
the obstacles mentioned in Step 3, if you remain true to the ideals of your
profession and stand up to those who seek to undermine them, you can
perform your role in a way that will meet your need for meaning.
This is a challenging but worthy cause. You could experience decades
of opposition from colleagues and superiors, urging you to take the easier,
and possibly more lucrative, path. However, in the end, your insistence on
doing what’s right ensures genuinely life changing and positive work is
done.
Such commitment is to be applauded. Although difficult, it’s a truly
meaningful quest that has the potential (if enough people were to follow
your example) to inspire industry-wide change. Furthermore, these careers
(lawyer, teacher, journalist, doctor, banker, police officer, academic,
politician etc) are essential to a functioning society. They need more rebels
in their ranks, admonishing the leaders and followers to uphold the integrity
of the profession.
But what if you don’t feel cut out for that particular quest? What if
you’ve tried, for many years, to integrate yourself into one of the
professions listed above only to find that, no matter what you do, you can’t
escape the system’s corrupting influence?
If that’s the case, then it’s time for you to work on your own terms. You
must pursue your own, independently defined, passion and put everything
you have into making a full-time living from this work. This could mean
starting your own business, becoming a social media influencer, an author, a
yoga instructor or an explorer. Whatever it is you’re passionate about, I will
now present you with three options for freeing up enough time so you can
learn, improve and then succeed at this endeavour.
Your options are;
1. Commit full-time to your passion from the start.
2. Use freelancing, or side-hustles, to free up 20 hours a week to
work on your passion.
3. Work part-time in your current job or industry to free up time for
your passion.
We’ll now explore each one in greater detail.

Taking the leap

Regardless of your present financial situation, or employment status, you
could stop everything you’re doing and immediately begin working full-
time on your passion. You might have to give a month’s (or more) notice at
your job but, technically, you could resign today and embark on this new
adventure.
Perhaps you have complete faith in your ability to generate an income
from your passion straight away. Or, there might be a time-sensitive
opportunity you don’t feel you can ignore. Whatever the case, the more
adventurous rebel will be excited to put all their focus, and energy, into
their passion from the start.
This was the approach blogger, Jon Morrow, followed. In 2006, he was
involved in a near fatal car crash that left him unable to work and with legs
broken in 14 different places. While recovering, he had a lot of time to think
and reached the conclusion he wasn’t living his best life. So, much to the
concern of his friends, he quit his job and attempted to become a
professional blogger.
For the next 3 months, he worked on his blog (On Moneymaking) from
8 in the morning until 11 at night. Six months after he started, it was so
popular, and generated so much traffic, he was able to sell it for a 5-figure
sum. Bryan Clark, the owner of the website Copy Blogger, noticed this
success and then offered him a job as an associate editor. All in all, it took
Morrow just six months of intense work to realise his dream of becoming a
successful blogger.
Could you do something similar? It’s possible. However, before you
choose this approach, you must be aware of the potential pitfalls you might
face.
Leaving your job and committing full-time to your passion is a high-
risk strategy. It’s likely you won’t make a sustainable living from your
passion for a few years. During that time, you might run out of money and
you must consider what impact this might have on your ability to support
yourself, your family (if you have one) and your psyche. Will the pressure
of being on a knife edge be too much? Might it shut down your creativity
and decision-making abilities? Will the thought of running out of money
provoke too much anxiety for you to work effectively?
Furthermore, are you a self-motivator? If you’re working on your own,
and don’t have a boss holding you to deadlines, will you be able to work
when you could be playing video games, travelling or browsing the
internet? Give all of these factors careful consideration before you choose
this approach.
If you do decide to take the leap, do so from a position of knowledge
and strength. If you have no experience working on your passion, and little
idea how you’re going to make money, it might be wise to consider the
second or third option (covered in the next two sections). Don’t quit your
job on the speculative hope that, in the next few months, you’ll learn all
there is to know about a new industry and be able to identify a money-
making opportunity.
Furthermore, think twice about quitting your job and committing full-
time to your passion if all you have is the idea this business, project or goal
will be enjoyable and make you feel inspired. Of course, a moment of
inspiration is important (see Step 3), but it might not, in its infancy, warrant
taking a big risk like quitting your job. Instead, before you commit, you
should know there’s the potential to, or perhaps even already have, made
some money through this passion. At a minimum, complete all your
research on the subject, or develop your skills to a level where you’re good
enough to get paid for what you do.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Jon Morrow didn’t appear to
have much training in blogging yet he still succeeded in a short space of
time. Crazy risks can, sometimes, work out. Furthermore, even if you fail,
rarely will your failure be final. You can always regroup, sharpen your tools
and go again in a year or two’s time. So, if you’re absolutely certain you’ve
found an opportunity for meaningful work, and think it’s too timely to
waste, then go for it and put everything you have into its success.
The advantage of doing so is the focus you can bring to your chosen
project. Follow this approach and there are no distractions. In theory, you
could spend 60 to 80 hours a week learning, creating and developing your
skills, audience or client base. It’s the ultimate definition of working on
your own terms. Each day is a blank slate and you get to decide how to use
your time. There’s no jumping from one role (your day job) to another (your
passion). You won’t have to pick up the thread of a novel you started
writing a month ago (after you had to shelve the project because of an
impending deadline at work) and struggle to maintain the flow of the story.
You won’t miss out on potential new clients, or business, because you
couldn’t reply to them in time after being held up in a work meeting.
Whatever you need to address can be dealt with immediately.
Added to this, you’ll receive a boost in motivation by making daily
progress. Momentum is crucial. It enables you to be consistent with clients,
raises your energy and gets you mind firing with winning ideas on how to
improve your business or craft. As a result, instead of it being years before
you start making money from your passion, it could be months. It’s an
exciting prospect and one that can only be achieved when you commit full-
time to your passion right from the start.

Freelancing and side hustling

Both freelancing, and side hustling, offer an opportunity to work on your
own terms. You can be in control of your time and make enough money to
support yourself by following this approach. Some of the best paid and
most rewarding freelancing roles are;
• Web designer or web developer
• Graphic designer
• Teacher/tutor
• Virtual assistant
• Freelance writer
• Editor
• Accountant/financial assistant
• Social media specialist
• App developer
• Content creator
• Business consultant
• Software consultant
To find freelance work in any of these roles you might advertise your
services on websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer or Toptal. Of course,
you must have the requisite skills to perform the roles (or find the time
needed to master them). However, if, or once, you do, all of these are viable
options for earning between $40,000 and $90,000 a year (depending on how
many hours you want to work).[14]
You could also broaden your definition of what freelancing entails (and
include non-internet-based roles). I’ve worked as a tennis coach for 19
years and a hypnotherapist for 17. I consider this to be freelancing. I’m self-
employed, work with clients mainly on a 1 to 1 basis and typically see them
for an hour at a time. I’m in charge of my time, enjoy the work I do and can
make enough money to support myself.
Is there a skill, profession or role, meeting the same criteria, that you
can do? Could you learn a trade and work as a plumber or an electrician?
Could you train in sports massage, become a therapist or a beautician? With
time, and the knowledge of how to build a client base, it’s possible to
support yourself with any number of freelance roles.

Finding one, or more, side hustles can also be a great way to work on your
own terms. Here, the possibilities are almost endless. You could;
• Work as an online tutor (for example, teaching maths or English as
a foreign language)
• Do online proof reading (small blogs, larger websites and
companies need this type of work)
• Drive for Uber or Lyft
• Deliver food for Uber Eats
• Become an affiliate marketer
• Sell goods on Amazon, eBay or Craigslist
• Complete online surveys
• Be a notary public (serving as a public witness for the signing of
important documents)
• Become an Airbnb host
• Complete tasks for TaskRabbit (for example, assembling furniture
for people who don’t have the time or patience to do it for
themselves)
• Sell crafted products on Etsy
• Offer ridesharing
• Rent your car out for use
• Babysit or dog sit
• Help people move home
Many of these side-hustles can be found, or further investigated, by visiting
the websites listed under the freelance roles above. You could also learn
more by visiting the website of the company associated with the side hustle
(e.g., Uber for driving, or Amazon for selling goods). Bear in mind that this
list has been compiled in 2023. As technology changes, new side hustles are
being created and old ones become redundant. Don’t expect this list to be
relevant if you’re reading in 2027. However, the concept of finding a side
hustle will still be valid.
At first glance, there may not appear to be much difference between
freelancing and side hustling. Both are a way of enjoying flexible work and
being in control of your time. However, freelancing roles might pay you
more, demand a greater skill base and require you to focus on one, or
possibly two, types of work.
Of course, this doesn’t mean they’re better. Depending on your current
skills, your desire to learn new ones, how rapidly you need to start making
money and what you enjoy doing, you should make a choice that’s best for
you.
The main point of freelancing, or working a side hustle, is that it
enables you to free up a significant amount of time to work on your passion.
You should be able to cover all your financial needs (and perhaps those of
your family) with your freelancing, or side hustle, and then have 20 hours a
week to work on your new business or project.
Why 20 hours a week? Although this number is arbitrary, it’s based on
research conducted by Professors Herbert Simon and William Chase into
how long it took to become a master in any given field (the initial research
was conducted on chess players in the 1970s). Simon and Chase discovered
that 10,000 hours or ten years were needed to become an expert, which
breaks down as 1000 hours a year or 20 hours a week. While I’m not
suggesting it will take you this length of time to make an income from your
passion, the number provides a useful yardstick. Don’t expect to be in a
position to monetize your passion if all you can set aside is a couple of
hours at the weekend.
Finding time to work on your passion won’t be a problem, though, if
you work a freelance role or have a few side hustles. As with the first option
(Taking the leap), the work is undertaken on your own terms. If you can
make enough money to support yourself with 20 to 30 hours per week of
freelancing, or side hustling (which you should be able to do with the better
paid options), then you’ll have 20 hours free to commit to your passion.
Creating time to work on your passion is the purpose of choosing option
2. Freelancing and side hustling can provide an enjoyable lifestyle but you
must never forget the objective of this approach. The 20 hours a week of
work on your passion should be considered of equal importance to your
money-making activities.
This is something I had to keep reminding myself of during my
freelancing journey. Although I enjoyed working as a tennis coach and
hypnotherapist, there came a point (about 3 years into my time as a
freelancer) when I felt something was missing.
It was then that I decided to pursue my long-held dream of being a
personal development author. At the time, I was working 40 hours a week
freelancing. My first move was to cut this back to 30, freeing up 10 hours a
week to write. I continued with this schedule for many years, publishing my
first book and building an audience for my work through blogging, social
media and giving talks.
As the success of my writing grew, I was able to draw an income from
various activities (selling books, online coaching and freelance writing).
This emboldened me to cut back on my tennis coaching and hypnotherapy
even more. Now, the majority of my working week (25 hours) is given over
to writing and online coaching. This is my main focus. As a result, my life
is far more meaningful than when working solely as a freelancer.
Making this transition wasn’t always easy. Because I enjoyed my
freelancing work, there was little urgency to make progress with my
writing. It was all too easy to sacrifice my unpaid writing work (while I was
writing my first book and had nothing to sell) for the work that was
bringing in money. Life was good. I enjoyed everything I did and was under
no pressure to succeed as an author.
Ultimately, though, this lack of urgency held me back and it’s
something you must be aware of if you follow a similar path. You must
guard against a tendency to focus on income-generating activities. Instead,
think of your freelancing or side hustling roles as a platform, enabling you
to aim for a more important prize.
Once you’ve built this base (which may take a few years), it becomes
easier to scale back your hours without negatively impacting the long-term
viability of your freelancing or side hustle. Then, with the time you free up,
you can work even more hours on your passion, knowing you’ll always
have your freelancing, or side hustling, to fall back on.
You can begin freelancing, or side hustling, in a variety of ways. If you
already have transferable skills, it might be relatively easy to leave your
employed role and switch over to performing the work you were already
doing on a freelance basis. Initially, you might be making less money as
you’ll need to develop a client base. However, you get to benefit from
working on your own terms and the flexibility this brings.
If you don’t have the skills to immediately begin freelancing then you’ll
either have to find the time needed to develop them, or chose a side hustle
instead. The good news is that you can develop freelancing skills relatively
quickly (it took me 6 months to train as a tennis coach and 10 months to
train as a hypnotherapist). You could do this while you continue to work
your present job or, if you’ve just finished university, or school, work some
odd jobs (I worked in a retail store and a bar) while you complete your
training.
If that’s still too long, then consider a side hustle. Most can be started
with minimal training which means you could be making money, and
freeing up time for your passion, within the space of a few weeks.
Of course, there are downsides to this approach. The money you make
might not be enough to support a family (if you have one). Furthermore,
you can feel like you’re being pulled in three or four different directions
while freelancing, or side hustling, and working on your passion. As a
result, you can expect to treble the length of time it takes to make a living
from your passion when compared with the first option (if you were to be
successful with taking the leap). That being said, freelancing and side
hustling still present a relatively quick, and relatively stable, approach to
supporting yourself while you attempt to make a living from your passion.

Working part-time
The final option is scaling back to part-time hours in your current job or, if
this isn’t possible, seeking part-time work at a different company. The
benefit of this approach is that there’s minimal upheaval to your life. You
get to keep a steady (albeit reduced) income and don’t have to spend any
time retraining or attempting to gain new clients, or business, for a
freelance role or a side hustle. As a result, you can begin your journey to
working on your passion from a position of relative stability.
Of course, you’ll have to initiate a potentially difficult conversation
with your boss. Will they permit you to reduce your hours? If yes, then
make the shift. If no, you might need to look elsewhere for part-time work.
How many hours is part-time? The answer to this question depends on
your financial situation. What’s the minimum number of hours you can
work while still meeting your needs? While anything more than 30 hours a
week won’t allow this approach to work, you could, in theory, go as low as
25, 20 or even 15 hours a week.
At a minimum, you need to free up 10 hours a week for working on
your passion. Anything less and it’s difficult to make a dent in all the
research, creation and promotion you’ll need to do.
The main benefit of following the part-time approach is that it’s
relatively risk-free. Yes, you’ll be voluntarily reducing the amount of
money you make (and nobody enjoys a depleted income), but you’re doing
so in a way that shouldn’t damage your ability to cover the basic costs of
living. With careful planning, you’ll have an unlimited time frame to make
a living from your passion.
The stabilising impact this has on your state of mind can’t be
undervalued. When you have time to experiment with different strategies,
and know you’ve got the freedom to fail and learn from your mistakes, it
puts you in a position to grow.
As significant as this benefit is, there’s a flipside to using part-time
work to free up time for your passion. Without any “skin in the game,”
there’s little pressure for you to succeed. In theory, you could continue to
dabble at your passion indefinitely. If your day job is providing enough
money to support you, there’s no sense of urgency to be successful with
your new project.
Ironically, this can limit your progress. Danger is a great motivating
force. While living in a constant state of fear depletes your body and mind,
occasional shocks or “reality checks,” can be a great way to spark action.
You can only receive these by putting yourself in an uncomfortable
position. Get too comfortable with the combination of a part-time day job,
and time spent doing more inspiring work, and years, or even decades,
could pass without you ever transitioning into making a living from your
passion.
Remember, this approach is meant to be temporary. The goal is for you
to quit your part-time role and move, full-time, into more meaningful work.
However, to do this, your passion must provide you with an income
equivalent to what you were earning in your part-time role.

Life is risk
With the three approaches to working on your own terms explained, all that
remains is for you to select an option and begin. As you do, understand that
you’ll be facing an element of risk and will have to make sacrifices during
your journey. Should this put you off?
Absolutely not. As much as today’s society attempts to mitigate against
any form of risk (with endless health and safety measures and questionable
constraints on our freedoms), to think you can breeze through life without
confronting any form of danger is a fallacy. Risk is all around, whether in
the form of losing a job you mistakenly thought of as secure, or some
unforeseen accident occurring which you could have done little to prevent.
You can’t escape it and, ironically, the more you try to protect yourself, the
more you leave yourself open to becoming victim of the greatest risk of all.
What is this risk? That, in your desire for security and protection, you
stop living your life. You stop trying out new ideas. You refuse to be open
with another person for fear of rejection. You won’t invest in any projects
(whether with your time or money) for fear of losing what you already
have. You won’t travel to any new destinations for fear of the unknown.
Taking this approach to its logical conclusion, you might never leave your
home for fear of accident, injury, embarrassment or failure.
Is this any way to live? Of course not. Therefore, you must learn how to
live with and manage risk. Understand that your core drives and values
(meaning and freedom), are worth taking calculated risks for.
The three approaches to working on your own terms are exactly that.
None of them, even the first option of quitting your job and pursuing your
passion full-time, will lead to irreparable damage if you fail. Make your
choice based on your financial situation, your temperament, how soon you
think you can earn an income from your passion and then go for it.
Is this a guarantee nothing will go wrong? Of course not. You may well
fail in your first, second and third attempt to make a living from your
passion. However, each time you’ll learn and, as a result of this experience,
you’ll refine your approach and pursue your objective from a place of
greater wisdom.
While doing this, understand that the sacrifices you’re making are
relatively short-term and, in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential.
When following one of the three options listed, it’s likely that for a few
years you may have less money than before, have to live in less luxurious
accommodation and not be able to consume in a manner to which you’ve
become accustomed. Furthermore, it may sting when you see your friends
paying for the kind of experiences you can no longer afford and purchasing
properties or expensive cars.
If this does happen, then keep your prize in mind. Unlike your friends,
you’re playing for all the marbles. Whereas they may have to sacrifice their
health and compromise their values to achieve success, the life you’re
working towards will be without limitation.
This is because your success will be authentic. By succeeding at
something you love, and living a life where you set the parameters for
work, play and family time, you’re working with your soul rather than
against it. As a result, each day will be stimulating. The challenges you face
will bring out the best in you rather than leave you drained. What’s more,
you won’t have to compromise either your dreams or individuality. Surely,
this is worth tolerating a few years of financial, and social, hardship to
attain?

90,000 hours
Why is working on your own terms so important?
A survey, conducted in 2021 by Zippia.com, discovered that 50% of
Americans “disliked” their jobs.[15] Combine this knowledge with the
average number of hours a worker spends at their job – 90,000 over the
course of a lifetime - and you begin to see why working on your own terms
is so important.[16] Without taking this step, you’re setting yourself up for a
life where you spend the majority of your days stressed, bored, rushed,
harassed, disinterested or just numb.
Do you want to live that way? In a world where there’s so much to see,
where the possibilities for expressing your creativity are almost endless and
there are any number of meaningful goals you could pursue, are you
prepared to tolerate living the majority of your life in any one of the states
listed above?
I hope not. You’d be doing yourself, and perhaps the world, a
disservice.
Imagine if Martin Luther King, Elon Musk or JK Rowling had worked
on someone else’s terms. The world would have missed out on amazing
stories, inventions and advances in freedom.
You may feel it’s grandiose to compare yourself with these rebels but a)
you never know how far you can go when you work from a place of
inspiration and b) the scale of the achievement is not what’s important. Your
decision to work on your own terms might lead to a product being created
that changes a hundred people’s lives. That’s not insignificant.
Remember, for every rebel that makes the shift to making living from
their passion, the world wins. It gains one more enlightened mind with a
unique approach to solving the multiplicity of problems humanity faces.
Therefore, you must be determined in your desire to work on your own
terms. Don’t listen to the leaders, followers and scared rebels who tell you it
isn’t possible. Instead, stick to your guns. Be strong enough to reject a
broken system and use your work as a vehicle to create something of true
value.

Summary of Step 4: Work on your own terms

• You must not allow your passion to become a hobby. Instead,
embrace the idea of working on your own terms and you’ll have
multiple opportunities to pursue it professionally.
• It is possible to find meaningful work through a conventional
career. Although the system’s influence will attempt to sabotage you
at every turn, if you uphold the ethos of your profession, you can
have a positive impact on your industry and society at large.
• There are three approaches to working on your own terms – 1.
Commit to your passion, full-time, from the start 2. Use freelancing
or side-hustles to support yourself while working 20 hours a week on
your passion 3. Work part-time in your current job, or industry, to
free up time for your passion. Choose one of these approaches based
on your financial situation, your ability to self-motivate and your pre-
existing experience with the work you’re passionate about.
• Pursuing any of these three approaches involves risk. However, this
should not stop you because the greatest risk of all is that, in the
name of security, you stop living your life.
• Working on your own terms will, at the start, require some form of
financial sacrifice. Realise that this is only short to medium term,
though, and that what you stand to gain is success without
compromising your time, health or values.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 5: SAVE BETWEEN 10% TO 20% OF
YOUR INCOME EVERY YEAR

Let’s pause to assess your situation. Having established the need to create
your own world (Step 1), and understood that your heart will guide you to
this destination (Step 2), we then explored a rebel’s second most important
drive – the need for meaning. This can’t be ignored and, as a result, it’s
important to recognise that working solely to make money is never going to
satisfy. Your work must be meaningful and this means you need to discover
a passion and commit to making a living from it (Step 3). To help you do
this, you should embrace the concept of working on your own terms as this
will free up the time needed to be successful at this endeavour (Step 4).
As sound as this advice is, though, there are no guarantees. The journey
to making a living from your passion is difficult. You might have to quit
your job and learn to cope without the security of a monthly pay check.
Undoubtedly, you’ll have to work harder than ever before as you could be
juggling a regular job, freelancing, or working a side hustle, with working
on your passion.
On top of that, you’ll have to create something of value (which can take
years of learning and refinement) that will be unique, appealing and useful
to potential clients and customers. Then, you’ll have to learn how to sell, or
promote, what you’ve created. Finally, you’ll have to become a master of
time management as family commitments, a day job or occasional poor
health, might limit your productivity.
I don’t list these difficulties to deter you. However, it would be remiss
of me if I didn’t point out that succeeding at making a living from your
passion could take many years and, in extreme cases, possibly even a
decade or longer.
For this reason, you need a two-pronged attack to meet your needs for
freedom and meaning. While you work towards making a full-time living
from your passion, you should also seek to win your financial freedom
through an additional outlet.
Financial freedom
Why is your financial freedom so important?
There are two types of freedom relevant to a rebel. The first is inner
freedom. This is the ability to enjoy your life and be free from hang ups,
excessive fear, self-sabotage and limiting beliefs.
The second type of freedom is financial freedom. Money chains you to
the leader’s and follower’s world. If you don’t have enough of it, you have
to work their meaningless jobs and, to a degree, abide by their stifling
standards for social interactions and expression.
This is a fate you’ll want to avoid as it involves keeping quiet when you
want to speak up, consistently working overtime at a job you probably don’t
enjoy and attending social gatherings that both bore you and damage your
health (due to consuming copious amounts of alcohol and, in some circles,
drugs). Build your financial freedom, though, and you can leave this world
behind. You won’t be beholden to anyone.
In the 2014 movie The Gambler, John Goodman’s character, Frank,
discusses the importance of financial freedom with degenerate gambler, Jim
Bennet (played by Mark Wahlberg). Frank offers to take on Jim’s gambling
debts and, by doing so, release him from the clutches of local gangsters. Of
course, Frank isn’t driven by altruism and wants his money back but he also
appears to take an interest in Jim’s well-being. Keen to counsel him on the
importance of financial freedom, he offers this advice to Jim,
You get up $2.5 million [referring to a big gambling win], any asshole in the world
knows what to do. You get a house with a 25-year roof, an indestructible Jap economy
shit box [referring to a car], you put the rest into the system at three to five percent to
pay your taxes and that’s your base, get me? That’s your fortress of fucking solitude.
That puts you for the rest of your life at a level of “Fuck you.”
Somebody wants you to do something? “Fuck you!” Boss pisses you off? “Fuck you!”
Own your house, have a couple of bucks in the bank, don’t drink. That’s all I have to say
to anybody at any social level.[17]
Once you accumulate a certain amount of money ($2.5 million according
Frank but maybe more or less for you), it puts you on a level of, “Fuck
you.” You’ll never have to do anything for money again. You can walk
away from stressful jobs, potentially unsound investments and controlling
or overbearing relationships.
Every rebel should aim to be at this level. It grants you the freedom to
determine how you use your most precious commodity – time. If you
wanted to wake up late and play video games every day, you could. If you
wanted to spend all of your time with your family and friends, this would
also be possible. If you wanted to dedicate your life to a charitable cause or
working on your art (in whatever form that took), then you could that too.
As long as you can live within the means your particular level of financial
freedom provides, you get to do what you want to do, when you want to do
it.
Attaining financial freedom is like being released from prison. It
represents a watershed moment. Sure, other factors will play a role in
determining how much you can enjoy this freedom, but you no longer have
to be at a certain place, at a certain time, five out of every seven days.
Financial freedom is that significant. It dramatically increases your
opportunities to live a self-determined life.
But how do you get there? At present, you may have little capital or
even be struggling with debt. You may only have one source of income, and
this may be modest to low. As a result, financial freedom might seem like a
far-off dream. Of course, you see pictures of millionaires and billionaires on
Instagram enjoying luxury vacations, travelling the world and owning
multiple homes, so you know it can be done. (Furthermore, it can be
achieved with a lot less than these influencers claim to possess). However,
for you, lacking their luck, skill for self-promotion, financial acumen or
whatever it is they possess, it could never happen.
Let me assure you though, this is not the case. Financial freedom is
accessible to everyone. In fact, the process is fairly simple. Step 5 will give
you the foundation and Step 6 will provide the methodology. On top of that,
you’ll need to develop some strong character traits – self-discipline, an
appreciation for delayed gratification, sound judgement and a level of
emotional detachment – but once you combine these, you’ll have all the
ingredients necessary to become financially free.
Let’s begin…
The richest man in Babylon
The foundation of your financial freedom is saving 10% to 20% of your
income each year. This is not something you’ll do for one year and then
dismiss the next. Even if you’re struggling financially, you must stick to
this discipline. Setting aside a portion of your income every month, or year,
must become a lifetime habit.
This saving should be before tax (the reason for this will be explained
later). For example, if you’d earned £50,000 in the UK during the 2022/23
tax year, you’d get to keep £37,465 (after tax). If the 10% savings were
applied to this income (your disposable income), then you’d need to save
£3,746 per year. However, because the 10% is applied to your total income,
you need to set aside £5000.
This is a significant difference so budget accordingly. The 10% you
thought you were going to save may, in reality, feel more like 13% to 15%
(depending on the tax structure in your country).
The next thing to remember is that the amount you save (between 10%
to 20%) remains the same regardless of how much money you make.
Whether your income is $20,000 a year or $1,000,000 a year, you’ll be
syphoning off between 10% to 20%.
The 10% to 20% variation exists to give you a degree of flexibility. For
example, if you’re a high-income earner, you might want to set aside 20%
before tax every year. If you’re on a low income, this may be harder to do
so you drop down to 10%. Ideally, you should save as much as you can but,
with the ever-increasing rise in living costs, this isn’t always easy.

The practise of saving between 10% and 20% of your income each year is
known as “paying yourself first.” It was first introduced to the world, in a
popular form, through George S Clason’s 1926 book, The Richest Man in
Babylon. In this book, Clason set out to distill the timeless principles of
wealth building by telling a series of fables set in the ancient city of
Babylon.
Clason made his money in the map publishing business, owning the
company that produced the first road maps of the US and Canada. When he
turned his hand to writing, he used Babylon as the setting for his story
because it was the cradle of modern finance (being the first city to use
money as a means of exchange and have tradeable property titles). To share
his knowledge, he created fictional characters through which he
communicated his lessons.
His most popular character is Arkad, the famed “richest man in
Babylon.” The reader learns of him through two friends, a chariot builder
and a musician. These friends, despite having jobs that pay reasonably well,
can never accumulate any wealth. However, they are keen to learn how and,
having grown up with Arkad, seek him out to learn the secrets.
Upon meeting the friends, Arkad explains that he was not the
beneficiary of a great inheritance. Instead, he had to work his way up. He
started as a scribe, writing laws on clay tablets. One of his clients was a rich
money lender and, after completing a job for this man, Arkad sought his
advice on wealth creation. The money lender obliged, informing Arkad that
the foundation of great riches was paying yourself first. He warned him,
“Touch not the one tenth that is fattening the purse.”
At first, Arkad was underwhelmed by the money lenders advice. He
imagined wealth could be accumulated in a quicker and more exciting way.
Saving 10% of his income every year seemed dull and painstakingly slow.
However, with time, he began to see the wisdom in the advice and,
combined with the money lender’s other tips, was able to create his fortune.
What can you learn from this fable? The first point you should take
from The Richest Man in Babylon is that being underwhelmed about the
power of saving 10% to 20% each year is perfectly natural. It’s not sexy.
You want to cheat the system and learn a wealth generating hack that could
see you becoming a millionaire within the next few years. What difference
can saving $3000 to $10,000 a year really make?
While this attitude is understandable, anyone who thinks this way is
missing the point. Sure, between $3000 and $10,000 extra at the end of one
year isn’t going to change your life. However, what happens after 10 years
of saving an equivalent amount?
Even at the lower end of the scale (and this is assuming the unlikely
event your income doesn’t rise), you will now have $30,000 to your name.
At best, you may have $100,000.
Ten years is, and isn’t, a long time. A lot can be done, and a lot can
change, over a decade. If you’re reading this and you’re currently 25-years-
old, 35 might seem so far away it doesn’t bear considering. Why subject
yourself to the discipline of saving when you could be enjoying yourself
now?
You might take a similarly sceptical approach if you’re reading this and
you’re 55-years-old. In ten years, you’ll be 65. By then, you might think,
it’s too late. You need your financial freedom now, or in the next few years,
so you can enjoy it before you become too old.
These concerns are justifiable but there’s something you neglect when
thinking this way. No matter how distant 10 years in the future may seem,
or how quickly you desire to be financial free, the time will pass. You’ll
wake up one day and be 35-years-old and, just as sure (unless you die and
then it’s irrelevant anyway), you’ll wake up one day and be 65. Far better to
reach these ages, or any age, and have an additional $100,000 in funds than
to have nothing. You may begrudge the sacrifice of saving now but your
future self will thank you.
This sum of money, or any sum saved over a number of years, provides
you with a war chest. It gives you access to opportunities and, to some
degree, it gives you power (at least over your own life).
You will learn how to use your war chest in Step 6. For now, understand
that securing your financial freedom is a long-term game. As a result, the
practise of saving between 10% to 20% every year is something you should
begin immediately. You haven’t got weeks, months and years to waste.
Embrace the power of saving now.

Pay yourself first

During Arkad’s tutelage at the hands of the money lender, he was told that,
“A part of all you earn must be yours to keep.” At first reading, this
instruction may appear oxymoronic. Isn’t everything you earn (apart from
the tax you pay), yours to keep? After all, you have complete control over
how it’s spent.
The distinction the money lender makes raises an interesting point. Both
the musician and the chariot builder, who sought Arkad’s advice, were not
poor. They made a reasonable amount of money but, at the end of the
month, had little to show for their efforts.
This predicament might strike a chord with you and millions of others.
Many people living in developed nations receive a good salary. However,
because of the extortionate cost of living, and the all-pervasive influence of
consumerism, it never seems like enough.
How does your money get spent? After tax, you have to pay the
mortgage company or the landlord for your home. You need to eat, so that’s
another substantial part of your income paid to grocery stores and
supermarkets. For your house or apartment to function, you need gas,
electricity, water and internet connection, so all of these providers need to
be paid (as does your mobile phone company). You might have to pay your
local council, or district, for amenities and the maintenance of the roads.
Transport is also an essential. Perhaps you have a car hire agreement, travel
to work by train or, at a minimum, need to pay gas stations for fuel. After
all of these organisations and companies get paid, what’s left for you?
Possibly not a lot and the little you do have gets spent on luxuries
you’re programmed to desire. Two or three vacations a year are seen as a
minimum. How else are you going to convince your “friends/followers” on
social media that your life is fabulous? Plus, it’s your only taste of real
freedom for the entire year. As a result, hotels, travel companies and airlines
will get paid.
Appearances are everything in our society. You need to look good even
if, underneath, you feel like shit. To achieve this, beauticians, skin care
clinicians and make-up brands will get paid. Clothes are so much more than
functional wear to keep you warm. They make a statement about your
identity and indicate how successful you are. As a result, retail outlets and
online stores will receive a portion of your money.
Finally, to escape the life which you pretend to enjoy, you’ll need to
socialise every weekend. This means bars, nightclubs, restaurants, festival
and concert organisers will also get paid (and maybe even drug dealers).
This comprehensive list covers many of the ways in which you are
likely to spend your money and the organisations and people you are likely
to pay. However, there’s one important beneficiary missing.
You! Right at the bottom of your list of expenditures is you, and your
future. After all the others have been paid, is there even any money left?
Hopefully this explanation has helped you realise the wisdom in the
money lenders words. All the money you earn, even after tax is deducted, is
not yours to keep. Even if you scale back on some of the luxury purchases,
there are certain necessities that need to be paid for.
While this is inevitable, what isn’t is a situation where you end up with
nothing. By switching your priorities, and paying yourself first (setting
aside 10% to 20% of your income for future use before you pay any other
expenses), you can make sure the most important beneficiary takes priority.
“Me before anyone else,” should become your motto when it comes to
money. (This is why the 10% to 20% you save should be calculated before
tax. If you truly adhere to the principle of paying yourself first, then you
come before the tax man).
These thoughts are echoed by bestselling author David Bach. The
former senior vice president at Morgan Stanley, he had this to say on the
subject of paying yourself first in his 2003 book The Automatic Millionaire,
Please trust me on this. Nothing will help you achieve wealth until you decide to Pay
Yourself First. Nothing. You can read every book, listen to every tape program, order
every motivational product, subscribe to every newsletter there is, and none of it will get
you anywhere if you let the government and everyone else have first crack at your salary
before you get to it. The foundation of wealth building is Pay Yourself First. [18]
Don’t think securing a pay rise, or increasing your businesses profits, will
make this principle redundant. Unless you’ve made paying yourself first a
habit, a greater income will just mean increased spending (because your
mind is conditioned to spend before you save).
You can’t out earn this concept. Achieving financial freedom requires a
change in mindset. You must detach from the mass consciousness that most
followers, and even some leaders, follow and make a shift in your priorities.
In doing so, understand that you may face obstacles. You’re fighting
against an entire culture. Most people seek immediate reward rather than
concern themselves with saving. They do so because they work hard in
stressful jobs and need a release, or something to show for all the pain they
endure. There has to be something to look forward to, whether that’s a
vacation, an expensive meal out, a take away, a flashy car, designer clothes
or a weekend away. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying any of
these things. However, before you do, you must measure their cost against
your goal of financial freedom.
If you’ve still got money left over after you’ve saved your 10% to 20%,
paid your taxes and covered your essentials, then you can spend it however
you want. If you haven’t, you must learn to do without (or find some way to
increase your income while still working within the “pay yourself first”
parameters).
If this is difficult for you then strengthen your resolve by remembering
what you’re working towards. Financial freedom is a far greater reward
than any individual purchase or one-off experience. It opens up a new
dimension of living which changes everything about your life. By contrast,
a vacation, a new car or a nice meal, are ephemeral. The pleasure will only
last for a limited time and then you’re back to living in a reality that’s
draining and stressful.

How will you pay yourself first?

David Bach, in his book The Automatic Millionaire, recommends
making the process automatic. You can do this in a couple of ways. One
method is to set up a monthly payment from your current account into your
savings account for 10% to 20% of what you earn. Another one, that’s
likely to bring you a much greater return on the money you save (although
perhaps leaving you unable to access the money in the short and medium
term – more on this in Step 6), is to set up an automatic payment from your
current account into a pension scheme or another form of investment.
Why does the transfer of this money need to be automatic? Bach
explains that many years ago, tax wasn’t automatically deducted from an
employee’s salary. Instead, even employed citizens paid their own tax at the
end of the financial year. However, this system had to be changed as
governments couldn’t collect the money they were owed.
It turns out people struggled with budgeting and couldn’t get their head
around the concept of setting money aside for their taxes. As a result,
governments started deducting tax at source and swerved the problem of
human nature not being suited to saving.
The same principle applies on an individual level. If you deduct your
10% to 20% automatically, and as soon as you get paid, you don’t end up
missing the money. Instead, you adapt to having less disposable income,
adjust your lifestyle accordingly, and successfully avoid the temptation to
spend all the money you earn. (Please note that Step 5 applies whether
you’re making your money from a regular job, freelancing, a side hustle,
your passion or even the returns on your investments – more on this in Step
6).

Extreme savings
In Step 5, you’ve been introduced to a simple but incredibly powerful idea
to help you gain financial freedom. However, what happens if you’re
struggling to put it into practise?
Jacob Lund Fisker runs a website site called Early Retirement Extreme.
Here, he teaches readers how to save 70% to 80% of their yearly income
and, by doing so, retire within 5 to 10 years.
Contrary to popular opinion, Fisker believes that people living in
developed nations get paid a small fortune. Therefore, any problem we
experience with personal finances, and debt, is not because of a lack of pay,
but due to our excessive spending.
To prove this point, Fisker lives comfortably on $7000 a year. He owns
a three-bedroom home in the suburbs of Chicago, doesn’t have a job and
earns an income through book sales of his popular title, Early Retirement
Extreme, and various investments. When he retired, age 33, he had a net
worth of $175,000 and stated that this was all he needed to enjoy retirement
for the next 25 years (his net worth has subsequently grown).
Whatever you think of his philosophy and lifestyle, Fisker is probably
one of the world’s foremost experts on how to save money. Even if you
have no desire to save 70% to 80% of your yearly income, you can still
benefit from his knowledge.
In his blog and book, Fisker highlights three key expenses you need to
reduce if you want to live below your means – accommodation, travel and
food. Furthermore, he points out that these areas are interconnected, in what
he calls a, “holistic, shelter-food-transport system.”
When it comes to accommodation, Fisker urges his readers to downsize.
Becoming a home-owner is good if you can pay for your house in cash. You
want to avoid a situation where a mortgage (or rent) is eating up 50% plus
of your monthly income (after tax). If it currently is, give strong
consideration to purchasing/renting a smaller property.
If making such a move is beyond your current budget, and capital, then
Fisker recommends staying in shared accommodation or living in an
RV/camper van (something he did for many years) or a houseboat. If you’re
single, and don’t have a family, this could provide a great option when it
comes to making significant savings.
When it comes to travel, Fisker’s number one rule is forgo the car. This
will save you money on an outright purchase, a hire agreement,
servicing/repairing the vehicle and the weekly purchase of fuel. Even if you
already own a car, perhaps you should consider selling it (thereby
reclaiming some of the original cost) and benefitting from the savings you
make on fuel.
For this strategy to work, you must live within walking or cycling
distance of your place of work. This is possibly your number one concern
when selecting accommodation and part of the holistic approach Fisker
preaches. Such close proximity removes the need for a car and public
transport (and its associated cost) and provides the opportunity for daily
exercise. Another way to reduce your travel costs is to limit yourself to one
overseas vacation per year (or vacation at home).
When it comes to food, there’s a sliding scale of saving efficiency. Try
to limit the number of meals you eat in a restaurant. The next biggest drain
on your bank account is takeouts. With these two restricted, you then want
to avoid ready-made meals bought from the supermarket. Instead, buy your
ingredients in bulk and cook your meals from scratch.
When it comes to the type of foods you’re eating, Fisker recommends
reducing or eliminating your meat intake (primarily for financial reasons)
and relying more heavily on vegetables and grains. A typical meal for
Fisker consists of salad from his garden, pasta with a bean-based sauce and
onions, olives and zucchini.
So, in a nutshell, avoid large mortgage or rent payments, live within
walking distance of your place of work, don’t own a car and prepare, and
eat, the majority of your meals at home.
Sounds too restrictive? Remember, adhering to Step 5 of The Rebel
Code doesn’t require you to follow the early retirement extreme plan to the
letter. You need only save 10% to 20% of your monthly income. Focus on
just one of the three areas Fisker highlights and you’ll be doing enough to
make the requisite savings.

Changing the meaning of sacrifice

While paying yourself first is an effective strategy, and securing your
financial freedom is a worthy goal, you may struggle with the thought of
what you’re giving up. The sacrifice might seem too great and, as a result,
likely to impinge on your happiness and quality of life.
If this is the case then there’s a psychological shift you must make. You
must understand that, once you’ve adjusted to a new way of spending, your
happiness won’t decrease. This is because what you’re giving up only
provides a temporary boost. Lasting happiness is found through qualities
you can’t buy.
Fisker has a great way of framing this concept to people who doubt his
early retirement philosophy. In the FAQ’s section on his website, he
addresses concerns about saving a large percentage of your income.
Sceptics assume he’s permanently battling a desire to spend. This, he
assures his readers, is not the case. In fact, he turns the meaning of sacrifice
on its head and poses a valid question to all those trapped in a conventional
mindset.
What if, by spending beyond your means and believing consumption is
going to make you happy, you’re sacrificing the best parts of life? Is it you,
not him, that’s really missing out? He explains,
A sacrifice does not mean giving something up. A sacrifice means changing something
for something better. I have given up shopping, credit cards, expensive cars, large
houses, season tickets, and vacations in exchange for the joy of not having to work, the
ability to spend all my time as I want, and the lack of stress from never having to
struggle to make ends meet. If you know the answer to how you can sacrifice 60 hours
of your life a week for the next 40 years, you know the answer to how I can sacrifice not
eating out or buying stuff without thinking about the cost.[19]
Of course, you may want to go on vacation, own a car, eat in expensive
restaurants and have enough money left over to save 10% of 20% of your
income per month. You’re not facing an either/or proposition. Shoot for the
stars. Aim to make enough money so that saving a small portion of it poses
no impositions on your lifestyle. However, if, while getting there, you need
to make a few cutbacks then do so with joy; aware you’re saving towards
something truly life changing.
Summary of Step 5: Save between 10% to 20% of your income every
year
• You must begin this practise immediately. Financial freedom is a
long-term goal so there’s no time to waste.
• Remember that the 10% to 20% you save is before tax and not taken
from your disposable income. Therefore, you may need to set aside
more money than you initially thought.
• Make your financial freedom a priority by paying yourself first. You
are more important than the tax man, mortgage company, electricity
supplier and restaurant or bar owner.
• Automatically deduct your 10% to 20% savings from your account
each month. This prevents you from missing the money and forces
you to adjust your lifestyle.
• If you need to reduce your spending to save 10% to 20% of your
income each month, or year, aim to make savings on your
accommodation, travel or food spend. These are the biggest money
drains and if you can do just one of these three things – downsize on
property, get rid of your car or eat almost all of your meals at home –
you should have enough to begin building towards your financial
freedom.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 6: MAKE AT LEAST 1 INVESTMENT
OUTSIDE OF A PENSION

The purpose of Step 5 was to build a war chest. Why? Because you’re
going to war.
You’re fighting a battle against the system. It wants to keep you trapped
and will use its primary weapon – economic servitude – to ensure you never
break free and fulfil your role as a change creating rebel.
You must resist, using whatever outlets for escape you can find. One of
these is discovering your passion and making a living from it. Succeed at
doing this and you have already broken free. You no longer have to work
for a living. Instead, you work because you enjoy it and what you’re doing
adds meaning to your life.
In an ideal world, every rebel would succeed at discovering their
passion and making a living from it. However, what if it takes you longer
than you expect, you experience multiple setbacks or struggle to break into
the industry you’re so passionate about? Furthermore, what if you’re so
consumed by working your day job, and raising a family, you never find the
time to get started?
If this is the case, there’s another outlet to secure your need for freedom.
By adhering to Step 5, you’ll be in a position to make your money work for
you.
After a few years of saving, you’ll have $10,000 or perhaps even
$20,000. You can do something with this amount. It’s not a war chest
capable of funding an Armada, but you can send this money into battle to
bring you significant returns.
How? Through carefully planned investments. The aim of the game is to
invest in either companies, projects, start-ups, cryptocurrencies,
commodities, property or funds that will grow and increase the value of
your money.
Some of these investments might bring a small return, some might 10x
or 20x or provide a monthly income. Depending on how successful you are,
you might win your financial freedom within ten to fifteen years (this
would mean retiring from your day job and doing whatever you choose
with your time).
Even if you never make enough money from your investments to be
financially free, a successful investment or two could ease the pressure of
relying on your day job for the entirety of your income. Maybe, with a
regular monthly income, or the selling of a small portion of your assets
once a year, you could cut back to part-time hours and work just three or
four days a week. With the extra day or two you’ve won back; you can then
begin a concerted effort to make a living from your passion.
Step 6 asks you to make only one investment outside of a pension. This
directive is offered to present rebels who are tentative about taking risks
with a low barrier to entry. It’s a starting point. Hopefully, a successful
foray into the world of investing will encourage you to make more.

Multiple investment options

The Rebel Code is not an investment manual. Don’t mistake it as such. To
master different investment opportunities, you’ll have to do further reading,
attend courses and build your own base of knowledge through trial and
error. However, what it can do, is make you aware of the numerous
investments opportunities available and provide you with the mindset
needed to succeed (and, just as importantly, prevent you from losing the
money you’ve worked so hard to save in Step 5).
At the time of writing, there are many different ways you can invest
your money to create independence building wealth. You could;
• Buy properties to rent (commercial or residential)
• Buy properties to renovate and sell
• Buy stocks/shares in companies and sell them for a profit (either
long-term or short-term)
• Buy stocks/shares in companies and earn dividends
• Buy Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and sell them for a profit or
earn dividends
• Buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and sell for a profit (either
long-term or short-term)
• Buy cryptocurrencies and stake, or lend, them
• Buy commodities like gold, silver, crude oil and natural gas and sell
them for a profit
• Buy and sell currencies for a profit (Forex trading)
• Invest in a start-up, hoping your shares in the company become
valuable
• Invest your monthly savings in an Index Fund and keep reinvesting
• Invest your monthly savings in a Mutual Fund and keep reinvesting
• Invest into a bond and receive interest on your payment for the
duration of the term
• Buy art and hope its value appreciates
Although long, this list is probably not comprehensive. There will be other
investments you can find and profit from. However, with fourteen
opportunities listed, and each one capable of bringing substantial returns,
this is a great place to start.
If you’re living in America, or a country that offers a similar scheme,
you might ask, “What about a 401K? Isn’t this a great investment
opportunity?” Just like putting your money in a pension, there’s nothing
wrong with investing in a 401K. However, because you can’t access the
money (without penalty) before the age of 59 and half, it’s classified as a
retirement fund (by this book, at least).
You must remember the purpose of Step 6. You’re not being encouraged
to invest so you can enjoy the last 20 to 30 years of your life in relative
comfort. Instead, you’re being encouraged to invest so you can escape, or
reduce, the problem of having to work for a living and the detrimental
impact this has on you living a life of freedom and meaning.
The aim is to do this within the next 10 to 20 years. With that
understood, it’s time to further explore the investment opportunities listed
above.

Index funds
Before you go any further, a common fear must be addressed. You might be
reluctant to invest because of the risk it entails. This is understandable. You
work hard at your job – too hard – and put up with all kinds of bullshit.
Furthermore, you’ve altered your lifestyle (and it wasn’t easy), to make sure
you follow Step 5. What you absolutely do not want to happen is to lose the
money you’ve put so much effort into earning and then saving. You’d rather
save the money or put it into a pension or a 401k.
It’s important to know that you shouldn’t feel pressured into following
Step 6. You could stick with Step 3, 4 and 5. You might win your financial
freedom by being sensible with your money and succeeding at the work
you’re passionate about. If you feel safer following this approach, then do
so. However, if you have the smallest bit of curiosity about the possibilities,
and power, of investing then you could take a tentative step into this arena.
Step 6 only requires you to make one investment outside of your
pension. It could be a small one. Maybe you could invest in an index fund.
This gives you exposure to some of the biggest companies in the world and
carries little downside.
Take the S&P 500 index, for example. This tracks the 500 largest
companies (by market cap) on the US stock exchange. Therefore, if the US
economy is performing well, which it invariably does, the index will reflect
this with a rise. Of course, there are some years when recession strikes and
the index loses value. However, if you hold onto your investment for a
significant period of time – think decades – these losses will be balanced
out by the increases and you’ll make a substantial amount of money.
How much? If you’d invested just $10,000 in the S&P 500 in 1991, that
sum of money would have grown to $210,000 by the end of 2020 (so long
as you’d reinvested all the dividends you received from the fund).[20]
$10,000 is not an impossible sum of money to save. Earning a modest
income of around $35,000 to $40,000 a year and applying Step 5 would see
you accumulate this amount in no more than 3 years. Furthermore, you
could continue to save after your initial investment and, if you were happy
with the fund, reinvest your savings.
Maybe, over the course of a decade, you could inject an additional
$20,000 into the fund. The interest earned wouldn’t compound as efficiently
as the money you’d invested at the start. However, after 30 years, your
$30,000 investment would turn into well over half a million dollars.
As excellent as this return is, it’s not even the best part. You’d hardly
being doing any work. Of course, you’d have to display discipline in
adhering to Step 5 (to raise the funds for the initial investment and then
keep saving and injecting more money into your fund as the years pass).
However, beyond that, little is required.
The Index automatically selects the stocks (being the top 500 companies
on the New York stock exchange). Therefore, there’s no time spent
researching companies and trying to decipher which stocks are going to
grow. You just save, invest, save some more, reinvest and then hold. Over
the course of the decades, perhaps a weeks’ worth of work is involved.
Even over a single decade, an index fund is a solid investment. From
2010 to 2020, the average yearly return on the S&P 500 was an impressive
14.7%.[21]
Added to that, the investment process is easy. Find either a mutual fund
that tracks the S&P 500 or purchase the same index through an Exchange
Traded Fund. (Bear in mind that the fees attached to a mutual fund are
almost always higher than an ETF. Also, you can trade an ETF much like a
stock, buying and selling instantly and doing so through a brokerage).
The S&P 500 isn’t the only index available. If you want to invest in the
UK stock market, you could put your money in the FTSE 100. Or, if you
prefer a US alternative to the S&P 500, you could invest in the NASDAQ-
100.
You can invest in these indexes through different companies (at the time
of writing, the Fidelity ZERO Large Cap Index FINLIX, the Shelton
NASDAQ-100 Index Direct NASDX and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO
are all highly rated). Research their fees and make sure you get the best rate
possible.
Mark Hulbert, the former editor and founder of the Hulbert Financial
Digest (a publication that rated the performance of various financial
newsletters based on their ability to recommend high performing stocks for
their readers) and now writer and editor for MarketWatch, had this to say
about index funds,
You can outperform more than 80% of your fellow investors over the next several
decades simply by investing in an index fund – and doing nothing else.[22]
As ideal as this sounds, there’s one flaw to this approach. A rebel wants to
win their financial freedom before the traditional retirement age. The
example given required a time frame of 30 years. If you’re reading this
aged 50, or even 40, you might think that’s too long.
If this is the case, you’ll need to invest in more than just an index fund.
How do you find investments offering the possibility of greater, and faster,
returns?

10x’ing your money

If you’d gone back to the start of August 2017 and bought one Bitcoin
(valued at $3200) and held it for just over four years until November 2021,
you’d have almost 20x’d your initial investment (Bitcoin hit an all-time of
$68,000 during this month).
This, in itself, is a fantastic return but what if you had more than $3200
to invest? What if you’d bought three or four coins?
This isn’t unrealistic. Perhaps you have a large income and can save a
substantial amount each year. Maybe you’ve been saving for years or
perhaps you’ve been bequeathed an inheritance. Buying three or four
Bitcoins at the August 2017 price would have meant that, four years later
(when Bitcoin hit an all-time high), your investment would have been worth
between $204,000 and $272,000.
Is this enough to win you your financial freedom? Probably not.
However, it would certainly ease some of the strain of having to work for a
living.
With this kind of capital, you have increased opportunities to meet your
need for freedom and meaning. You could take a year, or even three years,
off from your current job and give yourself a worry-free runway to make a
living from one of your passions. Or, you could scale back to part-time
work and pursue other avenues with your increased free time.
All of this is possible from just one simple investment. Furthermore,
you didn’t have to wait decades to reap the rewards.
10x or 20x’ing your money in this fashion doesn’t require you to be a
genius. The opportunities are out there. They do exist.
To take advantage of them, you need to be investment minded (on the
lookout for great companies or ideas to invest in), willing to put time into
researching these companies or ideas and brave enough to take a risk. Any
rebel can adopt this mindset and apply this formula.
Investing in Amazon was a similar opportunity. When did people first
know that Amazon was going to take over the internet and become the
largest company in the world? Probably not in May 1997 when they IPO’d
at a price of $18 per share.
Fast forward to the start of 2013, though, and it wouldn’t have taken a
genius to see Amazon’s potential. They’d been established for almost 20
years, had survived the dot.com bubble being burst and had been slowly
increasing the range of products they sold. Things were looking up and yet
you could buy stock in their company for just $260 per share. Had you done
this and held your investment for just eight and a half years (until July 2021
when Amazon stock prices hit an all-time high of $3731 per share), you’d
have roughly 14x’d your initial investment. There is money to be made that
could change your life, or at least significantly improve it, through making
sound investments into great companies, and good ideas, and you don’t
need prescient vision to be successful.

An electric investment
Back in June of 2016, I invested in Tesla. I’d always been fascinated by
investing in stocks but, up until this point, had been reticent because of the
unethical record of so many major companies and corporations. Tesla, in
contrast, seemed like a refreshing change. It appeared they cared about
reducing the auto industry’s reliance on fossil fuels and providing a more
environmentally friendly alternative.
When researching the company, I came to the conclusion that Tesla’s
outlook was bright. They had a charismatic CEO (a factor not to be
dismissed after taking note of Steve Job’s positive impact on Apple’s stock
market price), a diversified range of products (not just the cars but also the
production of lithium-ion batteries) and the trend was on their side (the
problem of climate change was only going to grow and they offered a
partial solution).
Weighed against these factors was the reality that, at the time, Tesla
wasn’t making a profit. Every year, the company operated at a loss (and
would continue to do so until 2020). In 2016, the ideas and the intentions
were great but the reality was bleak. I was investing in a company that
might not exist in 5 years.
Fortunately, though, it did. Not only that, it was thriving in a way I
would have been unable to predict. When Tesla hit an all-time high of
approximately $1200 per share (November 2021, before the stock split of
August 2022), I had close to 30x’d my initial investment (I bought in at
around $40 per share). My £5000 was now worth £150,000.
My Tesla investment helped me take a step towards financial freedom.
Furthermore, I don’t consider myself a genius for identifying this
opportunity. Tesla was relatively well-known in 2016, either to people who
took an interest in fossil fuel alternatives or those drawn to the company by
its headline-grabbing CEO. Added to that, the trend towards products using
renewable energy sources was obvious. Climate change presented too much
of a problem to be continually ignored (even though governments and
major corporations have done their best to do so). To my mind, anyone
should have been able to see the potential in Tesla.
Even if you missed the chance to 10x or 20x your money through Tesla,
Amazon or Bitcoin (and maybe you can still 10x your investment with
Bitcoin – at the time of writing, its value has taken a significant dip), you
shouldn’t be disappointed. Throughout history, new companies and ideas
have always emerged and people have won their financial freedom through
identifying and then investing in them.
Stay vigilant. Be aware of the new trends in society and industry. Most
importantly, look for the disruptive ideas which challenge old paradigms.
Amazon, Tesla and Bitcoin all fall into this category. Amazon
challenged the idea that a bookstore needed a physical location. Tesla
challenged the idea that a car needed to operate on fossil fuels. Bitcoin
challenged the idea that finance needed to be backed by a government and
controlled by a central bank.
Such disruptive thinking typically scares people at first. Most followers
and leaders are resistant to change. As a result, a brilliant company or idea
can, at first, be undervalued. This is an ideal time to invest. Other people
may call you crazy but, if you’ve done sufficient research, and believe in
the product, then you can invest with confidence. Eventually, the market
will awaken to the company or idea’s true value and you’ll get rich off
being one of the first to buy in.

Tips from the world’s greatest investor

All forms of investment carry a risk, stocks and crypto more so than others.
Don’t let the examples of Amazon, Tesla and Bitcoin deceive you into
thinking 10x’ing or 20x’ing your money is a regular occurrence. It’s not. In
fact, it’s easier to lose money investing in individual stocks, and crypto,
than it is to make a profit. This is why, if you decide to follow this
approach, you need a set of guiding principles and a strong mindset.
Warren Buffett is known as one of history’s greatest investors. He’s
been the world’s richest man at various times throughout his life and the
fund he started in 1956, with just $105,000, has grown to an astounding
$701 billion (in 2022). He lives and breathes investing and, at the age of 92,
is still going strong.
Many fascinating books have been written about Buffett. In 1997,
Roger Lowenstein wrote a biography on the famous investor titled, Buffett.
Also in 1997, Lawrence Cunningham edited and organised the many
newsletters Buffett writes (to investors in his holding company, Berkshire
Hathaway) in a book titled, The Essays of Warren Buffett. Delving into
these two volumes, you can learn some of the best advice on how to
approach investing and what you should and shouldn’t do.
If you are going to use stocks or cryptocurrency as your one (or more)
investment outside of a pension, do not approach them with a “get rich
quick” mentality. In recent times, many investors have been drawn to
cryptocurrency and the promise of 10x’ing their money in as little as six
months. The bull run of early, and then late, 2021 saw dramatic price
increases and offered the exciting possibility of easy money. If you’d
entered and exited the market at the right time, it’s possible you could have
realised this promise. However, the bull run ended and a precipitous drop
followed.
If you’d invested near the top, thinking the good times would keep
coming and you’d make a great return in a matter of months, you’d have
regretted your greed. However, if you follow Buffett’s approach to
investing, this mistake would never have occurred.
Buffett is famous for saying, “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10
years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes.” A rebel shouldn’t
use investing as a means to make a quick buck. This is a medium, to long-
term, approach to financial freedom. It’s not about making $10,000 in the
space of a few months because the market happens to be hot. It’s about
investing in a company, or idea, because you believe in them, or it, and
sticking with this company, or idea, until its maturation (and even then, you
may still want to continue holding a portion of your stocks or coins). Any
rebel wanting to get in and out quickly is playing a risky game. You may
win once, but what if this victory is followed by three defeats?
To help you curb a tendency to invest too quickly, and too frequently,
Buffett advises you to imagine the stock market (this advice can also be
applied to cryptocurrencies) as a punch card. You only have twenty holes
(twenty investments) on this card and, once you’ve punched them all, you
can’t get a replacement.
If you were limited to twenty (or maybe less) investments across your
entire lifetime, you would be selective about your decisions. You wouldn’t
rush in, being swayed by market sentiments, or a fear of missing out, and
it’s unlikely you’d invest with the intention of selling a few months later.
Instead, you’d research each investment thoroughly and only take action
when you were absolutely certain.
Buffet has even gone on record saying he’ll, “settle for one good idea a
year,” when it comes to investing. Reading such a statement may cause you
confusion. You probably thought the world’s greatest investor made
hundreds of acquisitions a year and hungrily sought to increase his
portfolio. However, Buffett values quality over quantity.
You should follow a similar approach. Sometimes the best decision is
not to invest. This way, you can’t lose any of the money you worked so hard
to earn and sacrificed to save. Furthermore, you’ll keep your war chest full,
ready to be unleashed on the right opportunity.
How will you identify such an opportunity? Buffett advises investing in
companies (or projects/coins if you’re investing in cryptocurrency – not that
Buffett is a fan but I am) you believe in rather than diversifying or trying to
time the market.
Don’t think of your investment as a means to make money. Instead, tell
yourself you’ve become a part owner in a business (technically you have).
You wouldn’t want to own something you planned to get rid of in a week or
a month’s time. Instead, because you believe in the company, or project,
you would want to support it by keeping your money invested and, perhaps,
if the price was right, acquiring more shares or coins.
Peter Lynch, the author of One Up on Wall Street and former manager
of the world’s best performing mutual fund - the Magellan Fund – echoes
these thoughts when writing, “I don’t believe in predicting markets. I
believe in buying great companies.”
How will you know the right time to invest? While it’s almost
impossible to time the market - buying at the bottom and selling at the peak
- you would do well to listen to Buffett’s advice on when to place your
investments. He once remarked,
I will tell you the secret of getting rich on Wall Street . . .You try to be greedy when
others are fearful and you try to be very fearful when others are greedy.
Block out the hype. When everybody is going crazy about a company, or a
coin, and the price is rising dramatically, you should probably avoid
investing (it could be about to reach its peak). However, during or after a
crash, when everyone is certain a sector or, the economy in general, will
never recover, you might find some excellent companies or coins at a highly
discounted price.

Turning stocks into property

Any discussion of investing as a means to winning your financial freedom
wouldn’t be complete without mentioning property. Historically, this is far
safer form of investment than buying stocks or, more recently,
cryptocurrency. The stock market can lose 30% to 50% of its value in a
matter of days. However, this rarely, if ever, occurs to the housing market.
Of course, the barrier to entry is higher. It’s likely you’ll need a large
deposit to secure the purchase. However, once you own property, the
potential for wealth generation is stable and consistent.
Andrew McLean and Gary Eldred, authors of the best-selling book,
Investing in Real Estate, tell their readers,
Selectively acquire just four or five rental properties (residential or commercial) and you
will build an income for life – a monthly cash flow that will generously finance the
quality of life you’d like to enjoy.[23]
While four or five rental properties might be ideal, owning just one or two
would still provide you with a solid, additional monthly income.
Remember, you might not need complete financial freedom to improve your
quality of life. Some extra help each month might be enough for you to
scale back to part-time hours and free up time to work on your passion.
Your fledgling property empire could be funded through successful
stock, or cryptocurrency, investments. 10x or 20x your money with one
company, and one coin, and you might have enough to buy two properties,
either outright, or with a small mortgage (the success I experienced with my
Tesla investment would have provided enough capital to buy a rental
property without any mortgage and make an 8% yield from this
investment). Is it unreasonable to assume that, over the course of a decade,
you could do the same?
Probably not. Using the examples from the previous section, you could
have bought stock in Amazon in 2013, Tesla in 2016 and some Bitcoins in
2017 and, by 2021, be sitting on around half a million dollars which you
could then invest in property. The opportunities are out there. Don’t let fear
or ignorance blind you to their existence.
Of course, being successful at investing, just like any other skill you
might learn, takes time. Expect to make mistakes and have to regroup after
failures. However, the prospect of this occurring, and the commitment
needed to become a successful investor, shouldn’t put you off.
Ten years from now, your life could be drastically changed by a handful
of wise investments. From there, greater freedom (from the need to work a
job you don’t enjoy), happiness and the potential to make a meaningful
contribution to the world (by committing more time to your passion), will
be within your grasp.
Summary of Step 6: Make at least 1 investment outside of a pension
• Your goal is to achieve financial freedom, or significantly reduce
the burden of having to work for a living, in the next 10 to 20 years.
This can be achieved either by successfully monetising your passion
or successfully investing in stocks, cryptocurrency, property,
commodities, starts ups, bonds and more.
• Break free from the “saving for retirement” mindset and get
comfortable with the idea of taking calculated risks with your money.
While there’s nothing wrong with having a pension, if it’s your sole
form of investment, you’re limiting your options for freedom.
• If you have little interest in learning about different investments, or
are concerned about taking risks with your money, then investing
(and then reinvesting) in an EFT that tracks the S&P 500 (or any
other Index Fund) could be your best option for Step 6. While you
might have to wait longer than 20 years to achieve partial, or
complete, financial freedom, history indicates your money will
almost certainly grow with this type of investment.
• When searching for companies or cryptocurrencies to invest in, look
for the ones you believe in, research them thoroughly and buy when
they still have room to grow. Don’t rush into any investment, no
matter how much hype is surrounding the company or coin, and be
prepared to remain invested for many years to come.
• Taking profits from your index fund, stock or cryptocurrency
investments and using them to purchase rental properties, is a great
way of providing yourself with a stable, monthly income. Make it
your goal to acquire between 3 to 5 of these properties, over a 20-
year period, and it’s almost certain you’ll never have to work an
uninspiring job again.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 7: MAKE TIME FOR OTHER PEOPLE

Every rebel has two main drives, the drive for freedom and the drive for
meaning. However, there’s also a third drive which, up until this point,
hasn’t been mentioned.
Despite a rebel’s outsider status, every one of them has a need for
connection. A rebel wants to feel close to other people and experience a
sense of community. Furthermore, they want to feel love in all its forms and
enjoy the warmth of a happy family.
A rebel also wants to be understood. Although they can appear aloof,
rebels have a deep need for their experience and insights to be heard. They
don’t want to feel isolated, ignored and alone (which can be an all-too-
common experience).
Of course, the need for connection isn’t exclusive to the rebel. It’s a
human need. The leader and follower also share this drive. We all want to
be liked, valued and accepted for who we are. However, despite all three
personality types sharing this drive, the leader and follower, at least on the
surface, appear to meet this need far more easily.

The freedom and meaning trap

The rebel finds themselves in an unenviable position. Because their need
for freedom and meaning clashes with the superficiality and conformity
promoted by society, they often find themselves on the periphery of their
peer group.
From this position, it’s easy to feel disconnected and that life is
pointless. In a world designed for leaders and followers, a rebel often feels
they have little to offer and no place to go. They struggle to find connection
when living on society’s terms. Unless they can live a life true to their
nature, the relationships and friendships they form can feel inauthentic and
forced. As a result, there’s a tendency for rebels to lean into their other two
needs – freedom and meaning – overcompensating with them to fill a void.
This is a trap of which you must be aware. Although freedom and
meaning are fundamental to your happiness, they can’t be pursued at the
expense of your need for connection. If you do, a piece of the puzzle will be
missing. Yes, you’ll have a life full of inspiring work, an important goal to
pursue and if you become financially free, control over how you spend your
time. However, without meeting your need for connection, this success
could feel empty.
Of course, no rebel intentionally makes this sacrifice. At the outset, you
might be determined to maintain or build important relationships. However,
as you embark on your journey to become a successful rebel, you’ll be
subjected to forces influencing your outlook, making it all too easy to
ignore your need for connection.
One of these forces is finding yourself in a “success bubble.” The
podcasts you listen to, the videos you watch and the conferences you attend,
all espouse the same message. To be successful as an entrepreneur or
creator, you have to put a crazy amount of effort into your business or
project and work every hour at your disposal.
Take Patrick Bet-David, for example. This multimillionaire business
owner, entrepreneur and creator of the YouTube channel Valuetainment,
said the following in his How to REALLY become a Millionaire video,
Let’s talk about work ethic. You’ve got three levels.
Level number 1 is a part-timer. If you work 40 hours a week, as an entrepreneur, to me,
you’re a part-timer. I know in the full-time world, in the job world, if you work 9 to 5,
you’re a full-timer but, as an entrepreneur, 40 hours a week, you’re not giving yourself a
chance to make it.
Level number 2 is a full-timer. A full-timer, to me, as an entrepreneur, is somebody that
works 60 hours a week. That, to me, is a full-timer.
Now, level 3, I call it the all-the-timer. An all-the-timer is 80 hours a week. And I know,
a lot of the times people may turn off the video right now because you may say, “80? Is
he out of his mind? Is he crazy? He must be nuts?” This isn’t a video for everybody to
watch. This is if you want to know what it takes to become a millionaire and a
decamillionaire.[24]
This is the type of message you’re going to hear again and again. You may
believe that, to create your life of freedom and meaning, you’re going to
have to heed this advice. However, if you act on these words, you’re
overlooking the detrimental impact it will have on other areas of your life.
Work 80 hours a week on a business, mastering a skill, or creating your
art, and you’ll have little time for anything else other than eating, bathing
and sleeping. Friendships, relationships and family connections will wane,
or die, because all your time is taken up trying to achieve something you
hope will bring freedom and meaning into your life.
Beware such advice. Of course, these gurus and thought leaders are not
wrong in their assessment of what it takes to become successful as an
entrepreneur or creator, but you have to ask yourself at what cost? Is your
“success” worth your health, your enjoyment and the few connections you
have with other people?
Instead of following this approach, you’ll need to find a balance. Yes,
you’ll have to work hard and the hours could get long. However, you’ll
have to be efficient with your time management and ensure you’re
protecting your need for connection.
Working 40 hours a week will be a minimum (and this could be a
combination of working a day job, freelancing, side hustling and working
on your passion). 60 hours a week will be reserved for the times when
you’re exceptionally busy. 80 hours a week will never be reached, apart
from on the rare occasions when you have an important deadline to meet.
This is a much healthier standard. It’ll protect both your need for
connection and your well-being.

Another factor you must consider when attempting to meet your need for
connection is that it could be the hardest of your drives to attain. Forming
bonds with other people in a world that seems alien is never easy. You find
it hard to relate to leaders and followers (and hard to find fellow rebels) as
all the activities they appear to enjoy, or issues they care about, seem boring
or superficial.
This might leave you confused. How do you meet your need for
connection? There’s no self-help manual for how a rebel should make
friends and build relationships.
As a result, you sideline your need for connection, which might feel too
awkward and uncomfortable to actively pursue. Instead, you tell yourself
it’s easier to work on this need after you’ve become successful.
Again, this would be a mistake. What happens if you reach the
mountaintop and discover it’s you, alone, at the pinnacle with no one else
around to enjoy the moment? Yes, people are now going to respect you and
find you interesting, but what if they’re only attracted to you because of
your success?
Ironically, despite working so hard to change your life, you still don’t
receive the connection you desire. All you attract is superficial people who
claim to love you because you’ve got a blue tick on social media and
millions in the bank. Building connection after you’ve become successful
might be more difficult than you imagine.
For this reason, you must remain vigilant. As you begin your journey to
becoming a successful rebel, you must frequently take stock of your
relationships and assess their strength.
• How is your bond with your parents?
• Is the passion still present in your relationship/marriage?
• Are you experiencing the magical feeling of being “in love”?
• Do you spend enough quality time with your children?
• Do you feel a sense of joint purpose and comradery with your
friends?
These are the questions you must ask and, if you’re found wanting with any
of the answers, there’s a simple step you can take to improve your
connection.

Human first, rebel second

You can’t force a connection with another person. On rare occasions, you
might meet someone with whom you just “click.” Also, it’s true that the
more you listen to your heart (Step 2), the greater the likelihood of meeting
people on the same wavelength as you. However, putting these two
experiences aside, what can you do to increase the level of connection in
your life?
There’s one simple step every rebel can take to meet their need for
connection – make time for other people. That’s it. There’s no great mystery
surrounding Step 7. Just make sure you don’t get so caught up in Step 1
(Create your own world but don’t get lost in it) that you forget to sustain, or
build, important relationships in your life.
If someone invites you out for a drink or to a party then go. If there’s a
family gathering at the weekend, then make sure you attend. Visit your
grandparents, or parents, and offer to help them with something they need
doing. Help your brother or sister out by looking after your nieces and
nephews for the day. Go with your friend to their launch event and support
them. Be there to listen to a friend, either on the phone or in person, when
they’re struggling and having a hard time. Clear your schedule and set an
entire day or weekend aside to spend quality time with your
girlfriend/boyfriend or husband/wife. Be brave and organise a social
gathering by yourself. Invite friends over to watch the big game. Set time
aside every weekend so you can teach your children a skill.
All of these activities and occasions may seem basic but there’s power
in making time for other people. It lets them know that, despite you being
busy, they’re important to you and you’re prepared to prioritise being with
them.

Step 7 is so powerful it even works when forming relationships with leaders

and followers. While they may struggle to understand your rebellious ways,
they’ll appreciate you making time for them and, as a result, will look
beyond the surface level differences you may have.
There’s an important point to remember when forming relationships,
and friendships, with the three different personality types. While the
categories are a useful way of understanding your drives, purpose and the
role to which you’d be best suited, there’s a deeper level on which all
humanity operates. We are people first, rebels, leaders, followers, introverts,
extroverts, alphas, betas, blacks, whites, Americans, Russians, Muslims,
Christians etc, second. No classification, race or religion can claim to be
better than the other. There are good leaders and bad rebels, just the same as
there are good Russians and bad Americans. This is why a good person who
happens to be a rebel can be friends with, or have relationships with, a good
person who happens to be a follower. They connect because they recognise
the good in each other.
This can be a confusing concept for some rebels to grasp. Rebels, more
than any other personality type, can be wary of other people. They’re so
used to being ignored or disappointed; it makes them suspicious that any
good can come out of social interactions.
Even worse, a rebel who has spent too long on their own, or been
rejected by others, can turn bitter and begin to hate the world. This is a
place you don’t want to be. A rebel with hate in his or her heart can be a
destructive force, seeking revenge on a world that they feel has turned them
into a pariah.
Adolf Hitler is perhaps the best example of a rebel gone wrong. Deeply
patriotic, he felt humiliated by the terms of the armistice agreement
Germany signed at the end of World War One. To his mind, everyone – the
Jews, the western powers, the communists and the weak German
politicians, leaders and bureaucrats (who agreed to the terms of the peace
treaty) – was out to get him and his people. He despised the world for
everything it had done to him. (He also failed as an artist in his younger
years and this, no doubt, added to the feelings of rejection and bitterness he
experienced.)
With hate in his heart, he set out on a mission to rebuild Germany
according to his now twisted vision. The people he believed were
responsible for his, and his country’s rejection and humiliation, would
become the target for an entire nation’s anger. Unfortunately, he was
successful in his mission and the destruction that followed will fill history
books for centuries to come.
Let Hitler’s example stand as a testament to how, as a rebel, you should
never allow hatred to take root in your heart. Although extreme, it reveals
that nothing positive can come from blaming the world for your
predicament.
Instead, you must channel your hurt, humiliation and heartache into
something positive. Every rejection you receive should make you more
determined to succeed. The more horrible the world is to you, the kinder
and more giving you become.
Marcus Aurelius, the ancient Roman Emperor, summarises this outlook
brilliantly in his book, Meditations. He writes,
What if someone despises me? Let them see to it. But I will see to it that I won’t be
found doing or saying anything contemptible. What if someone hates me? Let them see
to that. But I will see to it that I’m kind and good-natured to all, and prepared to show
even the hater where they were wrong. Not in a critical way, or to show off my patience,
but genuinely and usefully.[25]
Of course, there are negative environments and people a rebel would do
well to avoid. Small-minded followers and egotistical leaders are never
going to be on your Christmas card list. Don’t waste time with people who
drain your energy. Walk away and focus on Step 1 (Create your own world
but don’t get lost in it). Do this and, eventually, your positivity and
willingness to make time for others will attract the right people into your
life.
Finally, although there will be every temptation to do so, don’t make the
mistake of thinking you can go it alone. The Genwell Project, a global
human connection movement founded in 2016, investigated numerous
studies into the health effects of isolation. They discovered that a
breakdown in your important relationships leads to a 50% increase in the
chances of dementia, a 29% increase in the risk of heart disease and higher
rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. Conversely, strong social ties are
the greatest indicator of happiness and increase your chances of living
longer by 50%.[26]

An abundance of time
Step 7 may sound like a simple directive, requiring little planning or
thought to fulfil. However, the reality could be different with your time
being occupied by a job, a side hustle, freelancing, working on your
passion, researching investments, finding time to exercise and 101 other
little tasks that keep life ticking over.
As a result, setting aside the time needed to maintain meaningful
relationships is something you’ll have to go out of your way to do. Here are
two options to help;
1. Set up a clearly defined schedule so you manage your time
efficiently.
2. Adjust your mindset so you give yourself the feeling of having
more time.
On the surface, having a clearly defined schedule may appear to contradict
everything a freedom loving rebel stands for. It kills spontaneity and leaves
little room for exploration. However, when you understand the deeper
purpose of a schedule, you’ll begin to realise it actually supports your need
for freedom.
Time is the resource you’ll leverage to become a successful rebel. Its
correct use (i.e., using your free time to work on your passion and research
investments, avoiding wasting time on activities that don’t improve you and
freeing yourself from addictive behaviours) will see you become the
greatest version of yourself as quickly as possible.
How do maximise the use of your time? Become accountable to a
schedule. This way, at all times, you know what you should be doing and
when. Ironically, these self-imposed boundaries keep you on track to living
a life of freedom.
With this point understood, the question of what your schedule should
include must be addressed. The answer is everything. Allocate time for
when you’ll work on your passion, a job, a side hustle, freelance work,
partake in hobbies or exercise, do your housework and chores, have some
down time and, of course, set time aside for socialising and seeing friends
and loved ones.
This schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone. There’s room for
flexibility, defying it on occasions and reworking it when your situation
changes. However, the concept of knowing what you’re doing with your
time, and when, remains fundamental to making the time needed to
maintain your important relationships and meet your need for connection.
For inspiration, learn from the schedule created by website developer
and coding instructor, Beau Carnes. He makes videos on the YouTube
channel, FreeCodeCamp.org, teaching a subscriber base of over 5 million
the skills needed to become a coder. However, before Beau became
successful at making a living from his passion, he was a busy school
teacher, husband and father.
To make the transition to website developer and coding instructor, Beau
decided he needed a second degree and five extra developer certifications.
Typically, gaining these qualifications, especially while working full-time
and looking after a family, would require at least 3 years of study or more.
However, Beau set himself the extraordinary task of accomplishing all of
this in just one year.
This monumental feat could only be achieved by adhering to a strict
schedule. Beau shares his in an article on Medium (How I got a second
degree and earned 5 developer certifications in just one year, while working
and raising 2 kids) where the reader can see, in a fashion similar to a school
timetable, how he allocated his time.
There are time blocks for teaching, studying for his degree and
certifications, volunteering in a local church, household chores and, notably,
time spent with his wife and children. In total, Beau spent 45 hours a week
at his teaching job (likely, including travel time and lunchbreak) and 20
hours a week studying. Alongside this, he also spent approximately 21
hours a week on his important relationships (this included family time with
his kids, dates with his wife and time spent with friends). Each day, there
was a marked slot for when he would do this and by sticking to this
schedule, he made time for other people while working towards making a
living from his passion.

Beau’s method is merely a suggestion and far from compulsory. If you think
a schedule sounds too regimented then the other option for practising Step 7
is to change your mindset.
It’s likely, at present, you feel overwhelmed. Even if you weren’t busy
before reading this book (which is unlikely), the demands that Step 3 to 6
place on your time could make you feel rushed and as if there isn’t enough
time in the week for everything you need to do. As a result, a feeling of
dread may wash over you anytime a friend or loved one suggests meeting
up.
“How am I going to fit it all in?” you’ll ask yourself. You may want to
spend time with them but you know doing so will set you back another day
on an already overloaded schedule. So, you decline and this begins a pattern
of turning down social invitations and avoiding people you care about.
The consequences of this action have already been discussed. It’s not
something you want to do. However, how will you counter this feeling of
being totally overwhelmed?
At this point, you need a mindset shift. Start telling yourself, “I have all
the time I need to work on the projects, and see the people, that are
important to me.” Repeat this anytime you feel overwhelmed. At first, it
may seem pointless and ineffective. However, continue with this practise
and you’ll retrain your subconscious mind.
After a few weeks, you’ll begin to react differently to previous stressors.
The next time a friend asks you to do something on a Sunday you won’t
automatically think, “But I’d planned to work 5 hours on my project that
day. I’m never going to make any progress at this rate.” Instead, you’ll
remember you have enough time for all the things that are important to you
and, with your friend being important to you, you’ll be more than happy to
meet. Furthermore, you’ll be calm about this decision, knowing you can
make up the “lost” time working on your passion at a later date.
Remember, the more overwhelmed you feel when trying to achieve
your goals, the less likely they are to occur. Overwhelm leads to panic and
it’s impossible to be clear headed, stay inspired and make good decisions
while in this state. Instead, adopt a relaxed belief. Yes, you’re going to work
as hard as can to be successful but you’re not going to stress about it or
worry about a lack of time. Instead, tell yourself you have an abundance of
time and everything that’s important to you will be done in its correct order.
Whichever option you choose – schedule or mindset – remain conscious
of your need for connection. Don’t let too many weeks pass where you’re
on your own and with little human contact. Reach out to someone, help
someone out, support a friend or spend a whole day playing with your kids.
The happiness and relaxation this brings will make you far more effective
when you do resume your work.

Bowling alone
In the year 2000, Robert Putnam wrote a book about the decline of social
capital and the breakdown of communities in America. One area he focused
on was bowling leagues (the book is called, Bowling Alone). Putnam
revealed that, since the 1950s, participation in this American tradition had
sharply declined and, although people were still bowling, they were doing
so alone or in smaller groups.
This, he points out, is a small example of a wider trend. Over the course
of many millennia, we’ve moved away from our tribal and community roots
into increasingly smaller and more isolated units. Our World in Data
recently conducted research into the proportion of people living in single
person households. After investigating various sources (Demographic and
Health Surveys, Eurostat, Demographic Year Books), it revealed some
shocking statistics. In almost all regions of the world, barring low-income
south Asian countries, more and more people are living on their own. Japan,
for example, has seen a rise in one person households from 16.51% of total
dwellings in 1960, to 35.53% in 2015. America has followed a similar
trend. Their numbers show a movement from 13.10% in 1960, to 28.01% in
2018.[27]
Putnam blames this trend, in part, on the rapid advances in technology
seen in the latter 20th and early 21st century. Instead of meeting other people
in a community, church or organised settings, we’re spending more time on
our own watching Netflix, playing video games, on Zoom calls and using
apps to arrange dates.
For rebels, this is a worrying trend. It’s the backdrop against which you
must seek to protect your need for connection. At each turn, you’re going to
be given every reason, and excuse, to isolate yourself from other people.
Society will encourage it, your desire for freedom and meaning will seem to
necessitate it, entrepreneurial gurus are going to recommend it and a
perceived lack of time is going to require it. However, you must fight back
against all of these forces.
A rebel’s role, whether on a large or small scale, is to change some
aspect of the way society thinks and operates. It would appear that, of all
the areas in need of change, the way we connect and relate to each other is
one of the most important. Friendships, families and communities are
breaking down. Ironically, it might fall on the rebel’s shoulders to find a
solution to this problem and bring us all closer together.

Summary of Step 7: Make time for other people

• The rebel’s third drive – the need for connection – is just as
important as the first two. However, in your pursuit of a free and
meaningful life, you may be tempted to ignore this need.
• The foundation for building connection is making time for other
people. Never get so busy, or anxious for success, that you can’t
support a friend, or family member, or take a day off to spend with
your partner or kids.
• No matter how much you despise the way the world works, or how
much rejection you experience, you can’t allow hate to take root in
your heart. Instead, you must transform the negative energy you
receive into something positive and be a force for good in the world.
• You’ll have to go out of your way to make time for other people. To
do this, consider adopting a schedule that blocks off time to be spent
with the important people in your life or change your mindset so that
you never feel too overwhelmed to visit a friend or go on a date.
• Be aware that society will encourage you to act on an already
existing tendency towards isolation. It can’t become normal that
you’re living and spending most of your time alone.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 8: ONLY GET MARRIED IF YOU’RE
ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, CERTAIN
IT’S GOING TO WORK

“If I follow the inclination of my nature, it is this: beggar woman and

single, far rather than queen and married.”
- Queen Elizabeth I

Why did one of England’s greatest monarchs feel this way?

When Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1558, she had two main goals.
The first was to avoid war and the second was to avoid marriage. As a
woman, she was in a precarious position. These were not modern times. A
female ruler’s power could easily be usurped by a male counterpart,
regardless of her bloodline. If she took a husband, there was every chance
the court and parliament would have listened to the King, leaving her
sidelined and possibly under his control.
Despite her aversion to marriage though, for the sake of royal protocol
Elizabeth I had to appear to take the idea seriously. She had various suitors
throughout the earlier years of her 45-year reign. Men were strung along
and used to secure alliances and treaties but, once their usefulness had
expired, the liaisons were ended. Above everything else, Elizabeth I wanted
to preserve her independence and power.
Why was this so important to the Queen? Without knowing the inner
workings of her mind, it’s difficult to tell. However, what’s clear is that she
sacrificed greatly to maintain her independence.
Elizabeth I never had any children. Not only did she miss out on the
chance to continue her legacy, we can assume she denied her maternal
instincts by refusing to get married and produce an heir. Furthermore, any
relationships she had with a man (Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, was
rumoured to be a genuine love interest), would have been bound to secrecy.
Living this way must have taken its toll on her happiness and yet
Elizabeth decided it was more agreeable than marriage. Why?
Probably because marriage would have signalled an end to her dreams.
She wanted to be independent and govern according to her ideals and
agenda. This was her greatest life. The alternative - a life where she had
children, a title and privilege, but was beholden to others - was inferior.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just the prospect of losing power that made
Elizabeth I feel this way. Her preference for being single and a beggar (see
opening quote), over being married and a queen, indicates there was
something she valued even more highly.
Could it have been freedom? It seems plausible. She wanted to
determine the direction of her life and no man was going to prevent her
from doing so. Remaining the Virgin Queen was an acceptable price to pay.

Wedded bliss?
How far would you go to protect your freedom?
Steps 1 through 7 have discussed, and brought greater awareness, to a
rebel’s three main drives. Each has built on the one before, providing you
with the complete picture on how to become a successful and happy rebel.
However, while this knowledge is complete, it doesn’t mention two major
traps of which every rebel must be aware.
These traps have the potential to sabotage all your hard work and lay
waste to your plans for securing a life of freedom, meaning and connection.
For this reason, you should pay close attention to Steps 8 and 9. They won’t
tell you what to do, but they will warn you about what avoid.
One such potential trap is marrying the wrong person. Although
marriage is viewed as a rite of passage to becoming both a self-actualised
person, and a respected member of society, the consequences of it failing
are disastrous for the rebel aiming to live a life of freedom.
As of 2018, almost 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce (for first
time marriages, this statistic is 41%).[28] In the UK, the percentage of
marriages ending in divorce over the last 50 years was 33.3% (largely due
to the lower divorce rates in the late 60s and throughout the 70s – at that
time, there was still a strong social stigma attached to divorce and, as a
result, couples were more likely to stay in an unhappy marriage). However,
for those marrying in the late 80s, divorce rates rose to 43.6% in the UK.[29]
These statistics alone are cause for concern. They indicate that, despite
the institution of marriage being held in such high regard by society, nearly
one in two marriages fail.
The news gets worse, though, when you look into happiness and
fulfilment levels amongst the couples that remain married. Relationship
counsellor and bestselling author of the book, Men are from Mars, Women
are from Venus, John Gray had this to say about the success of marriages,
Each year, millions of couples join together in love and then painfully separate because
they have lost that loving feeling. From those that are able to sustain love long enough to
get married, only 50 percent stay married. Out of those who stay together, possibly
another 50 percent are not fulfilled.[30]
Gray arrived at this estimate after questioning more than 25,000 participants
in the relationship seminars he used to run. He knows there are many
factors other than love, and a happy relationship, that cause married couples
to stay together.
Some people are religious and don’t want to break their vows. Others,
understandably, fear the consequences of divorce. Some fear starting over
and would rather stick with what they know even though it isn’t bringing
them the happiness they desire. Loyalty drives other people. They’ve long
since lost the feeling of being “in love” but they don’t want to hurt their
partner by leaving them.
Although Gray’s assessment is an estimate (albeit an educated one), a
2018 survey by Mumsnet, in association with Relate, seems to corroborate
his thoughts. This survey revealed that 29% of couples experience a sexless
marriage.[31] Of course, sex isn’t necessarily the pinnacle of a relationship
and couples can be happy without it, but its absence is indicative of lost
passion and intimacy. (Furthermore, a sexless marriage wasn’t always a
direct result of age as 25% of couples in their 30s fell into this category.)
What do all of these statistics mean?
Unfortunately, if you decide to get married, statistically speaking,
there’s a 75% chance it’s not going to lead to the love, happiness and
connection you desire. When you consider the dream society sells us about
marriage, this is shocking. Despite the euphoria at weddings, and the
pressure we all feel to achieve this status, in many cases, marriage has a
negative impact on a person’s life.
Of course, these statistics don’t apply to everyone. Some couples are
happy in their marriage. The relationship they have with their husband or
wife, and the children they raise together, are the greatest part of their life.
The occasional disagreement might occur but this is nothing compared to
the years of love, support and passion they’ve shared together.
You might be in, or could go on to have, such a marriage. I wouldn’t
want you to misunderstand the intention of Step 8. In no way is this an
attack on relationships, family or love. Instead, it’s a wake-up call. You’re
being asked to think long and hard about societal norms, and accepted
practises, and question whether they’re going to work for you.
Furthermore, and above everything else, Step 8 is a warning. As the
aforementioned statistics reveal, managing relationships isn’t easy. Our
differing personalities, drives and ethics often clash. Added to that, we no
longer live in tribes or communities. Our small, isolated family homes
provide no respite from the natural tension that often occurs when people
live in close proximity. These factors create a pressure cooker, often leading
to an explosion in a once happy relationship.
This would be ok if you could amicably end an unsalvageable
relationship and walk away. However, once you’ve signed a legally binding
agreement this option is no longer available and the government, legal
system and lawyers are going to intervene in your life to such a degree your
future freedom could be significantly curtailed.
Because of this, you have to be absolutely, unequivocally certain that
the marriage you intend to join will continue to positively add to your life
throughout the years. If there are regular doubts, any thought you might
have a better relationship with someone else (even if you haven’t met them
yet) or red flags raised by your partner’s behaviour, then you do not get
married. Here’s why.

The consequences of divorce

The consequences of an unhappy marriage are far reaching and, possibly,
one of the greatest threats to you experiencing the free, meaningful life that
every rebel desires. If your marriage becomes irrevocably damaged, you’ll
be faced with one of two options. You either;
• Put up with the lack of harmony in your relationship, ignore your
issues and differences, and settle for an unhappy marriage.
• Decide to end the marriage by separating then getting divorced.
If you decide to ignore your issues and stay in an inharmonious marriage,
you could be facing the slow and steady decline of your vitality. Living in
an environment where little happiness is expressed, acts of kindness are
forced rather than naturally forthcoming and underlying tension is ever
present, could easily lead to depression, premature ageing and prevent you
from experiencing love again.
If you decide to get divorced, social stigma (albeit reduced in
comparison to previous decades), emotional upheaval, the depletion of your
finances and the prospect of starting over await. How does a court battle,
lawyer fees, a financially debilitating settlement and limited access to your
children sound to you?
In episode 1413 of the Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan and the
comedian, Bill Maher, discuss this predicament. Maher has never been
married and candidly confesses to Rogan that he doesn’t understand the
concept. Rogan is married (and appears to be happily so), but he’s open to
Maher’s point of view. As the two converse, they discuss the experiences of
friends who’ve been trapped in bad marriages or gone through a divorce.
JR: Well, I had a friend who got divorced and, no family, no children, and it dragged on
for more than 3 years and even though they came to some sort of conclusion, he was
paying for his wife’s lawyer. I go, “it’s like you’re paying for the general of an army
that’s trying to kill you.”
BM: You’re paying for someone to fuck you in the ass.
JR: It broke him. You could feel it and see it in his body.
BM: I have seen so many men broken by it. Every time somebody says, when they get a
horrible disease like cancer, “I couldn’t have got through it without my wife.” I always
think, “yeah, and maybe she gave it to you.”
Of course, I don’t mean that literally but when you’re in a bad relationship, the stress,
we don’t know all the things that contribute to cancer but that certainly is one of them.
And then going through a divorce like that, I’ve seen people, like you say, just broken.
JR: They get wrecked. And it’s a system. The reason why the divorce laws are set up the
way they’re set up, people think, “we’re protecting women.” Horseshit. They’re doing it
so they can extract the maximum amount of money out of the male. That way, the
lawyer gets the biggest chunk they could possibly get.[32]

Of course, with two men discussing divorce, the focus is on the male
experience. Historically, they’ve been hardest hit, both financially and in
regards to child custody. However, times are changing and with an increase
in wives earning more money than their husbands, some women are also
falling foul of divorce laws.
Either way, the suffering is real. On the “Joe Rogan Experience Clips”
YouTube channel, the comments section for this episode are littered with
viewers sharing their experiences. There are over 15,000 comments in total
and, although not all negative, the overwhelming majority serve as a
warning about avoiding a dysfunctional marriage and divorce. Below is one
example,
My wife just left me after 17 years. Just decided she didn’t want to be married anymore.
The nightmare of dealing with the legal system will soon begin. Division of assets, child
support, custody. All I did was work two jobs for the last ten years to make sure we
could be middle class. What a shmuck I was.[33]
His last sentence probably captures how a lot of people feel as they
experience the breakdown of a marriage and the subsequent divorce.
Everyone knows that, initially, they had a choice. They didn’t have to get
married. Whatever unfortunate situation they now face was avoidable.
Furthermore, the red flags in their relationship, or the other person, were
probably present from close to the start. Rarely does a person’s character
and personality do a complete 180°. If you spend enough time with someone
before you marry them, and take note of their behaviour in certain situations
and environments (live with them, vacation with them, meet their family,
see how they react when something goes wrong), you should be able to
form an accurate assessment of your compatibility. The warning signs will
be there. Don’t be a shmuck and ignore them.

A dysfunctional marriage and divorce are tough on everyone. However, for

the rebel, the consequences hit twice as hard as they’re in direct conflict
with a rebel’s greatest needs.
Experience either a dysfunctional marriage or a divorce, and you’ll have
your freedom limited and your chances to live a meaningful life diminished.
Financial freedom is hard enough to achieve without any obstacles. Imagine
how difficult it would become, ten or so years into being a disciplined saver
and making profitable investments, if the value of your assets was halved
(or even more). Lawyer fees, a substantial settlement, the prospect of
having to purchase or rent another property and alimony (monthly
payments), could wipe out everything you made from investments and
make it almost impossible to save 10% to 20% of your income each year.
Can you imagine how disheartening this would be? You hate having to
work and operate within the leader’s and follower’s world. You’ve spent
many years, possibly over a decade, working yourself into a position where
you’ll be able to get out. Then, because you made a poor decision in your
personal life, you’re hamstrung in a way you could never have anticipated.
It’s sickening, and enough to make you give up on the idea of ever
being free. What’s more, any attempts to rebuild from this position are
curtailed by further financial responsibilities. Now, you might be paying for
two mortgages (or a mortgage and monthly rent) and additional
maintenance payments. As a result, you have to take on another job, or
work more hours in your present one. With this extra time commitment, the
prospect of being successful at making a living from your passion
disappears. You’re too busy trying to stay afloat to find 10 or 20 hours a
week to start a new business, or work on a new project.
It’s no exaggeration to say your dreams might be shattered by a
dysfunctional marriage or a punishing divorce. Even if you decide to stay in
the marriage, the relationship could become so draining that your
motivation wanes and you become despondent. That proud rebel who was
once ready to take on the world is now a shell of their former selves,
resigned to life never being the way they want.
If you have not yet married, or are now divorced, you are perfectly
positioned to save yourself from the possibility of falling into this trap.
Right now, you have the power. If there is something about a relationship
that unsettles you (or, like many rebels, you wonder why marriage is even
necessary), at this stage, you can refuse to make the commitment. Say, “no”
or don’t ask the question. Face the short-term pain of ending a relationship
you know isn’t right rather than the long-term suffering of a draining
marriage or a punitive divorce settlement.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Marriage, for many different
reasons, still exerts a very appealing, and persuasive, influence over even
the most rebellious of minds. You must be aware of all the factors that will
draw you towards making this commitment. They could lead you to ignore
your inner voice, even when it’s warning you there’s something seriously
wrong.

The pressure to get married

Marriage is viewed as one of the most important, if not the most important,
event in a person’s life. As children, we’re told that we will one day
experience this amazing occasion. Growing up, and well into adulthood, we
watch movies celebrating the often-rocky road to true love and wedded
bliss. While at work, and socially, our colleagues and friends seem to talk of
little else apart from who’s getting engaged and which wedding they’re
attending. There’s so much expectation, excitement and build up
surrounding marriage. As a result, it’s a status we feel unconsciously
compelled to achieve.
Society’s unofficial marriage timeline only adds to this pressure. Your
late teens and twenties are for dating and forming your first, long-term
relationships. Maybe you decide to get married by the time you’re 25. By
today’s standards, this is early but no one will object. You’ve proved
yourself a respectable, acceptable person and your parents and family can
be proud.
Hitting 30 and being unmarried is not a cause for concern. However, by
this stage, you should at least be in a long-term relationship that has the
potential to culminate in marriage or, failing that, be looking hard to
discover your future wife or husband.
If you reach 35 and still aren’t married, then alarm bells start ringing.
You’re late to the party and, although time hasn’t run out, the pressure is on.
Reach 40 and find yourself without a spouse, though, and it’s close to
being game over. You failed. Of course, there’s still a possibility you might
find the right person but, because most suitable partners around your age
are already taken, your chances of getting married are greatly reduced.
No young person, entering adulthood, could imagine this might be their
future in twenty years’ time. People who are 40 and unmarried, unless rich
and famous, are losers. There’s something wrong with them and that’s why
they haven’t been chosen by another person.
Although incorrect, such thinking creates a tremendous amount of
pressure to get married. If you’re falling foul of the unofficial marriage
timeline, you might choose to get married even if you have misgivings
about the person you’re marrying. After all, it’s better to be married, give
yourself the chance to have children and avoid the stigma of being a
bachelor or spinster, than face the prospect of getting old alone.
Even if the unofficial marriage timeline has little impact on your
thinking, it might influence the mind of the person you love. You might be
in a relationship with a leader or a follower and, although you love each
other, you have different views on marriage.
It’s important to them. They don’t want the embarrassment of constantly
explaining to their family, friends and colleagues why they aren’t married.
It makes them feel awkward. As a result, they’ll pressure you – their
rebellious partner – to do what’s socially acceptable and get married.
You love them so perhaps you will. While some part of you doesn’t
want to, viewing marriage as unnecessary, you’ll do it for them. You’ll tell
yourself the relationship won’t fail, and you can see yourself being with
them for the rest of your life, so why does it matter?
All of these factors – societal conditioning, the unofficial marriage
timeline and pressure from your partner – might influence you to get
married against your better judgement. Even though your heart might be
telling you something isn’t right, you’ll silence these misgivings for fear of
losing a relationship that’s important to you, a chance to have children and
the stamp of acceptability that’s eluded you most of your life.
Don’t be arrogant and think you’re beyond the influence of societal
conditioning. Even the strongest of individuals can doubt their inner voice
when they stand alone against the vast mass of accepted opinion. It’ll seem
so easy to cave in and go along with what your parents or partner wants.
Something inside you may object but you’ll find numerous, logical
arguments as to why this should be ignored.
Despite the pressure you may feel to get married, if you know the
relationship isn’t right, you must resist. Everyone will celebrate with you at
the wedding, rejoicing in your union and congratulating you for tying the
knot. However, it’s most likely you’ll face the hardships of divorce alone.
Head over heels in love
Don’t misinterpret Step 8. It is, in no way, an attack on love or
relationships. Falling in love could be the most wonderful experience of
your life. Getting to know someone you feel passionate about, and
discovering they feel the same about you, might dwarf any of your
achievements in the excitement and thrill it brings. Furthermore, what leads
on from the blossoming of a healthy relationship (namely, having and
raising children) might be your most rewarding life experience.
Such happiness can be found in some marriages. Of course, it can be
enjoyed independent of marriage as well, but the institution itself presents
no barrier. If you’re certain your relationship will work then go ahead and
get married. Enjoy the wedding and celebrate the love you have for each
other.
Furthermore, understand that marriage has some benefits. The
commitment involved provides the relationship with a degree of certainty
and stability. Now, when you have an argument, it’s not as easy as ending
the relationship on the spur of the moment. Without the “get out clause” of
a swift separation, you must dig deeper and breakthrough your obstacles.
Ultimately, this can lead to a stronger relationship and better people.
For these reasons, you may still want to get married. There’s nothing
wrong with this desire. However, before you take this life defining step, you
may want to search your mind and ascertain whether you have any
lingering doubts.
What degree of uncertainty is enough to stop you? Is having even the
smallest moment of doubt an indicator that marriage should be avoided?
Probably not. Grant yourself some leeway. Understand that, from time
to time, it’s only human, and sometimes healthy, to question yourself and
your relationships. However, the escalation of these doubts to a weekly
occurrence should raise a red flag.
What if you’re considering marriage because you think it might be your
last chance to have children?
This impulse is understandable, especially if you’re female and there’s a
deadline on your fertility (and even if you’re a man, you may not want to
leave it too late). You could be 35-years-old, or older, and in a relationship
with someone you like but not deeply love. Although you wouldn’t describe
them as the love of your life, you’re compatible. You’ve been with them for
a long time and it’s getting to the point where you must make a decision
about your future together.
Had you been 25 instead of 35, it’s likely you’d end the relationship.
You’d feel sad but you wouldn’t want to commit the rest of your life to
someone you didn’t feel passionate about. However, because you’re ten
years older, are worried the clock is ticking on your chances to have
children, and consider the possibility of finding someone else low, you’re
strongly considering the prospect of settling for what you’ve got.
What should you do in such a situation? Does this classify as a high
enough level of doubt to prevent you from getting married?
Even when faced with the overwhelming desire to have children, I
would advise caution if you know the relationship isn’t right. You’re
settling for second best and this could lead to regrets in years to come. At
best, the relationship might turn into an amicable friendship as you raise
your children together. At worst, frustration, caused by the lack of romance
and connection in your life, spills over into the family home, leading to a
tense environment and frequent arguments. Either way, you miss out on all
the passion and closeness of a true relationship/marriage.
What if you’re considering getting married and, to make up your mind,
you write out a list of pros and cons to help clarify your thinking? While
conducting this exercise, you find five reasons to get married and only three
against. The outcome is positive. Surely this means you should go ahead?
If you were to do this, you’d have missed the point. The fact this
decision became a cerebral exercise, as opposed to a gut response, should
act as an immediate warning. You should know your answer without having
to think it through.

In the 1998 film, Meet Joe Black, Susan, the daughter of media tycoon
William Parrish (played by Anthony Hopkins), must decide whether she’s
going to marry her long-term boyfriend Drew. The father and daughter have
a conversation about this decision while in his helicopter travelling to work.
William is keen to know how his daughter feels about Drew. He wants her
to be absolutely certain he’s right before she makes such an important
decision.
To ascertain her feelings, he asks her whether she’s in love with Drew.
When Susan doesn’t reply, her father becomes suspicious. He was looking
for some kind of excitement in her response and her evasion gives him
cause for concern.
William then challenges his daughter by telling her she should never
settle. Instead, in the dialogue below, he offers a standard by which she
should measure any romantic relationship and future husband,
I know it’s a cornball thing but love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live
without. If you don’t start with that, what are you going to end up with? I say fall head
over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who’ll love you the same way
back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart.[34]
If you love in the way William Parrish describes then you’ll have no doubt
about getting married. You’ll know everything is going to work and this’ll
give you the certainty to proceed.
If, on the other hand, you love in the way Susan loves Drew, then you
should be cautious about getting married. As William Parrish says, “If you
don’t start with that [passion], what are you going to end up with?” Most
likely regrets, underlying tension in the family home and, possibly, a visit to
the divorce court.

Believe in love
As a rebel, finding love can be tough. More than anything, you want a
person to experience the connection and understanding you’ve longed for
all your life. You might have experienced years of loneliness or a string of
failed relationships. As a result, you’re desperate for something to work.
Against such a backdrop, it can be tempting to reach for the apparent
certainty of marriage or settle for something (just anything) that will
remove the feeling of loneliness. Be wary of this impulse. It’s
understandable that you don’t want to be alone, and want to have children,
but be careful of tying yourself to the wrong person.
Open your mind to every possibility. Maybe you don’t need to get
married. If you want to have children, perhaps you can co-parent with
someone you trust and care about. Maybe you won’t be with one person for
the rest of your life. Perhaps you’ll have a string of passionate and
meaningful relationships. These last for a while but, as you both change and
grow, they ultimately end, allowing you to move in another direction
(without the crippling burden of divorce).
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to experiencing love and
relationships. If marriage was the only true path to love and happiness then
there wouldn’t be divorce rates of close to 50%. It doesn’t work for some
people and it’s ok if one of those people is you.
Above all, though, whether you get married or not, never stop believing
in love. Don’t let failed relationships (even failed marriages), and
loneliness, cause your heart to become embittered. Love wholeheartedly.
Learn from your mistakes, discover what you want from a relationship and
expect the best when entering into one. You can find, and experience, a life
enriching love.

Summary of Step 8: Only get married if you’re absolutely,

unequivocally, certain it’s going to work
• Statistically speaking, marriage is likely to have a negative impact
on your life. Don’t be naïve and assume it’s all romance and fairy
tales.
• A draining marriage and a punitive divorce are some of the worst
outcomes you could experience. However, you have complete control
over whether you put yourself in this situation and can always say no
to a marriage you’re not certain about.
• The pressure to get married is strong. Protect yourself against the
influence of societal expectations, the unofficial marriage timeline
and a partner that is desperate to get married.
• Don’t confuse caution about getting married with criticism of loving
relationships and having a family. They are not the same and the
latter could be the greatest experience of your life.
• An occasional doubt about your relationship is healthy and not
necessarily a reason to avoid marriage. However, if these doubts start
to occur on a weekly, or monthly, basis, proceed with caution.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 9: AVOID TAKING MEDICATION FOR
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Benzodiazepines are a class of drug that work by enhancing the effect of the
neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid. This transmitter
sends calming messages between the brain cells, helping to relieve
symptoms like tension, stress and anxiety (Psychiatrists frequently prescribe
different forms of Benzodiazepines for generalized anxiety disorder, social
anxiety disorder, panic disorder and insomnia). Despite coming with a
“black box warning” (the FDA’S highest level of warning), a substantial
portion of the US adult population (12.5% or 30.5 million people) takes
some form of benzodiazepine.[35]
The best-selling author and psychologist, Jordan Peterson (although,
technically, Canadian), was one of these people. He started taking a low
dosage of Xanax (one of the many types of Benzodiazepines) at the start of
2017 after experiencing an unknown illness that increased his anxiety
levels. Medical literature is quite clear on the instruction that Xanax should
not be taken for longer than 8 weeks. However, either Peterson wasn’t made
aware of the short-term nature of the treatment, or he was taking it in such
low doses he considered it harmless, and continued using the drug for the
next two years.
He justified this continuation because it coincided with the greater
notoriety he garnered after the success of his first book, 12 Rules for Life.
Visceral public attacks as a result of his views, and lectures, were common
and some groups even petitioned to have him removed from his Professorial
post at Toronto University. As a result, Peterson’s anxiety increased and he
needed the drug to help him function during this unusually stressful period.
In 2019, Peterson received some news that caused his anxiety to
escalate even further. Both his daughter and wife became seriously ill, with
his wife coming close to death after suffering from a rare form of kidney
cancer. Facing the loss of his wife of 30 years, and the major surgery of his
daughter, Peterson felt crippled by anxiety at a time when his family needed
his support. To remedy this situation, and with his doctor’s consent, he
increased his dosage of Xanax.
From here, Peterson spiralled into a (medicated) drugs hell. No matter
how much Xanax he took, his anxiety only seemed to increase. Initially, he
treated this escalation with even greater doses. However, when this failed,
he introduced (at his psychiatrist’s suggestion) Ketamine (an experience he
described as “two ninety-minute trips to hell”) and then antidepressants
(which left him feeling exhausted, requiring an additional 4 hours sleep per
night and doubling his appetite).
The worst was still to come though, as Peterson, sick of the drug’s side
effects, decided to stop taking Xanax altogether. His withdrawal symptoms
were rapid and intense. Soon, his anxiety spiked to a level he’d never
experienced before. He became uncontrollably restless (to the point of
being unable to sit still), had frequent thoughts of self-destruction and
experienced an inability to feel happiness. Unable to function in this state,
he reintroduced a small amount of Xanax into his system but continued to
struggle with heightened anxiety and an inability to sit still.
Throughout this ordeal, Peterson had been in and out of various clinics
in both Canada and the US. With his condition worsening at the end of
2019, he returned to his home in Toronto and checked himself into a local
hospital.
At this point, Peterson was slipping in and out of consciousness and
when he awoke, two months later, he was shocked to find himself in an ICU
in Moscow. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter had removed him from the
Toronto hospital and had him flown to Moscow for a radical form of
benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment not available in North America. For 9
days, he’d been placed in a medically-induced coma so he could get
through the worst of the benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms while
unconscious. However, upon awaking, Peterson wasn’t entirely healed.
Ten days of delirium followed and, in the subsequent weeks, he had to
learn to walk and type again as a result of the damage caused to his brain by
the benzodiazepines. Once in a fit enough state, he flew to the US to stay
with friends in Florida.
Despite the improvements brought about by his stay in the Moscow
hospital, Peterson still wasn’t in the clear. The Russian doctors gave him a
different medication to help with the lingering effects of the benzodiazepine
withdrawal and, after a while, this too began to have a negative impact.
Seeking further treatment, he once again left North America but this time
flew to a clinic in Serbia. Here, his condition seemed to improve as, when
he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience in January 2022 (around a year
after his treatment ended and just after the release of his second book,
Beyond Order), he reported feeling much better (although not entirely
healed).

Jordan Peterson’s experience is disturbing for a couple of reasons. First,

despite Peterson’s training (he’s both a professor and a psychologist), he
appeared to be ignorant of the harm mental health medication can cause.
This speaks to the blind trust which many of the general public view
pharmaceutical drugs and the medical industry. Doctors, whether treating
physical, or mental, illness are viewed as Gods. We hang on every word
they say and trust anything they offer to alleviate our symptoms. Clearly, as
we can see with Peterson’s example, and the millions of other people whose
lives get worse after taking medication for mental illness, sometimes this
trust is misplaced.
Second, the severity of Peterson’s withdrawal symptoms are scary. For
almost two years (2019 until near the end of 2020), he was incapacitated by
attempting to remove Xanax from his system. At one point, his symptoms
were so intense the only way to deal with them was a medically induced
coma. As a result of this experience, his brain appeared to be damaged in
some way (although only temporarily), he suffered immense pain and
discomfort for nearly two years and he was unable to support his family
while they were experiencing their own illnesses. This is the harm caused
by a widely available drug that over 12% of the US population takes.

The rebel’s dilemma

Why is Jordan Peterson’s example included at the start of Step 9?
Step 9, much like Step 8, serves as a warning. I want you to be shocked.
I want you to see how damaging mental health medication can be and
challenge the notion you may need it if you’re experiencing depression,
anxiety or any other condition.
This is important because many rebels find themselves in a difficult and
precarious position. Although mental illness is far from unique to this
personality type, there’s a tendency for rebels to feel life’s burdens more
acutely.
How could you not? You value freedom and meaning yet you’re living
in a world where these qualities aren’t easily experienced. Added to this,
you’re vastly outnumbered by the other personality types (95/5). Of course,
it’s not impossible to form friendships, and have relationships, with all
types of people but, on the surface, it may appear you’re alone in this world
and your need for connection is hard to meet. Against this backdrop, is it
any surprise you experience prolonged moments of sadness, decreased
energy and, at points, want to withdraw?
Of the three main personality groups, rebels have the hardest path
through life. Although leaders are engaged in a constant struggle to stay on
top, there are plenty of positions of power and the world is always in need
of men, and women, who can lead. Although followers spend a good
portion of their lives doing things they don’t want to do, they know that if
they follow the rules then they’ll be comfortable and safe.
For the rebel, it’s different. There’s no safety net, and on the surface,
there don’t appear to be many uses for their unique personality and skills.
As a result, every day can feel like a struggle and, eventually, this can take
its toll.
At some point, you may experience depression, anxiety or any number
of mental health conditions. When this occurs, there’s a tendency to seek
the established form of treatment in whatever country you reside. If this
happens to be a developed nation (especially a North American and western
European developed nation), it’s more than likely you’ll be instructed to
take medication (82% of Americans who seek medical help for mental
illness are prescribed some form of medication).[36] If you then choose, or
are encouraged, to take this medication, there’s a 58% chance (the
American average) you’ll experience some form of side effect or
withdrawal symptom from making this decision.[37] As highlighted by
Jordan Peterson’s example, these could be so severe they come to dominate
your life, ruining your plans to become a successful, independent rebel.
With that possibility in mind, Step 9 must not be overlooked. No matter
how depressed or desperate you may feel, you must make yourself aware
(and conduct research beyond this book) of the possible consequences of
taking mental health medication. Furthermore, before you choose this
option, you must gain a deeper awareness of why you’re struggling.
Below is a list of the Mayo Clinic’s symptoms of mental illness.
• Feeling sad or down
• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
• Problems with alcohol or drug use
• Major changes in eating habits
• Sex drive changes
• Excessive anger, hostility or violence
• Suicidal thinking[38]
It would be rare to find a person who, at some point in their life, hasn’t
experienced at least a handful of these symptoms (I can count 8 which I’ve
experienced in the past). The barrier for being diagnosed with a mental
illness is low. However, are these symptoms really the markers for a
“disease” or are they just a natural reaction to living in an insane world?
As a rebel, you have to experience and endure;
• Surviving and functioning in a world that feels totally alien.
• Constantly being told your perspective is wrong or weird.
• Being told life can never be the way you want.
• Spending too much time on your own.
• Feeling alone even when surrounded by people, or when in a
relationship.
Perhaps now you understand your dilemma as a rebel. You must navigate a
world that’s set up for you to feel miserable. Then, if you seek help for your
misery, people in positions of authority are going to recommend (or
possibly even force) you to treat your malaise with remedies that could
potentially cause even more harm. Furthermore, these remedies might derail
you to the point where the antidote to your suffering – becoming a strong
and independent person living a self-determined life – becomes harder to
reach.
You must remember Step 9 when struggling with life as a rebel. Without
challenging the conventional approach to dealing with mental health issues,
you could find yourself in an even worse position than before.

The chemical imbalance myth

The most depressing years of my life were spent at university. During this
time, I was almost always alone, frequently felt numb, suffered from
chronic insomnia, experienced crippling self-doubts and was often low on
energy. In the holidays, when I returned home, my parents could tell
something was wrong. However, being unable to understand my
experience, all they could suggest was that I might be suffering from a
chemical imbalance and should consider medical help.
As well-meant as their advice was, I didn’t follow it. For a moment, I
considered the possibility something might be “off” in my brain. On one
level, the concept made sense. I did feel different and, whatever it was I was
experiencing, felt fixed and immovable. However, even at that age, I was
averse to drugs of any kind (believing my feelings shouldn’t be masked as
they had a message for me) and refused medical help.
In hindsight, I’m pleased about this decision. Although it took a long
time, a lot of trial and error and the assistance of some life changing books,
I transcended my malaise and found a new energy and purpose.
To my surprise, I discovered that my mind was far more malleable than
I imagined. The barriers I thought were immovable, and the moods I
thought were impossible to shift, all melted away as I filled my mind with
different thoughts and set my sights on a new direction.
A few years later, I started working with people (as a hypnotherapist)
who had their own struggles with well-being and mental health. Time and
again, I came across the term “chemical imbalance.” Many of my clients
either thought they might be suffering from one or had been told, by
medical professionals, that this is what they were experiencing.
This, combined with my own experience, made me curious to learn
more. How did a chemical imbalance occur? Which chemicals were out of
balance for which mental disorder? Was a chemical imbalance something
that could be detected and measured in the brain?
As I undertook my research, I learned the chemical imbalance theory
was based on the idea that mental illness is caused by irregularities in
neurotransmitter levels in the brain and, if these are corrected by psychiatric
drugs, the imbalance can be redressed. However, despite this theory having
existed since the 1960s, there are no tests that can identify a chemical
imbalance in the brain and you’d be hard pressed to find a doctor who
knows what one looks like.
Regardless, the theory has been accepted (although recently it has come
under even more criticism – see research released in 2022 by Professor
Joanna Moncrieff and Dr Mark Horowitz) and become part of public
consciousness (being especially popular with pharmaceutical companies as
it legitimises the drugs they manufacture). As a result, mental illness is
understood as something that just happens. You could be perfectly happy
for your entire life and then, over the course of a few months, and for no
apparent reason, the chemical levels in your brain alter and you become
depressed, anxious or start to develop a split personality.
There are many reasons for the acceptance of the chemical imbalance
theory. It has the stamp of medical approval; it means you don’t have to
take responsibility for your mental health and there’s a readily available
solution that’s, supposedly, fast acting and effective.
However, is there any scientific evidence that chemical imbalances in
the brain cause mental illness? Furthermore, what are the implications of
this answer for rebels keen to preserve their personal power and mental
health?

In August of 2003, David Oaks was part of a group who began a hunger
strike in Pasadena, California, to protest against the American Psychiatric
Association (APA). Their demands were simple. They would continue to
refuse solid food until the APA, and two other major organisations, could
provide scientific evidence that mental illnesses were biologically-based
brain diseases and that psychiatric drugs cure distressed patients rather than
temporarily altering them (much the same as a recreational drug would).
David felt so passionately about this protest because, thirty years earlier,
he was medicated against his will while attending Harvard University. At
the time, he’d only visited the college infirmary because he was struggling
to adapt to life at Harvard (he grew up in the impoverished neighbourhoods
of south side Chicago and found the new world of an elite university
completely alien) and was self-medicating with Marijuana. However, he
was soon transferred to a psychiatric institute, placed in solitary
confinement, heavily sedated and diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Although David regained his mental health and completed his degree at
Harvard, this experience lit a fire in him. He wanted to hold the psychiatric
industry accountable for the suffering it had caused both him and the
millions of others who’d fallen victim to a similar form of treatment. To do
this, he launched his protest and challenged the APA to prove their position
on mental illnesses being biologically based.
At first, the APA were reticent to respond. However, as the protest
continued, and gained public attention, they released a statement claiming
the necessary scientific proof would be found in three key psychiatric
textbooks.
The APA probably assumed this would be sufficient to end the protests
and silence the growing media attention. However, unbeknownst to them,
David and his group had assembled an independent panel of 15 senior
academics and clinicians from the US and Europe to review the works.
The APA’s bluff had been called. Upon review, the panel discovered that
none of the key psychiatric textbooks contained a shred of evidence that
mental illness had any basis in biology (and, therefore, the chemical
imbalance theory was incorrect). Instead, the textbooks were littered with
confessions to the contrary, with statements like, “Few lesions or
physiologic abnormalities define the mental disorders and for the most part
their causes remain unknown,” and, “In the areas of pathophysiology [the
term used to describe changes at a cellular level caused by disease or injury]
and aetiology [the cause of a set of diseases], psychiatry has more uncharted
territory than the rest of medicine,” being all too common.
Of course, this was of huge embarrassment to the psychiatric industry.
The justification for the medicalisation of people’s trauma and distress had
been completely removed (for, if mental illness has no root in the brain or
biology, then drugs purporting to alter the chemical levels in our
neurotransmitters have no legitimacy).
Since this protest, many more researchers, professors and clinicians
have come out and challenged both the chemical imbalance theory and the
idea that mental illness has a biological cause. Dr Darshak Sanghavi, a
clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School, has stated, “Despite
pseudoscientific terms like ‘chemical imbalance,’ nobody really knows
what causes mental illness. There’s no blood test or brain scan for major
depression.”[39] Dr David Kaiser, from the Psychiatric Times, wrote,
“Patients have been diagnosed with chemical imbalances, despite that no
test exists to support such a claim, and there is no real conception of what a
correct chemical balance would look like.”[40]
These quotes, and the outcome of David Oakes’s protest, suggest that
whatever it is you might be experiencing - be it depression, anxiety, a
general feeling of uneasiness, confusion about your life and the world, an
inability to sleep, decreased energy and a host of other symptoms - has no
biological basis in your brain. Of course, this isn’t to say your suffering is
made up or exaggerated. On the contrary, it’s very real. However, because
it’s not the result of a chemical imbalance, there’s no need to use chemicals
to treat your symptoms (unless you have epilepsy, Alzheimer’s or
Huntington’s disease, all of which do have biological markers).
These findings reinforce the importance of Step 9 (Avoid taking
medication for mental health issues) and should come as welcome news. It
means you don’t have to run the potentially serious risk of taking mental
health medication and falling foul of an experience similar to Jordan
Peterson’s. Furthermore, you can remain yourself, rather than a chemically-
altered version of who you are.
Of course, you’ll have to find the cause of your malaise, and bring
yourself back to a place where you’re feeling positive and stable, and this is
never easy. While on this journey, you might need to seek professional help
in the form of psychologists, counsellors and other mental health
professionals and therapists.
Finally, you should remember that no matter how much pain you’re
going through, how confused you feel and how long this suffering has
lasted, your struggle to find happiness and peace could ultimately lead you
to a greater life. Through developing a deeper understanding of yourself,
and your place in the world, you might make new discoveries and develop
new skills. These will make you a stronger, wiser and more charismatic
person. All of this awaits if you can face the challenge presented to you by
your suffering.

Freedom, meaning and connection

It’s already been mentioned that a rebel’s life, at least for significant periods
of time, can be difficult and challenging. This struggle could provoke
feelings of depression, confusion and fear. However, no matter how
desperate you might feel, you have a guiding light to steady your ship and
see you through the storms.
The happiest life a rebel could live is one of freedom, meaning and
connection. If you can remember this and wholeheartedly commit to
creating a life where you get to experience these qualities, then you’ll have
the antidote to your suffering.
Remember, there’s no biological barrier that prevents you from
experiencing happiness. Instead, your wellbeing rests on understanding
your drives and place in the world. That’s all there is to it. The path laid out
before you, although not easy to walk, is at least certain and clear.
How can I be so sure? In 2013, Dr Stephen Ilardi, a clinical
psychologist and author of the book, The Depression Cure, gave a Ted Talk
on why depression is a “disease of civilisation.” He believes our modern
lifestyles are making us miserable. To prove his point, he highlights a range
of illnesses prevalent in the developed world which are almost non-existent
among modern day indigenous tribes. These include;
• Diabetes
• Atherosclerosis
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Obesity
• Cancer (of all kinds)
• Depression
These are the “diseases of civilisation.” We experience them because our
brains and bodies are not evolved to function in modern environments. As a
species, we’ve been hunter gatherers for 99.9% of our time on earth. 200
years, the approximate period of time since industrialisation began, just
isn’t long enough for the human genome to evolve and adapt to a new
environment. We’re still operating on programs designed to help us thrive
and survive in the savannahs, jungles, woodlands and plains. In the words
of Dr Ilardi, “We were never designed for the sedentary, indoor, socially
isolated, fast-food-laden, sleep-deprived, frenzied pace of modern life.” It
creates a disconnect in our brains. Something about reality feels wrong but
because we have no other lifestyle to compare it with, we assume the fault
lies in us.
It doesn’t, though, as Dr Ilardi reveals when he discusses the lives of the
Kaluli tribe who live in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Amazingly,
they don’t suffer from depression. He references research undertaken by
anthropologist Edward Sheiffelin, who spent over a decade with the tribe
and interviewed 2000 of them to discover whether they experience mental
illness in the same way we do. The results were astounding. Scheiffelin
could only find 1 marginal case of what we term clinical depression. To put
this in context, this is a rate of depression one hundred times lower than in
western societies.
Scheiffelin’s findings reveal that depression is not an inescapable part of
the human experience. The Kaluli’s lives are infinitely harder than ours.
Their rates of violent death, infant mortality and parasitic infection are far
higher. However, while they grieve, and experience loss in a similar manner
to us, they don’t get depressed.
On the surface, this appears paradoxical. You’d think the harder
someone’s life is, the more likely they are to experience prolonged sadness.
However, when you consider what the Kaluli do have in abundance, the
mystery is explained.
Every hunter gatherer, whether modern or pre agricultural, has or had a
life of freedom, meaning and connection. There’s no government ruling
over them, demanding a portion of whatever they make or own, sending
them to war and forcing them to obey certain laws. There are no
meaningless jobs, serving little purpose other than making someone else
rich. And, there’s no living alone, communicating virtually and going days
without a real conversation.
Instead, the hunter gatherer can wake up when they like and decide
when they will, or won’t, work. They know what their life is about, with the
daily struggle for survival providing a focus. Finally, they form deep bonds
with other members of the tribe, with their happiness, health and success
being dependent on the happiness, health and success of those around them.
From an evolutionary standpoint, this is how we are supposed to live. We
were born to be self-determined people, with a clear purpose to guide us
and a community of people around us. However, the problem we face now
(especially as rebels), is that our societies won’t allow us to be, or have, any
of these things.
What can you do? The solution is not to go back to living as a hunter
gatherer. We’ve come too far and gained much from advances in
agriculture, technology and medicine. However, we should never forget
how our past has shaped us, taking our drives and needs into consideration
when designing our lives for today.
What might this look like? To start with, you must have some
connection with nature. Whether this means living or working in a rural, or
semi-rural location, taking frequent breaks to explore the countryside or
visiting parks if you live in the city, place yourself in an environment that
reconnects you with our ancestral state. Next, make sure you are in charge
of your time. If you can’t find a job that permits flexible working and
respects your need for a life outside of work, create one. Then, make sure
something you do provides your life with enough meaning for you to feel
motivated every day. Survival won’t be enough (merely surviving in a 21st
century developed nation is too easy and, therefore, unstimulating), so
you’ll need to find a mission/goal you can achieve, something special to
create (a piece of art or product) or a code of conduct to live by. Finally,
make sure you’re going out of your way to connect with other people. If
your work is solitary in nature, or you live alone, actively seek out people to
spend time with and be prepared to offer them your support.
Such a lifestyle should be enough to prevent prolonged periods of
sadness from turning into depression or any other mental illness. Build your
life around your drives for freedom, meaning and connection. All three are
an uplifting force that you can turn to in times of need.

The exception to the rule

Although research supporting the efficacy of medication for mental health
issues is far from convincing (often revealing the drugs rely on a placebo
effect to make the patient feel better – see professor Irving Kirsch’s meta-
analysis study comparing the performance of anti-depressants with placebos
in 2014), it does suggest that, if your condition is extreme, you might find
some reprieve by taking prescription drugs. Remember, Step 9 asks you to
avoid taking medication for mental health issues. It’s doesn’t insist on total
abstinence.
Before you choose this option, though, do everything in your power
(build your life around the rebel’s three core drives, exercise and seek some
form of therapy) to improve your mental health. If this fails (and I don’t
think it will), then maybe you should consider seeing a psychiatrist and
getting a prescription. It might provide a reprieve (although not a healing),
giving you the space needed to work on your recovery.
Furthermore, if you’re currently on medication then, unfortunately, I
can’t offer guidance on how to get off. I wouldn’t want to advocate
cessation only for you to experience the kind of withdrawal symptoms
Jordan Peterson went through. You’re probably better off seeking medical
advice.
My greatest hope, though, is to reach you before this happens. If you
haven’t yet taken mental health medication, then heed the warning of Step
9. Depression, sadness and anxiety are a normal reaction to living in a
society that feels completely alien and alienating. Be prepared to find
solutions to your problems rather than masking them through treating the
symptoms.
If you don’t, a lengthy battle with the side effects, or withdrawal
symptoms, from taking mental health medication could await. Such a
struggle has the potential to take over your life. Instead of focusing on
making a living from your passion and winning your financial freedom, you
could find yourself debilitated by pain, distracted by your conditions and
solely focused on getting through the day.
This is not a good place to be. To become a successful rebel, your mind
needs to be clear and inspired. If you’re drained, in pain or numb, your
personal power is depleted.
Don’t allow yourself to be put in this position. Treat your mental health
struggles as an existential problem in need of a holistic solution.

Summary of Step 9: Avoid taking medication for mental health issues

• Over 55% of people who take mental health medication will
experience some form of side-effect or withdrawal symptom.
Because of this risk, the decision to do so shouldn’t be taken lightly
and you should explore other outlets for restoring your wellbeing
first.
• Rebels, more than any other personality type, are prone to
experiencing suffering. Your needs for freedom, meaning and
connection aren’t easily met in a world full of restriction and
superficiality.
• Be aware of this predicament and don’t beat yourself up for feeling
depressed, anxious or confused. Struggles with mental health could
hit you at some point in your life but this doesn’t mean you should
follow the conventional approach to dealing with them.
• Don’t allow the medical establishment, or the media, to trick you
into thinking you’re suffering from a chemical imbalance. The vast
majority of mental health disorders have no basis in biology and this
means you can recover your wellbeing without the need for
medication.
• Build your life around your needs for freedom, meaning and
connection. Although it could take a while to experience all three,
making these drives your foundation will protect you against any
long-term mental illness.

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STEP 10: NEVER RETIRE

Do not go gentle into that good night was a poem written by Welsh poet
Dylan Thomas in 1947. Although unconfirmed, it was reported to be for his
dying father, admonishing him to cling onto life for as long as possible.
During its six short verses, the poem conveys a desire to fight for every
breath of life against the backdrop of inevitable death. Yes, we are all going
to die. We know this. However, this doesn’t mean we should capitulate to
this inevitability and allow ourselves to slowly fade away.
In the poem, Dylan tells his father/the reader that they must, “Rage,
rage against the dying of the light.” Some may question Dylan’s use of the
word, “rage.” At a glance, it appears to have negative connotations,
summoning images of violence and destruction. However, in the context of
the poem, it evokes the idea of vigour, spirit and defiance.
By refusing to fade into the night, you demonstrate an understanding of
life’s preciousness and how it must be held onto with everything you’ve
got. You must fight to live, actively doing all you can to make the most of
your life instead of letting this incredible experience pass you by. With such
a sentiment, Do not go gentle into that good night, is a poem for more than
the final months and years of one’s life. It’s a mantra to live by, whether you
are 18 or 80.

The five stages of the linear life

Most people don’t live by the words in Do not go gentle into that good
night. They are not trying to live each day and squeeze every last drop out
of their experience of life. Instead, they accept a conventional view of life
which sees the passing of the years as a linear progression.
While Dylan’s poem urges us to continually grow, the linear approach is
about reaching clearly defined destinations and then striving to get to the
next one. Personal development and self-discovery aren’t important.
Instead, life is about conforming to the rules of the game depending on
which stage (five in total) you’re passing through.
The five stages of the linear life are as follows;
1. Schooling
2. Higher education/University (although not everyone passes
through this one)
3. The world of work
4. Marriage and becoming a parent (in most cases, this occurs
alongside, although after the start of stage 3)
5. Retirement
We’ll now look at what each stage entails.
From approximately the age of 4 until the age of 18, you’ll find yourself
in some form of schooling. Over the course of these years, you’re taught a
wide variety of subjects and put through a series of examinations. On the
surface, this process appears to be about your development and education.
However, what you’re really working towards is a clearly defined endpoint
– grades sufficient to get into the best (or any) university.
Stage 2 is the only one of the five stages that a sizeable percentage of
the population might skip. However, many young adults still head to
university or some form of higher education.
During this stage, we once again see the pretence at furthering a
student’s development and creating a well-rounded young adult. However,
despite appearances, the true purpose of university is to increase your value
in the job market by achieving a good degree.
Whether you enter the world of work straight out of school, or after
university, Stage 3 represents the longest phase of your life. For the next
forty plus years, you’ll be required to work around 40 or more hours a
week, for almost every week of the year. You’ll choose your job or career
based on which company will pay you the most and, once employed, you’ll
attempt to work yourself into a position of seniority.
Stage 3 has its own mini stages – promotions. Each one will provide
you with a destination to work towards and a reward when you get there. In
the end, you might have worked yourself into a well-paid position within
whatever company you work for. However, there’ll almost always be more
senior roles for you to aim towards, or a new position at another company
for you to move into, and continue the climb.
Within 5 to 20 years of starting Stage 3, you’ll move into Stage 4 and
then experience the two stages concurrently. First, you’ll get married and, at
some point after that, you’ll have children. As a parent, you’ll still be
obliged to work but, now, you’ll have the added responsibility of raising
children while doing so. This can lead to a life of increased stress, less time
to yourself and the onset of exhaustion and declining health. With such
burdens to contend with, you’ll eagerly anticipate the stage that promises to
bring an end to the struggle.
Stage 5 is retirement. Sometime between the years of 60 and 75 (if you
live that long), you’ll be financially secure enough to stop working. Of
course, this doesn’t mean you’ll be wealthy but, with your pension and any
other assets you own, you might have enough money to provide for yourself
during the remaining years of your life.
As eagerly anticipated as Stage 5 might be, the freedom you experience
once retired is likely to be tainted. Primarily, this is because you’re no
longer in your physical prime. Both the ageing process, and, more
influentially, the impact of forty plus years of stress, lack of sleep and
excessive consumption (food and alcohol), have robbed you of your vitality.
As a result, you’re limited in how much you can enjoy and make use of
your freedom.
Furthermore, although technically financially free, there might be
constraints on your finances. Your pension, although providing you with
enough money to “get by,” leaves room for little else. Travel might be
unaffordable and you may not even have enough money to pursue a hobby
(let alone risk some of the little capital you have on a small business idea
you might want to start). As a result, Stage 5 might be a dull and
monotonous experience. You could remain there for anything between 5
and 30 years and, during this time, you might rue the slow decline of your
health and grow increasingly isolated and cut off from the world.
These are the five stages of life. Of course, there’s nothing forcing you
to adhere to them (beyond Stage 1). However, most people, because of
conditioning, a lack of creativity in their thinking and the false belief they
have no other option, live out their lives in this linear fashion.
Embracing a new life philosophy
For followers and, to a lesser extent, leaders, following the linear approach
to life serves them well. It limits the amount of thinking they need to do and
gives them a goal (albeit a societally imposed and slightly meaningless one)
to live and strive for. Throughout every decade of their life, they’ll know
what they should be doing and although much of their time will be spent
stressed, rushed off their feet and even exhausted, at least they have a
structure.
While the linear path serves the follower and leader, it’s not for the
rebel. The danger of living your life this way is that your entire existence
becomes something you “get through,” rather than enjoy.
While at school (at least in the latter years), you’re thinking about
getting to university. Once at university, you’re thinking about your career.
When you start work, you’re thinking about securing your first promotion
and then as many as you can after that. While in a relationship, you’re
thinking about how soon you can get married. Once married, you’re
thinking about when you’ll have your first child. When your children are
adults, and you’ve spent many decades working, you then starting thinking
about retirement.
Once retired, though, with no destination ahead of you (apart from the
unappealing prospect of death), you begin to look back. Instead of enjoying
the moment, you regret the mistakes from the past and wish you could have
your time again. You come to the painful conclusion that you never lived
your life. Instead, you treated it as a race, eagerly looking to get to the next
stage without ever knowing why.
This is the fate of the follower (and some leaders). They make it
through life relatively comfortably and safe, only to realise they’ve missed
out on a lot of what makes it worth living.
For the rebel, though, the possibility of an entirely different, and more
exciting, life awaits. By rejecting the linear path, you give yourself the
potential to live a life full of exciting experiences, learning, growth and new
discoveries. Of course, it’s likely you’ll still want to become a parent and
you may reach a stage where you don’t want to work as hard. However, you
won’t be living towards these destinations and, instead, they’ll occur
naturally, when the time feels right.
Rather than linear, your life will be timeless. You may age in years, but
you’ll be so immersed in living and growing that little thought will be given
to getting older or slowing down.
This is the philosophy of Step 10 (Never retire). Up to this point, The
Rebel Code has given you an objective to aim for (Step 1), practical advice
on how to get there (Steps 2 to 7) and a warning about the traps the rebel
personality type can be susceptible to (Steps 8 and 9). Now, in Steps 10, 11
and 12 you’re being introduced to a life philosophy that will guide you to a
place of happiness and fulfilment.
This is much needed. The rebel finds themselves in the unenviable
position of inhabiting a world designed for leaders and followers. As a
result, much of the conventional wisdom other people use to navigate their
way through life will not serve them. To find happiness, the rebel must
learn to look at life differently and understand how to flourish despite the
challenges they’ll inevitably face.
A coherent life philosophy can help you to achieve this aim and to
embrace the first part (Step 10: Never retire), you’re being asked to make
three important changes to your thinking. The first is rejecting the linear
path and shifting towards a spiritual understanding of life. The second is
seeking joy rather than pleasure. The third is developing a “get busy living”
mentality. Adopt all three and you’ll unlock the key to remaining productive
and inspired throughout the entirety of your life.

Shifting to the spiritual

Bestselling author, James Redfield’s book, The Celestine Prophecy, is
centred around a fictional quest to discover an ancient manuscript deep in
the heart of the Peruvian jungle. The manuscript contains 9 insights which,
when combined, reveal the keys to moving humanity away from its
obsession with materialism and into a more harmonious, happier, spiritual
existence. We’ll now explore two of these nine insights (numbers 2 and 3 in
Redfield’s book) and see how they relate to the philosophy of Step 10:
Never retire.
Redfield’s second insight teaches us to view our lives as part of a
“longer now.” Each individual’s life is connected to his or her ancestors and
humanity’s evolution in consciousness. Redfield explains that between the
years 1000 AD and 1500 AD, we (in the western world at least) were living
through a religious epoch. Life was understood through the bible and the
objective was to follow the commandments laid out in this book.
At around the year 1500 AD, this paradigm came under attack. Through
both the increase in scientific discoveries (that challenged the validity of the
Bible and those who interpreted it), and the loss of trust in religious leaders
(due to their morally questionable behaviour), the influence of religion
began to weaken. Although still an important force, it faced a serious
challenge from materialism (the study and understanding of the physical
world, not the obsession with consumerism that was to develop in the latter
part of the 20th century). New discoveries were made every century and
these, eventually, improved life for millions and billions of people on the
planet.
Despite these improvements though, by the end of the 20th century, a
growing number of people were beginning to feel like something was
missing. Undoubtedly, the material epoch had brought us great benefits and
freed us from a world of superstition and ignorance. However, by
influencing us to focus exclusively on the world we can see, touch and
measure, our deeper needs were neglected.
This is the position humanity found itself in at the end of the 20th
century (The Celestine Prophecy was published in 1993). According to
Redfield, we are beginning to move into a third epoch, a spiritual one.
Although most still cling to materialism, relying on its scientific focus to
explain the world, a growing number can no longer live with the
deficiencies present in this worldview. There’s so much science cannot
explain and for us to ignore these grey areas because, as of yet, their
existence is unproven, feels too restrictive.
In the 3rd insight, Redfield explains another major shift occurring in
humanity’s consciousness. The material epoch is governed, and driven by, a
Newtonian understanding of the world. Here, the planet we live on, and all
the systems working within it, are seen as a giant machine which operates
in a predictable manner (once you understand the laws of nature). Anything
that can’t be explained by this model is either dismissed as unproven or
attributed to chance.
By the early to mid-20th century, the Newtonian model faced a
significant challenge. Einstein, and other quantum physicists, explained that
much of what we perceive as hard matter is mostly empty space with a
pattern of energy running through it. The physical, “real world” is not as
real and fixed as we think. Instead, the energy that runs through all objects
(including us), and the universe, can be influenced by our expectations and
intentions.

Both of Redfield’s insights carry important implications for the rebel

seeking to embrace the philosophy of Step 10 (Never retire). The second
insight, with its focus on exploring the unexplainable, is synonymous with a
rejection of the linear path. Our lives can be so much more than 5 limited
stages. Perhaps, as rebels, it’s our destiny to help humanity transition into
the spiritual epoch Redfield writes about, building a more connected and
vibrant future for all.
An acceptance of Einstein’s worldview, as suggested by Redfield in his
3rd insight, sees you embrace the idea of an interconnected, boundaryless
universe. The Newtonian model, with its mechanical understanding of the
world, fits neatly with the 5 stages of the linear path. The idea of clear rules
and continuous structure appeals to the follower’s and leader’s need for
security and order. Einstein’s model, with its fluid and limitless
understanding of the world is more suited to the rebel’s need for freedom
and desire to live in the now.
As a rebel, it would behove you to embrace the teachings of Redfield’s
2 and 3rd insight and start seeing your life as a spiritual experience. This
nd

worldview will allow you to flourish and give you permission to be guided
by your heart (rather than societal expectations).
Maybe, despite pressure from your parents, you don’t want to go to
university. Instead, your heart’s telling you to set out on an exciting
adventure or start a business you feel inspired to create.
Perhaps, aged 30, you decide it’s time you left the corporate world
behind after spending almost a decade in a job that took so much but gave
so little. Despite protests from your partner, who expects you to now “settle
down,” you spend the next few years on a mission to discover a passion
which you can earn a living from.
Finally, when you reach 65 or 70, you may not want to retire. Even
though everyone else around you is slowing down, you’re still passionate
about what you do and feel there’s so much more to create and achieve.
Life is much richer when you exit the linear path and understand your
experience as a continuous journey of growth and discovery. Whether
you’re a pensioner, parent or student, you should always be living in the
now (although this doesn’t mean you discard long-term thinking, as
evidenced by Step 5 and Step 6). Longing for the day you retire is a
mistake. Your existence is finite and, as a result, every day is precious. You
shouldn’t live for a far-off end point which, you believe, is going to signal
the start of a better life. Instead, realise that today is the greatest moment of
your life and treat it with the reverence it deserves.

Joy vs pleasure
In 2006, film director George Lucas attended the Academy of Achievement
summit in Los Angeles. While there, he gave an inspiring speech to an
auditorium filled with university graduates, other Hollywood titans and
world leaders. During the speech, which focused on how Lucas followed
his heart when making major decisions about his career and life (Step 2), he
also talked about the nature of joy and pleasure. Seemingly directing his
advice to the younger members of the audience, he said,
Pleasure is short lived. It lasts an hour, it lasts a minute, it lasts a month and it peaks and
it goes down. The peaks are very high but the next time you want to get that same peak,
you have to do it twice as much . . .
And on the other hand is joy and joy is a thing that doesn’t go as high as pleasure, in
terms of your emotional reaction, but it stays with you. Joy is something you can recall.
Pleasure you can’t. So, the secret is, even though it’s not as intense as the pleasure, the
joy will last you a lot longer.
And people who get the pleasure keep saying, “well if I can just get richer, if I can just
get more cars.” You’ll never relive the moment you got your first car. That’s it, that’s the
highest peak. Yes, you can get three Ferraris and a Gulf Stream Jet and maybe you’ll get
close but you have to keep going and eventually, you run out and you can’t do it. It
doesn’t work…
Joy lasts forever. Pleasure is purely self-centred. It’s all about your pleasure, it’s about
you. It’s a selfish, self-centred emotion, created by a motive of greed.
Joy is created by passion. Joy is giving yourself to somebody else, or something else,
and it’s a kind of thing that in its subtly and lowness is much more powerful than
pleasure. If you get hung up on pleasure, you’re doomed. If you pursue joy, you’ll find
everlasting happiness.[41]
Followers and leaders primarily seek pleasure. The follower, not having a
job that provides much enjoyment or meaning, has a tendency to seek
pleasure through sensual experiences. Food and alcohol are the main two
sources but they’ll also seek pleasure through sex, drugs, browsing social
media, shopping, computer games and binge-watching streaming services.
The leader also enjoys these pleasures. However, due to their position of
power, they can also indulge their desire for pleasure by manipulating other
people and situations (which appeals to their ego).
As George Lucas explains, it’s easy to fall into a life of pleasure
seeking. There’s no barrier to its experience, barring what you can afford
(and even then, there’s a “high” to fit any budget), and it can be experienced
in an instant. You don’t have to work for pleasure and this, in a world full of
obligations, expectations and demands, is why it’s so appealing.
As a rebel, though, you must learn to resist this appeal. Ultimately,
pleasure weakens your vitality. While there’s nothing wrong with
experiencing any of the pleasures listed above, to indulge in them would
lead to negative consequences.
When experiencing pleasure, there’s no requirement to strengthen your
body, mind or spirit. Instead, you just take. And then you take some more.
And all the taking, without building yourself up, eventually takes its toll.
The fatty foods clog your arteries and add weight to your body. The drugs
weaken your mind and detach you from reality. The shopping depletes your
finances and ability to win your financial freedom. The hours spent on
social media eat up your valuable free time, preventing you from making
any progress on your passion. Even though pleasure makes you feel good
(briefly), in the long run, you’re killing your personal power and making
yourself more and more dependent on the system.
Pursuing a life of joy, by contrast, will strengthen you to the point where
you can win your freedom. Through the discipline, skills and grit seeking
this quality will force you to develop, you’ll banish the weaker elements of
your character and become a successful rebel.
The main outlet for experiencing joy is hard, yet inspiring work in a
field you are passionate about. We can imagine George Lucas feeling joy
after the success of the first Star Wars movie (the film was incredibly
difficult to make). Lucas experienced the once in a decade occurrence of
flooding in the Tunisian desert (a key filming location), problems with
raising the funds to finish filming and a lack of technology (which he
subsequently had to build) when it came to filming the intergalactic battle
scenes. To go through all of this adversity, and come out the other side with
your film a resounding success, must have filled Lucas with a deep sense of
joy.
You might experience something similar upon the release of your first
book, mastering a type of dance, winning a competition or making the first
significant sale for your new business. Working on, and creating, optimal
health will also be a source of joy. Doing so requires you to discipline your
eating and drinking and find the motivation to exercise. This can be taxing.
However, as you persist and push through the pain barrier, you’ll reach a
point where you’ll feel great about your commitment and the newfound
energy you possess.
Another outlet for joy is raising happy and strong children. Although the
process of doing so might exhaust you at times, the reward you receive
from watching your children flourish, and have a positive impact on the
world, will uplift you in a way that little else can.
Joy is such a powerful force because, as George Lucas points out, it
“lasts forever.” For the rebel, seeking to embrace the philosophy of Step 10
(Never retire), this is something you must pursue. While too much pleasure
weakens you, bringing a premature end to your productive years, joy will
enhance your energy and allow you to keep growing regardless of your age.
Furthermore, while pleasure leaves you living for the next high, joy, in its,
“subtlety and lowness,” allows you to enjoy your life right now.
For these reasons, you must build your life around the pursuit of joy.
Become a creator rather than a consumer. At times, it will feel like a harder
path but the energy that joy creates will sustain you through the years.
While the followers and leaders weaken and age, you’ll remain vibrant and
powerful.

Keeping your mind alive

The final part of Step 10 (Never retire), involves developing a new mindset.
As with the first two components of this philosophy, it applies as much to
your 20s, 30s and 40s, as it does to your latter years.
In the 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, the central character,
Andy Dufresne, is falsely imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her
lover. Initially, he doesn’t adapt well to prison life. His early years are spent
in self-imposed isolation, punctuated only by sexual assaults at the hands of
a depraved prison gang called “The Sisters.”
A number of years pass in this fashion and then Andy discovers some
shocking news regarding his conviction. After talking to a new inmate,
who’s been transferred from another prison, he discovers the identity of his
wife’s and her lover’s killer.
This revelation shocks Andy but also gives him a new sense of hope.
With the true murderer now identified, and a witness willing to testify,
Andy feels certain he can be released.
The warden of Shawshank has other ideas though. Andy has become too
useful to him (using his banking and accounting skills – Andy was a bank
manager before being imprisoned - he helps the warden with both keeping
the prison books and illegally laundering money) and knows too much
about his illicit activities. As a result, when Andy requests an appeal for his
conviction, he instead receives a stint in the hole and comes out to discover
the new inmate – his ticket to freedom – has been killed while allegedly
attempting to escape.
This flips a switch in Andy’s mind and he becomes fixated on winning
his freedom. His good friend, Red, warns him about thinking this way. He
says it creates false hope that only leads to greater disappointment when
your wishes fail to materialise. Andy thinks differently, though, and in an
iconic scene, he tells Red that, when it comes to life, we have two choices,
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
This mantra captures Andy’s attitude to the raw deal life has dealt him.
Despite being an innocent man, enduring sexual abuse and having almost
20 years of his life taken away, he never loses hope. Instead, he makes a
point of using every moment of his life productively.
Evidence of this mindset can be seen through the numerous projects
Andy undertakes while imprisoned. First, he renovates and improves the
prison library. Then, he tutors other inmates to help them get their high
school diplomas. Finally, he plots his own escape by digging a tunnel
through his cell wall (he covers the hole with a poster of Rita Hayworth) at
night.
After the success of this plot, we see the value in Andy’s “Get busy
living or get busy dying” mindset. Andy took whatever small sphere of
influence his prison environment afforded him and made the most of his
situation. Despite being trapped by multiple factors (a life sentence, people
in authority who would have been threatened by his freedom and the
concrete of the prison walls), he chose to focus on the things he could do.
His mind never retired. Unlike some of the prisoners around him, he never
gave up or became institutionalised. Instead, he kept moving forward,
taking advantage of every opportunity to improve his life.

As a rebel, you must do the same. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Some
people die at 25 and aren’t buried until they’re 75.” This is the fate of most
followers and even some rebels. Life just seems too hard and too hopeless.
All of our plans fail and merely “getting by” takes so much effort that any
thought of greatness appears ridiculous.
As a result, we retire. While we may continue working well into old
age, we give up on any hope of living the life we want.
This retirement might occur at 25, or it could happen at 35 or 50. At
some point, most people will give up on their dreams and see out the rest of
their years in survival mode.
To prevent this from becoming your fate, you must adopt the “Get busy
living” mindset. Although your life may appear hopeless, your work feels
meaningless and you spend much of your time on your own, you must keep
your mind alive. Don’t permit yourself to retire or submit to a life of
pleasure seeking. Instead, save yourself by making small improvements
every day. Learn new skills, upgrade your habits, work on your ability to
communicate effectively, improve your health and give mental attention to
your goals.
Like Andy, make the most of any small opportunity that arises. Years,
and decades, spent living this way will make a difference. Eventually, this
mindset will lead you to freedom from the prison walls of both your
environment and your mind.
Working until you’re 100
What does Step 10 (Never retire) actually mean? By now, you probably
understand its implications are more significant than the moment you
decide to stop working. This is about how you choose to live your life – a
commitment to always be learning, growing, experiencing more and
creating an impact.
Think of IM Pei, the Chinese architect (famous for designing the
pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum) coming out of “retirement” at 91
to design a new Islamic art museum in Qatar. Consider Michelangelo, still
working on frescoes in the Vatican aged 89. Or, how about Ann Mary
Robertson Moses? After decades spent as an embroiderer, she developed
arthritis in her 70s and was forced to take up painting instead. Incredibly,
when she released her first work, a New York art collector bought
everything she’d painted and included it in a popular exhibition. As a result,
she became one of America’s most celebrated painters and kept working up
until her death at the age of 101.
These people never lost their drive. They never lost their edge. They
never retired.
Adopting their mindset is a must if you want to become a successful
rebel. You can’t let your dreams die prematurely because the path ahead
appears too difficult and laden with obstacles. Conversely, you can’t rest on
your laurels as you age, looking back on former successes and falsely
assuming these will sustain you as you decline. Your mind must remain
alive at all times, raging against the dying of the light and fighting to get the
most out of every moment you’ve got.

Summary of Step 10: Never retire

• Following the linear path through life will not suit your rebellious
nature. Instead of making societally defined endpoints the focus of
your life, you must live for now, understanding that any decade of
your life could potentially be your greatest.
• Even though your body will age and die, your life is a timeless,
spiritual experience. Ignore expectations regarding what a person
your age should be doing and, instead, approach life as a continuous
journey of growth and discovery.
• Seek a life of joy rather than pleasure. While the temptation to
indulge will be strong, if you allow this to become the focus of your
life, it will weaken and prevent you from becoming an independent,
successful rebel.
• No matter how difficult your present situation might be, you only
have two approaches to dealing with the experience – Get busy living
or get busy dying. Use every moment of your life productively and
take advantage of any small opportunity that might occur.
• Never allow your spirit to weaken and fade. Instead, rage against
the dying of the light and strive to make the most of every day you’re
given.

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STEP 11: REJOICE IN YOUR CURSE

“Truly Providence works in strange ways, my children, and until a man

comes to the autumn of his days he can scarce say what hath been ill-luck
and what hath been good. For all of the seeming misfortunes that have
befallen me during my wandering life, there is not one which I’ve not come
to look upon as a blessing. And if you once take this into your hearts, it is a
mighty help in enabling you to meet all troubles with a stiff lip; for why
should a man grieve when he hath not yet determined whether what hath
chanced may not prove to be a cause of rejoicing.”
- Arthur Conan Doyle, Micah Clarke

When he was 16 years old, James Clear, author of the book, Atomic Habits,
was accidentally hit in the face with a baseball bat. The impact of this blow
caused a broken nose, multiple skull fractures and two shattered eye
sockets.
As a result of these injuries, Clear was rushed to hospital where he was
placed in a medically-induced coma. For a night, his life hung in the
balance as he was unable to breath independently.
By morning, Clear’s condition had stabilised and, a week later, he had
major reconstructive surgery on his face. Although these operations were a
success, his ordeal was far from over. It took him 8 months to fully recover
and, during that time, he had to relearn simple tasks like walking in a
straight line and driving a car.
Worse than this, though, was the impact of the accident on his budding
baseball career. Before his injury, Clear had aspirations of playing the sport
professionally. His father had played in the minor leagues and he was
hoping to go one better. However, after his injuries, he wasn’t the same
player.
In the year following the accident, he was cut from the high school
varsity team and sent down to play with the year below. After a year of
struggle, he managed to get back onto the main team but he barely featured
in any of their matches.
Such a change in fortune would have been enough to send many people
into a state of depression. Through a seemingly cruel twist of fate, a
promising high school athlete had his world turned upside down,
experiencing both horrific injuries and a massive setback to his dream.
However, despite having every reason to give up, James Clear persisted
with his baseball dreams, made it to University (Dennison) and secured a
spot on their team (albeit at the bottom of the roster).
Clear described university as a new beginning. His near fatal accident lit
a fire in him to recover his lost years. Not only did he want to get back to
where he was, he was now hungry to succeed even more than before.
The method he chose to achieve this success was the implementation of
small, but powerful, habits. This started with good sleep habits and
expanded into study habits (where he became a straight A student) and then
the habit of regular gym attendance (where he went from weighing 175lbs
to 200lbs). These small changes compounded and, by his final year at
university, he was once again excelling at baseball.
During his 4 years at University, Clear had slowly been working his
way into the team. In his third year, he was voted captain and, as a senior,
he was selected as the best male athlete at Dennison University and chosen
for the ESPN Academic All-American Team (an honour only given to 33
players across the country).
The future only got brighter for James Clear. After leaving university, he
went on to start his own website where he blogged about the power of
habits. Using everything he’d learned from the process of rebuilding his
life, he published a series of articles that quickly grabbed the attention of an
enthusiastic readership.
In the space of three years, he built a subscriber base of 200,000 people
for his website. Off the back of this success, he was offered a book deal by
Penguin Random House. Three years after that, in 2018, Atomic Habits was
released and, to date, the book has sold over 5 million copies.

Whitney Wolfe was part of a five-person team that founded the dating app,
Tinder (back in 2012). She contributed to the start-up by helping to create
the instantly memorable name and logo. However, despite the phenomenal
rise of the company, fault lines quickly appeared between the founders.
Wolfe was the only woman on the team and dated one of the other
founders – Justin Mateen – in 2013. The relationship soon soured and the
upshot of this failed romance was a string of abusive texts, and in person
confrontations, from Mateen to Wolfe.
In these messages, Mateen vented his frustrations in an increasingly
abusive manner. Wolfe complained to another co-founder – Sean Rad – but
his lack of sympathy led her to feel like she was being ostracised from the
company. As the abuse escalated, her position seemed untenable and Wolfe
decided to resign.
At the time of her parting ways with Tinder, the app was valued at
around $750 million. She’d put in two years of hard work to contribute to
this success yet left with nothing (she wasn’t granted severance pay or stock
in the company). Only months before, she was on the cutting edge of
entrepreneurial innovation and set to be worth hundreds of millions of
dollars if the success of the app continued (as it did). However, when she
left, all she took with her was a $1 million out of court settlement for the
sexual harassment law suit she filed against Tinder.
After going through such an ordeal, Wolfe would have been forgiven for
needing some time to regroup and recover. Perhaps the experience should
have crushed her. Afterall, she’d been sitting on a fortune and was forced
out of a project she loved working on. At the age of 25, this could have
been as high as she was ever going to go.
Although Wolfe had every reason to become embittered, and burn
through her settlement money, she didn’t. Little more than a few months
later, with her business partner Andrey Andreev, she launched her own
dating app, Bumble.
Drawing on her experiences at Tinder, she created a platform where
women were in control (only they could initiate conversation after a match
had been made). The app was a success. Its initial growth surpassed that of
Tinder’s and, in 2021, Bumble became a public-listed company with a
market cap of $8.3 billion.
This amazing rise made Whitney Wolfe (now Whitney Wolfe-Herd after
marriage), the youngest ever woman, at 31, to found a company and take it
public. She also became a billionaire in the process.
James Clear and Whitney Wolfe-Herd are incredible people because they
took potentially life ruining experiences and used them to create a life
greater than the one they previously enjoyed. They rejoiced in their curse,
refusing to become victims and using their experience to unlock greater
wisdom and power.
Would James Clear have ever learned about the amazing power of
habits (and gone on to become a bestselling author) if he’d never been hit in
the face with a baseball bat? Would Whitney Wolfe-Herd have ever had the
idea for a dating app that empowered women if she hadn’t experienced
sexual harassment at work?
In both examples, it could be argued that they were better off for having
experienced traumatic events. The lesson? Out of painful experiences,
accidents, unfair dismissals, the end of long-term relationships and
disadvantages from birth, amazing new lives can take shape and form.

Finding the gift

What’s your curse? Like James Clear, has a terrible accident or injury left
you at a physical or mental disadvantage or taken years from your life as
you recovered? Or like Whitney Wolfe-Herd, has an unfair dismissal, or
abuse at work, meant you’ve lost financial security and a job you loved?
Perhaps your curse is being born a rebel. Maybe you’ve felt like an
outsider for most of your life. Every day, you wake up and wish you were a
follower or a leader. They don’t have to deal with the angst, or internal
struggle, you experience. Instead, they just follow the rules (or maintain the
rules), and get on with their lives. You, on the other hand, have to find your
place in a world that appears set up for you to fail.
Starting today, though, you must learn to view your situation differently.
Whatever your curse may be, you must look for the hidden lesson contained
within your suffering.
• What skills must you develop to turn your life around?
• What insight into life has your unique experience given you?
• What approach to a problem can you bring that no one else has
thought of?
• Who must you become to rise above the suffering you’re
experiencing?
These are the questions you must ask to unlock the blessing hidden amidst
your curse. Remember, your life philosophy is different to that of the
follower. They understand the kind of misfortunes experienced by James
Clear and Whitney Wolfe-Herd as endpoints. When disaster strikes, it
means only one thing - game over. Their life has been irreparably changed
for the worse and they now have to adapt to a more limited existence.
The rebel and leader don’t think this way. (It’s one of the few
similarities they share). Whatever obstacle they’re presented with, they’ll
take something from it that allows them to advance.
Step 11 (Rejoice in your curse) must now become part of your life
philosophy. Every personality type faces challenges throughout their life
(the rebel more so than others). Whatever their nature, you must train
yourself to look for the opportunity they present.
Take isolation and loneliness, for example. This is a curse many
introverted rebels experience. You might find it difficult to socialise,
struggle when it comes to small talk and feel inclined to pull away from the
world around you rather than engage. As a result, despite desiring to be in a
loving relationship, have children and a circle of friends, you spend most of
your time alone.
On the surface, this appears to be a cruel fate. Studies reveal that
loneliness can shorten your life and damage your health.[42] However, if
you were to detach from the desperation created by your isolation, you
might discover a blessing hidden amongst what appears to be a curse.
Around the early 1990s, American writer Charles Buckowski wrote a
poem called Roll The Dice (it was later featured in the posthumously
released work, What Matters most is how you Walk Through the Fire). In
this short poem, Buckowski encourages readers to “go all the way” in
pursuit of their dreams.
In doing so, though, he tells the reader to expect adversity. He
comments on the possibility of going days without eating, losing
relationships and, possibly, your mind. Added to these undesirable
outcomes is the possibility of isolation. However, curiously, Buckowski
doesn’t view this experience as entirely negative.
Instead, he describes it as a “gift.” He doesn’t offer any explanation as
to why this is the case but we can form our own conclusions.
What do isolation and loneliness provide?
The obvious answer is time. You’ll be free from emotionally, mentally
and financially draining situations and people. You won’t get caught up in
depressing, petty arguments and power struggles with your partner, the
impact of which can drain you for hours and days to come. You won’t have
to attend unnecessary social gatherings because other people expect you to
be there. Your finances won’t be drained by socialising with people who
need to spend a lot of money to have fun. Furthermore, you won’t
experience the overwhelm of never getting a moment’s peace because you
either live in a noisy home or have numerous people who are dependent on
you. Instead, you get to set your own agenda and, as a result, could have
endless productive days in pursuit of a goal you find meaningful.
From this perspective, isolation and loneliness are a gift. With less
people in your life, you have less distractions. Perhaps you can commit an
additional 20 to 25 hours a week to working on your passion.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to remain isolated for the rest of your life.
However, while you pass through this phase, and work towards building a
life of greater connection, it can serve a purpose.

My curse was an inability to “fit in.” It started the day I arrived at

secondary school, aged 11. For reasons unknown to me at the time, I never
“clicked” with my classmates and ended up spending a lot of time on my
own.
This situation continued through my teenage years. Between the ages of
16 to 18, I attended some parties but always felt like I was on the outside
looking in. I couldn’t understand why getting drunk to the point of throwing
up, or not recalling what you did the night before, was considered fun.
With such an outlook, my move from school to university was doomed
from the start. Throughout my 3 years at university, I didn’t have a single
friend or girlfriend and only had a scattering of acquaintances. 95% of my
time was spent alone.
Post-university, I didn’t fare much better. Although I enjoyed my work
(tennis coaching), and discovered a dream for my life (so my overall well-
being improved), I still found it almost impossible to fit in with both the
outlook, and activities, of my peer group.
Despite these difficulties, I never seemed to learn a lesson from my
experience. Instead of investigating why I felt the way I did, and exploring
alternatives to conventional ways of socialising, I kept beating my head
against a brick wall. I’d continue, albeit infrequently, to attend parties, pubs
and clubs, hoping something would change and I’d be able to have a good
time.
It never did, though, and, instead, it just left me thinking there was
something wrong with me. “Why can’t I be like them?” I’d ask myself.
“Why am I so different?” I’d wonder. I was trying hard to socialise like
everyone else but, no matter how many times I attempted to engage, it
always seemed so alien to me.
Then, one day, just shy of my 28th birthday, I discovered why. At the
time, I was on vacation walking the Inca trail enroute to Machu Picchu. The
expedition I was on had been organised by a travel company and, upon
joining, I didn’t know a single person. My intention in going was to see one
of the wonders of the world but also to meet new people. However, as the
expedition began, and I struggled to fit in with my group, I quickly realised
it was going to be the same old story.
This time, though, instead of bemoaning my fate, I discovered a
solution. While climbing up to the highest point on the Inca Trail, I had a
realisation. The reason I found it so difficult to integrate within a group was
because I was meant to create my own.
Upon having this realisation, a light went off in my head. Everything
made sense. There was no need to force myself to socialise in a way I found
strange and unnatural. Instead, I had to do my own thing and walk my own
path.
This new perspective gave me the impetus to write my first book,
Escape The System. I then went online, creating a website, a YouTube
channel and a meetup group, all with the intention of attracting and serving
people looking to break free from conventional ways of working and living.
Both actions proved to be highly rewarding. Readers contacting me to
say how much my book meant to them gave me a huge sense of
satisfaction. Making deeper connections with people through the events I
ran, or the one-to-one coaching I provided, made me feel like I was no
longer isolated in my perspective and outlook. Ironically, my social skills
also improved. As I became comfortable in my own skin, I got better at
interacting with other people, making friends and forming romantic
relationships.
In my teenage years and early 20s, I used to think I was cursed to spend
my life alone, forever misunderstood and isolated. I would have given
anything to be accepted by my peers and enjoy the activities and
experiences they valued. However, in hindsight, I can see that my curse
actually led to a greater life.
The path I now walk is filled with inspiration, freedom and meaning. By
forcing me to become independent, my curse led me to the discovery of a
richer, deeper life, with almost endless possibilities. Although I occasionally
wish for the comfortable, largely trouble-free, life of a follower, I know that
embracing my rebellious nature is the only way I get to live a complete and
full life.
This is the power of embracing Step 11 (Rejoice in your curse).
Discover the lesson your curse is trying to teach you and adapt your life
accordingly.

Turning your liabilities into assets

Everybody’s curse is unique. How are you going to use yours?
The rapper, and TV producer, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was an
underground artist struggling to break into the mainstream until he got shot
9 times in a street altercation. Although he survived, he experienced many
months of excruciating pain and was initially overcome by the fear of his
assailants striking again. However, after he recovered, and continued on
with his dream to become a famous rapper, the shooting opened doors to
him that were previously closed.
Prior to being shot in the year 2000 (when he was 25-years-old), 50
Cent had made two unsuccessful albums. The first, produced by Jam Master
Jay of Run DMC, never came out. The second, after he got signed by
Columbia records, was shelved before release. Despite his persistence
(Jackson had been rapping since his late teens), it appeared he lacked
whatever was needed to break into the big time.
This all changed, though, after he was shot 9 times. Now his raps about
street life, selling drugs and seeking vengeance on his enemies, took on a
level of authenticity that was undeniable. In an industry full of studio
gangsters, 50 Cent stood out as the real deal. The buzz around his first Dr
Dre produced album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” was palpable. Hip-hop
audiences wanted to hear from this powerful, new voice. However, in
reality, what had changed?
Presumably, almost being killed hadn’t altered 50 Cents rhyming or
writing abilities (if anything, it may have made them worse as one of the
bullets caught him in the side of the mouth, negatively impacting the clarity
of his voice). He was still the same artist whose first two albums hadn’t
been deemed good enough to see the light of day. However, now, he had a
talking point that grabbed his potential audience’s attention and a mystique
that provided the street cred essential to succeeding in the rap game.
50 Cent’s curse was being shot 9 times and almost dying. However, as
painful as this must have been, he used it to promote himself and his music
in a way that added to his appeal.
What is there about your injury, accident, loss, failure, divorce,
relationship breakup, that you can use to help you succeed in a way you
couldn’t have done before?
Perhaps, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1970s, you’re looking to
break into a new industry. However, instead of having attributes the
gatekeepers in your industry are looking for, you’re cursed by being the
antithesis of what they want.
In 1975, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a world champion bodybuilder
looking to become an actor. At the time, Hollywood was enamoured with
the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Woody Allen. These non-
athletic, yet gifted actors were considered sex symbols. Action movies
weren’t really a thing. Instead, an actor’s worth was determined by how
well they could portray a character.
In such a climate, Schwarzenegger found it very hard to get anything
but bit parts. By 1970s standards, he was a physical oddity. No one had seen
muscles that size before. Furthermore, he had a thick Austrian accent, an
unpronounceable name and, despite his natural charisma, limited acting
skills. He had few, if any, natural advantages when it came to realising his
dream of becoming one of Hollywood’s leading men.
Schwarzenegger writes about this struggle in his 2013 autobiography,
Total Recall. For 7 years (until securing his breakout role in, Conan The
Barbarian, in 1982), he faced rejection after rejection from agents and
movie makers. There just wasn’t any place for him in Hollywood. Despite
attending acting classes, his ability never outgrew his curse of having a face
(and body) that didn’t fit.
Then, one day, something happened that turned all of Schwarzenegger’s
perceived defects into strengths. The right role came along (the
aforementioned title role in the 1982 fantasy epic) and the qualities that had
been holding him back now worked to his advantage. His physique created
the impression of superhuman strength, appealing to the macho culture of
the 1980s. His thick accent, and amusing delivery, created memorable “one
liners” that stuck in the mind of moviegoers all over the world. Even his
name, which he’d been encouraged to change (and did for one movie,
billing himself as Arnold Strong), became both unmistakable and
synonymous with muscles, action and entertainment.
In his book, Schwarzenegger describes this transition as a process of
turning “liabilities into assets.” He writes,
When I wanted to star in movies, the Hollywood agents I talked to told me to forget it –
my body and my name and my accent were all too weird. Instead, I worked hard on my
accent and my acting, as hard as I’d worked on bodybuilding, to transform myself into a
leading man. With Conan and The Terminator, I broke through: the things that the agents
said would be a detriment and make it impossible for me to get a job, all of a sudden
made me an action hero. Or as John Milius said when he directed Conan The Barbarian,
“If we didn’t have Schwarzenegger, we would have to build one.”[43]
Schwarzenegger figured out how to use his curse (being the antithesis of
what was considered acceptable in his industry) to create a niche that was a
perfect fit for his presence and personality. Remember this example the next
time you’re struggling to break into a new industry. Insiders may tell you
you’ve got no chance, or that you lack the personality or dynamism to be
successful in this unfamiliar world. However, perhaps there’s something
unique about the way you look, write, sing or think that, although not
traditionally accepted, disrupts the industry in a way that allows you to
establish yourself.
Always be conscious of how you can use your curse. Perhaps
accidentally deleting the first draft of your book forces you to start over and
write with greater conviction and insight. Maybe an injury that ends your
dreams of playing professional sport leads you to discover a hidden talent
you never realised you had. Perhaps being born a minority religion, or race,
in a homogenous society is a way to stand out and gain attention.
It’s counterintuitive to think that something holding you back, or
making you experience great misfortune, will lead to your success.
However, if you explore this possibility then it’s likely you’ll find answers
and be shown a new direction to follow.

The rebel’s curse

“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”
- Ian Wallace

Every rebel, to varying degrees, is cursed. We are the outsiders. We’ve all
been rejected and felt dejected at there (seemingly) being no place for us in
this world. Like me, you may have longed to fit in or wished you could
have been born like everybody else. In darker moments, you may despise
your rebel status and even wish you were dead.
From this moment on, you must understand this as erroneous thinking.
There’s nothing better than being a rebel. It’s a reason to celebrate. It falls
on your capable shoulders to shake up the world.
This is an exciting calling. You’re not cursed to be forever
misunderstood. Instead, you’ve been blessed to see things differently and
create change.
This mission may seem daunting but, inside of you, are the skills and
strengths to take advantage of the unique opportunity you’ve been given.
Start seeing yourself as you are – strong, defiant, creative and insightful.
The world you operate in may make you feel weird, strange and foolish, but
this isn’t the truth. In fact, you might be greater than the followers and
leaders you once envied. Awaken this potential by rejoicing in your curse.

Summary of Step 11: Rejoice in your curse

• A seemingly terrible event may have, or will, occur in your life.
However, once you’ve learned the lesson from this unfortunate
experience, your life might become greater than it was before.
• Being born a rebel can feel like a curse. You aren’t afforded the
luxury of blending into the crowd and you have to find your place in
a world that appears set up for you to fail.
• The experience of isolation is a gift disguised as a curse. You may
wish you had the social life of your peers but, instead, you have an
almost unlimited amount of time to dedicate to a meaningful project.
• Always look for ways to use misfortune to your advantage. There’s
a silver lining in almost every experience and, if your mind is attuned
to discovering what this might be, something good will come out of
the pain you felt.
• Rejoice in being a rebel. Never think you’re less than the followers
and leaders you know and understand you’ve been gifted with a rare
opportunity to be an agent of change.

OceanofPDF.com
STEP 12: BREAK THE RULES

“You are remembered for the rules you break.”

- General MacArthur

Having reached the end of The Rebel Code, you’re now equipped with the
knowledge needed to become a successful rebel. You understand that your
happiness and peace of mind is best served by creating and living in your
own world. To guide you to this destination, you know you must listen to
your heart. Although you live in a society that influences you to make
financially-driven decisions, you can’t allow this thinking to interfere with
the guidance offered by your inner voice.
When attempting to find work that will bring a sense of meaning to
your life, you understand it’s unlikely to be found through a conventional or
employed role. Instead, you must discover something you’re passionate
about and, regardless of the struggles you face, make a living from this
endeavour.
While striving to get paid from your passion, you’re aware of another
avenue to securing your freedom. You must become financially savvy, both
in respect to the money you save and the money you invest. Your ultimate
goal is financial freedom. Either through a series of long-term investments,
or by succeeding at making a living from your passion, you must have
complete control over your time.
As well as freedom and meaning, you realise the rebel has a third,
equally important, drive – the need for connection. To meet this need, you
must set aside enough time to develop and maintain the important
relationships in your life. You’re aware you might be influenced by other
entrepreneurs, and society at large, to focus exclusively on yourself and
your work. However, forfeiting connection in pursuit of freedom and
meaning is counterproductive.
While on your journey to becoming a successful rebel, you’ll remain
mindful of two traps that could deplete your personal power. While you’ll
have a need for connection and a desire to experience love and raise a
family, you’ll be very careful with whom you choose to take this step.
Marriage, despite the esteem with which it’s held by society, might not be
right for you. If you have any doubts about the institution, or the person you
are considering marrying, you’ll know to tread carefully.
A similar warning must be issued if you’re considering taking
medication for mental health issues. The rebel, because of how difficult it is
for them to live in the follower’s and leader’s world, can be prone to
depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. However, you’re now aware
that the solution, most likely, doesn’t lie in medication that carries with it
the potential for serious side effects and crippling withdrawal symptoms.
Every rebel needs a coherent philosophy to guide them towards a happy
and fulfilling life. One part of this is realising that your mind can never
retire. You may change the work you do, pursue a new passion and win
your financial freedom, but you must maintain a lifetime commitment to
growth and discovery. This will keep you young and open the possibility for
happy and productive years occurring later in life.
While continuing to grow, you’ll remain aware that your ticket to a
greater life may come disguised as a curse. As a result, breakups, failures,
dismissals and injuries now lead to a feeling of curiosity as you ask yourself
how they can be used to your advantage. By being forced to discover a new
perspective, or develop a new skill, you become stronger and can achieve
more than you ever did before.
This is The Rebel Code – 11 steps that’ll guide you to your true path and
enable you to become the dynamic agent of change you were born to be.
However, as insightful as the code is, it isn’t infallible.

The winning edge

In the Netflix drama, Narcos, the DEA (the US’s Drug Enforcement
Agency) is waging a secret war against the Columbian drug lord, Pablo
Escobar. For years, they’ve been building a case against him, tracking his
illegal activities and capturing his men in the hope they can be persuaded to
testify against him in court. However, despite all the time and effort they
invest, they always find themselves one step behind the seemingly
untouchable kingpin.
In Columbia, Pablo’s reach spreads far and wide. He has politicians,
police, journalists, local citizens and even the armed forces, on his payroll.
If he needs someone to destroy evidence, they will. If he needs the police,
and politicians, to turn a blind eye while he ships tons of cocaine to the US,
they can be bought.
Against such a backdrop, working as a DEA agent is a frustrating
experience. Despite their good intentions and diligent work, agents Steve
Murphy and Javier Pena are foiled at every turn. While Escobar operates
with impunity, assassinating prominent politicians and building and running
his own prison when he gets sentenced to jail, they are forever stymied by
having to operate within the confines of the law.
In one episode, Agent Murphy, played by actor Boyd Holbrook, remarks
on this predicament as he watches Escobar being flown to this custom-made
jail (Escobar surrendered as part of a deal he brokered with the Columbian
government to prevent a potential extradition to the US). In a moment of
reflection, he offers the following thoughts,
He beat us because he was willing to do what we weren’t. Bad guys don’t play by the
rules. That’s what makes them bad. Maybe that’s what lets them win.[44]
Ultimately, the law did catch up with Pablo Escobar. He died in 1993, after
over a year on the run from Columbian authorities and the DEA. However,
prior to the shootout that killed him, he’d operated as a cocaine trafficker
for approximately 20 years.
During this time, he’d run an illegal drugs cartel, making him the 7th
richest man in the world, and faced few legal consequences. How was this
possible?
As Agent Murphy suggests, this “success” was achieved because he
didn’t play by the rules. He was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his
goal (kill, deceive and bribe people, constantly relocate, make expedient
alliances and even put his family at risk) and he wasn’t restricted by a moral
compass, laws or the concept that certain actions were off limits. What
lesson can you, as a rebel, take from Pablo Escobar’s story?
The answer has nothing to do with criminality. Step 1 has already taught
you that breaking the laws of the society you live in, even if you don’t trust
or believe in that society, will impact your life negatively (unless these laws
are morally reprehensible and need to be broken).
So, with criminality removed, what can you learn?
Be like water
Step 12 (Break the rules) gives you an edge and enables you to win. While
you should never cheat (as this takes the honour and fun out of winning),
you shouldn’t be constrained by the commonly accepted rules of society,
business, your place of work, relationships or entrepreneurship (and also the
rules your parents give you).
While these rules may be useful in some situations, they don’t work in
all. The rigid rule follower has little ability to adapt or think creatively.
They can only operate in one way or, to use an analogy, fight in one style.
Either their programming is going to work or it won’t. And, if it doesn’t,
they’ll typically recourse to following the same approach but with greater
commitment or intensity (and therefore fail even more spectacularly).
Leave the rule following to the followers. The reason they’ll never
enjoy anything greater than a life of security and comfort is because they
lack the ability to innovate. Only the person who is prepared, when the
situation requires, to deviate from accepted practises, ideas and ways of
living, will find the ever-changing keys to success.
This is what movie star, and martial artist, Bruce Lee meant when he
said, “Be like water.” In an episode of the 1971 TV series, Longstreet, he
shared the following powerful philosophy,
Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it
becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a
teapot and it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my
friend.[45]
Don’t get tied down by dogma or rules. Bruce Lee created his own fighting
style called Jeet Kune Do. Originally, he trained in Wing Chun while living
in Hong Kong. Then, when he moved to America at the age of 18, he
broadened this training to include other martial arts as well as Judo and
Boxing.
While assimilating all of this knowledge and technique, he began to get
disillusioned. Every discipline he learned had its set of rules and fixed way
of fighting and Lee felt these prevented him from becoming the most
effective fighter possible. Out of frustration, he created his own martial art -
Jeet Kune Do - whose main tenet was, Using no way as way. He stripped
down everything he’d learned, removing the traditions from each discipline
and leaving only the techniques that applied to real combat situations.
Decades later, the martial art Lee founded displayed its value through being
an influence on modern day MMA.

Your secret weapon

Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a commencement speech at The University of
Southern California in 2009, said,
It is impossible to be a maverick or a true original if you’re too well behaved and don’t
want to break the rules. You have to think outside the box. That’s what I believe. After
all, what’s the point of being on this earth if all you want to do is be liked by everyone
and avoid trouble? The only way I got any place was by breaking some of the rules.[46]
Arnold broke his parents’ rules (they wanted him to become a police officer
like his father) when he became a bodybuilder. He broke the Austrian
army’s rules when he went AWOL to compete in the junior Mr. Europe
bodybuilding contest (which he won) in 1965. Later, he broke the unofficial
rules of acting when a man with an oversized body, an awkward accent and
little formal training, went on to become one of Hollywood’s leading men.
He blazed his own trail, with little regard to the expectations of the people
around him.
What enabled him to be so successful? His tremendous work ethic and
willingness to think big were, undoubtedly, crucial factors. However, no
assessment of Schwarzenegger’s success would be complete without
shining a light on his willingness to break the rules.
This step is so powerful because it allows you to access the full
spectrum of possibilities and solutions. It’s a rebel’s secret weapon. By
using it, you’ll succeed irrespective of opposition from the leaders and
followers. They can’t be as great as you because they’re either scared of the
consequences of breaking the rules (followers), or their position of authority
prevents them from being seen to break the rules they enforce (leaders).
This puts you at an advantage. Furthermore, unlike breaking the law,
there are no real consequences to breaking society’s rules. Sure, people are
going to disapprove and tell you you’re wrong for behaving the way you
do. Furthermore, they’ll try to scare you by exaggerating the consequences
of your actions. However, ultimately, there’s nothing they can do to stop
you living and acting as you choose.
So;
• Refuse to consistently work overtime at your job and keep your
evenings and weekends free for working on your passion or having
fun.
• Refuse to be constrained by gender roles and, if you’re a woman
and you like a man, suggest going on a date.
• Refuse to play small so the people around you can feel comfortable
about their decision to accept a life of mediocrity.
• Defy your families’ expectations and marry or start a family with
the person you love, irrespective of their race or religion.
• Refuse to go to university, despite your parents and teacher’s
wishes, if you’ve found a more inspiring option that will facilitate
your growth.
• Quit your job and start over again at 40 or 50, ignoring the
naysayers who tell you you’re too old or that you should be thinking
about saving for retirement.
Nobody can stop you from taking any of these actions. Break the rules and
you’ll learn a powerful lesson about the boundaries believed to constrain
and confine our lives – they’re not real!

Step 12 even applies to The Rebel Code. While every one of the previous 11
steps presents the rebel with an optimal approach to life, and the best way to
secure their needs for freedom, connection and meaning, don’t make the
mistake of thinking colouring outside the lines is forbidden.
Step 2 tells you to be guided by your heart when making major life
decisions and Step 4 instructs you to work on your own terms. However,
what if your current financial situation is so dire that to ignore it any longer
could see you losing your home or struggling to feed yourself?
In such circumstances, you must break the rules of The Rebel Code.
Take a pay day. Meet your immediate financial needs knowing that, as soon
as the threat has passed, you can return to the otherwise sound advice of
Step 2 and 4.
Step 7 (Make time for other people) might need to be broken when you
have an impending deadline. Step 10 (Avoid medication for mental health
issues) might need to be temporarily broken if your mood is so low, and
your behaviour so erratic, you’re a danger to yourself.
A successful rebel is one who follows the code and uses it to navigate
their way through life. However, they must also combine this with the
wisdom of Step 12 (Break the rules) and know when the time is right to
veer off course.
The Rebel Code teaches you to become an independent thinker. As a
result, no person or institution is above being questioned (this book
included). Challenge authority, challenge the so-called experts and
challenge the commonly accepted practises in your field or industry. Doing
so may present you with short-term obstacles but, long-term, it will
empower you with the knowledge and character needed to live a self-
determined life.
This completes your training . . .

Summary of step 12: Break the rules

• Adhere to The Rebel Code and, with time, it’s almost guaranteed
you’ll succeed. However, there’ll be occasions when you’re
presented with extraordinary circumstances and, at this point, it might
be necessary to deviate from the code.
• Don’t mistake breaking the rules with breaking the law. The
repercussions are vastly different and, if you do the latter, you’ll only
be placing yourself deeper in the grasp of a system you despise.
• Rule breaking is your superpower. Followers are too afraid to do it
and leaders can’t be seen doing it, so only you get to benefit from the
greater options available when you take this step.
• Aside from isolation and ridicule, there are no real consequences to
breaking the rules. You won’t go to jail; you won’t get fired (if you’re
smart when breaking the rules at work) and your friends and family
won’t abandon you (if they genuinely care about you).
• No institution, government, business, expert, author, doctor,
religious leader, teacher or professor is above being questioned.
While learning from others is important, the successful rebel
experiments with different ideas, discovering their own answers in
the process.

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THE ENDING

“Some birds aren’t meant to be caged; their feathers are just too bright.”
- Red, The Shawshank Redemption

These are Red’s thoughts after his good friend Andy escapes from
Shawshank prison. He misses him but he also recognises Andy was too
resourceful, determined and brilliant to remain trapped forever.
Just like Andy Dufresne, you weren’t meant to be caged. Your talents,
personality and thirst for life, whether fully actualised at this moment or
not, are meant for something greater. You weren’t born to waste away in a
cage created by the leaders and followers. Instead, you’re here to illuminate
a path for all of humanity to follow. Whether it’s something you create, or
the example you set through the way you choose to live, you’re here to
bring greater love, freedom and inspiration into this world.
Remember this the next time you’re feeling dejected about life and
thinking the world has no use for you. While these thoughts and feelings are
understandable, they aren’t true.
The world, more than ever, is in need of its rebels. You don’t have to
accept things the way they are. In fact, you’re right for wanting to change
and improve upon what is. Imagine how stale life would be if the rebel
didn’t point at society, the way we do business, manage our wellbeing and
conduct relationships and say, “this isn’t good enough, why don’t we try
something else?” Progress would halt.
In seeking this progress, understand you’re going to feel overwhelmed
at times. This is natural. Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems
impossible until it’s done.” Trying to create a breakthrough when you’re in
a minority of 5% can feel incredibly tough. However, despite the odds, the
walls will come tumbling down and the tides will change.
The possibility of a new dawn is upon us. Realising it won’t mean
fighting the followers and leaders. Despite their constant efforts to keep you
down, they’re just acting on their own drives (as you are with yours). The
cycle goes on and on, across centuries and millennia. The followers obey,
the leaders enforce and rebels create change. REMEMBER WHO AND
WHAT YOU ARE . . .

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YOUR FREE GIFT: THE 13TH STEP

Dear Rebel,
I hope you enjoyed the book. You’ve now read The Rebel Code and are
ready to put the 12 steps into action. However, before you do, there’s a
hidden, secret step, waiting to be unlocked.
To claim this step and complete your training, please click the link
below. It will take you through to a new page where you can enter your
email and receive the 13th step for free (in PDF format).

https://books.escapethesystemnow.com/13thstep
If you’re reading the paperback version of The Rebel Code, then enter the
URL above anywhere you have internet access and you’ll be taken through
to the landing page to download the 13th Step.

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CONNECT WITH ME

I love hearing from my readers, so if you want to get in touch to discuss the
book, provide feedback or simply share your experiences, then feel free to
email me at [email protected]
Alternatively, if you want to connect with me on social media, then you can
follow below.
Instagram: escapethesystem19
Twitter: escape_system19
Also, if you want to take a look at my website, and read articles from my
blog or find out how you can join a community of like-minded
entrepreneurs, artists and creators that meet each month, then click the link
below.
https://escapethesystemnow.com

Finally, if you like your content in video form, I also have a YouTube
channel where you can watch interviews and presentations on how to
escape the system and create the life you want. Click link below.
Escape The System YouTube Channel.
(or just “EscapeTheSystem” if you’re reading the paperback version)

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SPECIAL OFFER ON COACHING

Long before I was an author, I was working as a hypnotherapist and NLP

practitioner. Since 2005, I’ve been helping people break bad habits,
overcome insomnia and free themselves from anxiety.
After publishing my first book in 2015, I’ve also been providing online
coaching for readers wanting to act on the insights and information in my
books. So, if you’re struggling to;
• Identify a path out of a career you hate and into a business or
project you love
• Find the courage to be true to yourself and live the life you want
• Overcome the expectations of everyone around you and follow your
dreams
• Find the clarity, and develop a plan, so you can make a major life
change
• Stay motivated while you work towards creating your new life
then you might benefit from some one-to-one coaching with me. (I also still
work as a hypnotherapist and am happy to help you with any of the issues
listed at the top of the page).
To find out more or to book a free consultation, email me at
[email protected]
Quote “Rebel” in the subject bar and you’ll even get a 25% discount
off your first session should you decide to book.
My sessions are effective and affordable. There are no huge up-front fees
and, if you wish, you can cancel at any time.

Testimonials from clients:

“Joe helped me tremendously transform into the person I was meant to be.
He is kind, patient and has a profound understanding of deep blockages of
the mind. For years I was struggling to achieve my goals and overcome my
limiting beliefs. Now I am in a much better position at work, while
accomplishing a life of financial and location freedom as a physician and
musician.”
- Dr. Khalid
“I was first introduced to Joe through his book ‘Do the work you Love.’ The
book gave me the confidence to take a serious look at running my own
business. After I read the book, I followed the link and contacted Joe. He
was so approachable and an amazing mentor. Without you, I would be back
in the system and at the grind stone. With you I am free and happy.”
- Allan L.
Contact me at [email protected] to find out more.

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BACK CATALOGUE

If you want to read any of my previous books, then either click the links
below or search by title on Amazon (remember to use my name in the
search “Joe Barnes”).
Escape The System, 2015.
Do The Work You Love, 2020.
The Personal Freedom Manifesto, 2021.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Chucri Chelot for his excellent proof-reading skills.

To Romeo Milea for help with brainstorming on the title.
To Thiabut Meurisse and Tom Butler-Bowdon for promoting my previous
books.
To everyone who has written a review or provided a rating for my previous
books. It’s hugely appreciated.
To Claire Daly for your love and support.

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NOTES

[1] Joseph Stromberg and Estelle Caswell, “Why the Myers-Briggs Test is
Totally Meaningless”. https://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5881947/myers-
briggs-personality-test-meaningless
[2] Meghan Holohan, “Study finds 4 main personality types – which one
are you?” https://www.euronews.com/culture/2018/09/21/personality-types-
average-self-centered-role-model-or-reserved-t137902
[3] Jordan Peterson, Beyond Order, Penguin, 2021.
[4] UK Research and Innovation, “A Brief History of Climate Change
Discoveries”. https://www.discover.ukri.org/a-brief-history-of-climate-
change-
discoveries/index.html#:~:text=ABOVE%3A%20Measurements%20of%20
the%20amount,levels%20for%20over%20six%20decades.
[5] James Allen, As A Man Thinketh, 1902.
[6] Phil Knight, Shoe Dog, Simon and Schuster, 2016.
[7] Phil Knight, Shoe Dog, Simon and Schuster, 2016.
[8] The House I Live In, Abramorama, 2012.
[9] Clark Neily, “Prisoners are packed because prosecutors are coercing
plea deals. And yes, it’s totally legal”.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/prisons-are-packed-because-
prosecutors-are-coercing-plea-deals-yes-ncna1034201
[10] Helen Brown, Why GP’s got hooked on handing out pills, The Daily
Telegraph, Saturday 16th June 2018.
[11] Quincy Jones on battling Michael Jackson, befriending Sinatra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK6M5jPsolQ&t=627s
[12] Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, Prometheus
Entertainment, 2004.
[13] Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together at D5 Conference 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvhW8cp15tk
[14] Jessica Hinkle, “16 Highest Paying Freelance Jobs with Salaries and
Duties”. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/highest-paying-
freelance-jobs
[15] Kathy Morris, “Survey: 50% of people hate their jobs – here’s why.”
https://www.zippia.com/advice/why-people-hate-their-jobs/
[16] Andrew Naber, “One third of your life is spent at work”.
https://www.gettysburg.edu/news/stories?id=79db7b34-630c-4f49-ad32-
4ab9ea48e72b#:~:text=How%20much%20of%20your%20life,at%20work
%20over%20a%20lifetime
[17] The Gambler, Paramount Pictures, 2014.
[18] David Bach, The Automatic Millionaire, Penguin, 2003.
[19] Jacob Lund Fisker, “Frequently Asked Questions”.
https://earlyretirementextreme.com/frequently-asked-questions
[20] Keith Speights, “S&P 500 Index Fund Average Annual Return Rate”.
https://www.fool.com/investing/how-to-invest/index-funds/average-return/
[21] Liz Knueven and Rickie Houston, “The average stock market return
over the past 10 years”. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-
finance/average-stock-market-return?r=US&IR=T
[22] Mark Hulbert, “Buy and Hold? Sure, but don’t forget the ‘Hold’”.
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/business/yourmoney/02stra.html
[23] Andrew Mclean and Gary Eldred, Investing in Real Estate, Wiley,
2005.
[24] How to REALLY become a millionaire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW9R_aNGF4E
[25] Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, AD 171 – 175.
[26] Pete Bombaci, “We need a human connection movement right now . . .
before the next crisis arrives”. https://community.thriveglobal.com/we-
need-a-human-connection-movement-right-nowbefore-the-next-crisis-
arrives/
[27] Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, “The rise of living alone: how one-person
households are becoming increasingly common around the world”.
https://ourworldindata.org/living-alone
[28] “Divorce Statistics: Over 115 Studies, facts and rates for 2022”.
https://www.wf-lawyers.com/divorce-statistics-and-facts/
[29] Erin Yurday, “Divorce statistics UK 2023”.
https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/divorce-statistics-
uk#:~:text=The%20average%20overall%20divorce%20rate,a%20couple%2
0has%20been%20together.
[30] John Gray, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, Harper
Collins, 1992.
[31] Relate, “Over a quarter of relationships are ‘sexless’”.
https://www.relate.org.uk/get-help/over-quarter-relationships-are-sexless
[32] Bill Maher: I’ve never understood the concept of marriage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l37SWfuT32M
[33] Bill Maher: I’ve never understood the concept of marriage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l37SWfuT32M
[34] Meet Joe Black, Universal Pictures, 1998.
[35] National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Research suggests benzodiazepine
use is high while use disorder rates are
low”.https://archives.nida.nih.gov/news-events/science-highlight/research-
suggests-benzodiazepine-use-high-while-use-disorder-rates-are-low
[36] Juliette McClendon, “The dilemma of mental health medication side
effects at work”. https://www.bighealth.co.uk/blog/the-dilemma-of-mental-
health-medication-side-effects-at-
work/#:~:text=However%2C%2058%25%20of%20people%20taking,exper
ience%20moderately%20severe%20side%20effects.
[37] Juliette McClendon, “The dilemma of mental health medication side
effects at work”. https://www.bighealth.co.uk/blog/the-dilemma-of-mental-
health-medication-side-effects-at-
work/#:~:text=However%2C%2058%25%20of%20people%20taking,exper
ience%20moderately%20severe%20side%20effects.
[38] Mayo Clinic, “Mental illness”. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968
[39] James Davies, Cracked, Icon Books, 2014.
[40] James Davies, Cracked, Icon Books, 2014.
[41] George Lucas’ Advice https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=sCP2SGTIz28
[42] Melody Redman, “My loneliness is killing me: the devastating health
effect of social isolation”. https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/my-
loneliness-is-killing-me-the-devastating-health-effects-of-social-
isolation#:~:text=Loneliness%20and%20health&text=Loneliness%20is%20
associated%20with%20worse,for%20depression%20in%20later%20life.
[43] Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall, Simon & Schuster UK, 2012.
[44] Narcos S01 EO8: La Gran Mentira, Netflix, 2015.
[45] Longstreet Season 1 Episode 1: The Way of the Intercepting Fist,
Paramount Network Television, 1971.
[46] Arnold Schwarzenegger Life’s 6 rules FULL SPEECH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvYXMnnO2jg&t=331s

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