Summary: Escaping My Shawshank Cubicle, and First Steps on the Road to Simplicity<br> Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thanks!<br> <br> Main Topics <br> Dan's Topic: Escaping My Shawshank Cubicle<br> "Indoor" jobs have never been a good match for my personality. I did well at them…the tasks, anyways, but I felt like that "staff work" was slowly sucking the life out of me…stealing my soul. Plus, I've always been a pretty fast worker and some would say I'm a great time manager, and that's how it may look. But the truth is, I just have an ability to get crazy focused and knock out some really quality stuff really really quickly. Some people think that's a gift…but I always said it was a curse.<br> So, the reason I say it's a curse is because I vividly remember…so many times...sitting at my desk, looking at the clock, it's 2:30 pm, I'm not only caught up on my work but I'm way ahead. Yet there is no way I can leave. That's just not how it worked. I'm essentially a prisoner….to a cubicle cell, and my master is $7 clock. A really, really slow clock that I swear sometimes ticked backwards, just to spite me.<br> <br> It was in those times that the seed was planted that someday I would build a future for myself, us, and our family,where our lives were designed purposefully around what we love. And I'll get to that in a bit.<br> <br> But I'm just guessing that as you simplify your life, shaping how you work is important to you, too. You probably dream about creating a simpler life that includes a lifestyle business…you know, not a business that you work at 24/7 for a few years hoping someone buys you out…I'm talking a situation where you do something that helps other people, that you love doing, and that affords you the chance to live life on your terms. So, I wanted to share a couple of adages that will give you something to ponder this week as you listen to podcasts in your car or cubicle. Maybe they’ll prod you just enough to take some action.<br> <br> The Frog in a Pot of Water: <br> The adage goes that if you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to jump right out. But if you place it gently in a pot of warm water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death. Crazy huh? Now don't run out and try this. Be nice to frogs or they'll keep you up all night when you're camping. Seriously though, haven't you felt like this at work some times? I know I did. You get to the point where you'll put up with anything because you're comfortable with the "security", "predictability", whatever. But is that as good as it's supposed to get?<br> Crabs in a Bucket:<br> So the story goes that if you put a bunch of crabs in a bucket, most of the crabs will just clamor around at the bottom of the bucket making a fuss. But what happens when one of the crabs tries to climb out of the bucket? Do all the other crabs join in to help him escape? Nope. They pull him back down into the bucket. Now, I'm not going to draw any direct conclusions to your life, but how many times have you wanted to do something new, different or adventurous and all those around you who supposedly "care" about you say “that’s crazy”, or “no” or try to talk you out of it, or tell you how bad things could get. Now it's certainly not because the they don't want you to succeed. I think it's because they DO care and just don't want to see you fail. But sometimes, just like the crabs, they don't know that if they just give you a lift then you might actually make it! That's the crab mentality. Sure, there are some who might think "Well if I can't have it then no one can." But, I tend to trust in humanity,
