Behaviors and Situations of the Employee

Most people want to have a career of some kind to make money, however, the ways people go about it can be different. The way most of us are familiar with is being an employee. The employee operates on the expectation of income then performs to achieve that expectation.

People who work for a paycheck, bonus or profit sharing plans, perks etc. are shown the promise of what seems to be wealth at the time then work hard to achieve it. They wouldn't consider doing a job for free. These are most of the people we know, likely ourselves at some point, first getting a degree, then getting the job, then a raise, then a better job, then trying to get a promotion; always motivated by the paycheck or getting a bigger paycheck, higher degree, a bonus or promotion of some kind. That is what we learn. It's taught everywhere, from kindergarten to grad schools and definitely in big business.

So if you take away the incentive, the paycheck, the bonus, the granting of the degree, what is the motivation to press on? With this kind of expectation there is none. An employee is in always trading precious time for money, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day until they retire and hopefully with enough money saved so they can pay their way until the end. They see no other way.

This is not a condemnation. It has served human kind for a long time and great improvements in lifestyle and health were gained this way. It works for many people, or is it that they have not considered a different approach?

Being an employee is a fairly easy way to live. It's a very well known way of life for about 95% of us. Just follow someone else's plan. But never call your own shots; don't have a say in when you work; work overtime for free if you are salaried; or have the threat of losing your job if you and your boss don't get along.

The more we get involved in this the more we are dependent on it. Just think, if you are the president or high official in a company, that company needs you and needs you on their terms. This could be in the middle of your daughter's piano recital or on a family vacation. You are probably making a large salary and have expenses that compliment that, BIG. What happens if you lose your job? Yikes! Suddenly you need to sell the boat and sell the second home (if you can).

You also see some employees that will not perform if the boss is away, or if they feel like they aren't getting paid enough. On the other hand there are bosses that will only do the bare minimum to keep employees happy thinking that they are a commodity or not worth the effort.

Sure, you can love the work you do but maybe you don't want to do that much of it. Maybe you want some more time for yourself. Maybe you want to be able to have more of a say in when and where you get the job done. Maybe you're not into face time and sucking up to the boss. Maybe you are tired of working for money, trading your time for dollars. Or maybe it suits you just fine. If so, you're very lucky.

If not, would you consider an alternative? There are alternatives and people who succeed in their own leveraged businesses don't have to trade time for money any more. It requires more effort in the short term but in the long term the benefits can far surpass the effort.