Blue Pill or Red Pill?

“You are a slave (insert your name), born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind.” -The Matrix

Joel: Recently, I taught a two week J Term class to 9-12th graders titled Life Hacks and Finance. In it, I introduced the kids to the concept of Financial Independence. Financial Independence means you have enough financial assets to sustain your lifestyle in perpetuity. The short of it, you have enough money to never work again. It was a fun class to teach high schoolers. We all know the typical American dream of going to college to get a job, 2.5 kids, your first “big boy/girl purchase of a new car, credit card debit, student loans, a mortgage, and the cherry on top rampant consumerism. I wanted to show them an alternative way to do life. 

How does this happen? How have we, the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen, have a populace where 56% of Americans cannot afford a surprise expense of $1000? I would argue we were born into a prison that you cannot smell or touch. The majority of us are, as my students and I often said in class, stuck in the matrix. 

We work so we can buy stuff. Since we buy stuff we have to work. We are stuck on the hedonic treadmill and cannot get off. We are searching for meaning through objects. 

The matrix is our consumerist society that values things over experiences, over people. But, what if I could show you a different way?

“You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” 

Blue pill takers… stop reading. Work until 65-70 because you have bills. Enjoy your new car and never ending debt. Let’s pray social security holds up.

Red pill takers. There is another way. What if we worked because we wanted to? Because it fulfilled us not because we have bills to pay. What if you don’t have to work another day? What if we lived in a world where parents raise their own babies rather than contracting them out to strangers? Want to see the world? 

Financial independence is available to everyone. But you must first take the red pill. You must look at life differently and recognize the invisible forces that are causing you to want to spend. To “need” that thing. 

Fully grasping the matrix is not something that can be done in one blog post. In fact, the thesis of this entire blog project is to, little by little, pull back the veil. To help you learn how to look at life differently and live your best life.

Will you take the blue pill or the red pill?

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.