“The American life is black and white but the American Dream is nothing more than shades of grey” – Don Sabatini
Finding Purpose In Life
It is easy to see the black and white in in your purpose in life, it is common, simple and expected. You wake up, go to work, get a paycheck, spend it and the world keeps turning and turning with each and every day being one more missed opportunity for you to wake up.
A friend once asked me what is the difference between the American Life and the American Dream, and why everyone that lives in America isn’t leaving the dream? I actually thought that it was such a simple question with such a simple response but yet the equation itself was nothing simple at all.
Life is full of black and white, everything you do is what you are expected to do for the most part. Your purpose in life is based upon the logic you were taught, not always the logic you can learn. In other words, if your parents were very conservative in their money spending, you learned to be too and if your parents taught you to save all the money you make, you most likely see that as logical and right. The only downfall to this technique is that if your parents were not very entrepreneurial, you are most likely working a 9-5 job that you don’t like but pays you well. This simple black and white logic is very basic and expected. This method of purpose in life as you were told to see it is my definition of the American Life.
If you live in the American Life and you make $50,000 a year, you pay 30% worth of taxes and take home about $35,000 which might be plenty of money for you, but if you need more, you work twice as hard or multiple jobs to increase your income. What if I told you that if you make $50,000 gross a year, there is a way for you to keep the entire $50,000 in your pocket. You would keep the money you make, pay minimal taxes, not work an extra hour for it and yet you would almost double your income. What if I told you that this way is 100% legal and right under your nose, but yet year after year you choose to pay all of your money to taxes for things you don’t even understand.
No this is not a tax lesson but rather a way of thinking one. Learning the various concepts that exist around you is key to understand how to use them to your advantage. Trying to think deeply about why you do something, and understanding how to not do what you don’t like is how you start thinking outside the box. I hate paying for exotic cars, so I found a way to drive them without paying any money. I hate paying taxes on my hard earned money, so I found ways to not pay as much. These are just two small examples of what makes one person smarter than another. Look at the picture above when you are finding your purpose in life and choose where to sit, you might choose black or white… or you could choose to sit on the floor.
Looking for the alternative from what most are used to enables you to gain knowledge of various concepts and understanding of the world around you. What makes an entrepreneur who he is and enables him to live his dream is the ability to see what most don’t, even though sometimes their vision takes them ahead of where they are today, they alone see it and understand it. Others on the other hand will not see it and therefore dismiss it instead of looking for ways to understand it.
Life is full of shades of grey and also full of black and white, the one you choose to see is the one that will determine if you live the American Life or the American Dream.
