Mornings in Miami are rather bleak.

Rush Hour

     I decided to go to the local gas station to pick up an energy drink around 6am and, on my rush to the minimart, I pulled in only to see Kendall Drive packed and dismantled with people (just like you, and just like me) trying to get ahead in life. I saw traffic, crowding out any room for thought, and leaving only room for margin-of-error. All of these people and we can assume that 9 of those 10 are not happy…

     The fact is, we spend so much of our time trying to play “catch-up” with society that we forget a very simple principle: to get ahead, one must change things. I had a theory a long time ago about rush-hour traffic: why not stay at work a few hours later? The traffic in Miami is caustic to the point where a 2-to-3 hour commute is expected to and from work (and I do not mean combined together). Why not just push a few hours extra at work and drive home in fifteen minutes?

     This is a principle I cannot prove.

But I can speculate.

     Many of us are people of great passion. We wake up to write; we wake up to breathe; we wake up to enjoy life. And this does not seem to be the case with most of those in Miami. Rather, our duty rests at the dual-edged sword of society’s whim. We try so hard to maintain the balance that we forget to get ahead; we forget to push for greater things; and we forget to maintain a stronger mindset, where freedom is rewarded.

     Some of us belong to the two percent mindset, where we achieve not based on the whim of others but, rather, the desire to do something great with our lives. But I have met many of those same people who get caught up with life: a child is born unexpectedly or, perhaps worse, we wed with another who later becomes a person we do not know. Then it becomes time to be the “breadwinner” and make a living. Where is the dignity in that? Where is the honor, the courage, or the privilege?

Don’t Stop

     I live by a common principle, and I urge you to adopt it: don’t – ever – stop. What does this mean? It does not mean drop everything you are currently doing and try to do what you love. Rather, it means do what you are good at, and soon you will begin to love what you are good at. This is, again, speculation, but what if I am right? What if you are living a shell of a life that has no true value? Sure, there is value in children, marriage, and work, but these things leave very little room for a free mindset. Do not take this as a bash on those who are among the above.

     Rather, take is as a challenge. Can you live the American dream while successively spending an extra two hours a day on your own side projects? Can you succeed at work and then come home, spend time with the family, and pass on something more than a minute wage and haphazardous love for your life? Can you be better than you are now? I ask these questions for a simple reason: to motivate you to join me.

Join Me

     I enjoy writing, and I enjoy work. I never let the two entangle themselves together. When I write, it is for me. When I work, it is so I can afford to write. There may be a lot of difference between who you are and who I am, but think about this: is it really enough to drag a blade across the day? Is it really enough to focus so hard on success that you forget to do what you love, or to learn to love what you are good at? And last but not least, is it really enough to sit in Miami’s maze of traffic, wondering what wretched task is waiting for you the second you walk through those brazen glass doors? Think about it, and contact me if you have any questions on breaking free.