A couple of months ago, our five-year-old son was relieved to find out that he could have two best friends. For weeks he’d been stuck in an innocent adolescent triangle where both kids wanted him to be their exclusive bestie. They would pull his arms at the playground and he would come home agonizing about which one to pick. We told him he didn’t have to, and the moment he actually believed us, he was thrilled.
1. Cashing out is a viable alternative to retirement We all tell ourselves stories about money, but the story of the “ideal retirement” has persisted for decades, despite the fact that the number of people working past retirement age has consistently grown since the 1990s. For most people, the idealized concept of retirement is a deal between you, your employer, and the federal government.
2. The myth of meritocracy hurts everyone It only takes a few years of working in an office to realize that meritocracy is a noble lie that we are paid to believe. We know the only thing hard work guarantees you is more work. It’s OK to take pride in our work ethic, but it becomes problematic when we make it our identity and continue to push past the limits of our physical and mental health.
Think about it this way: Every time you get rid of a debt, you essentially increase the amount of surplus cash you have. Doing so early and often during your working years is like giving yourself a raise. Imagine no longer waiting for someone to decide you’re worthy of more money. That mindset shift alone does more for self-empowerment than most run-of-the-mill employee development programs ever could.
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