Corporate Addiction

I am a woman who has a lot of pans in the fire, constantly on the move and constantly working to bring my dreams to fruition.  But, I recently noticed something about my personality that made me wonder if I have a disease that I am likening to corporate addiction.  The symptoms are like those released prisoners with an institutionalized mentality.  You have heard of them.  They are so addicted to the institutionalized life that as soon as they are released, they do something to go right back to prison.   Their act of crime is done with the intent to be caught and to go back to the life with the comfort of a ritual, being told what to do, knowing what to expect, and when.  Without a doubt, that is a disease of the mind and of a spirit that is afraid to take control of its own life.  Well, how does that relate to corporate addiction?  Simply put, having control of your own time. 

Time is what made me think of it as a corporate addiction, because every time I get the chance to manage my own time to work harder and smarter toward what I really believe I want, I tie my time up with another corporation.  I won’t name names of corporations, nor am I writing this to complain.  Just wondering how many people on earth are in the same boat.  We talk about our dreams and how we don’t have time to pursue them, yet we can’t cut the corporate ties.  Yes, corporations pay us and pay some of us better than others, but are we happy?  Do we prefer to complain how the 9 to 5 job is really a 9 to 9 or longer?  Do we like the hype of complaining to each other about our long hours?  Is it preferable to regret lost time with family, lost sleep, and lost time?  Maybe, instinctively we harbor spirits of fear and don’t really believe our affirmations and dogged determination will manifest into the life that we secretly or not so secretly want.  Just asking. 

As I look within and without, I know that money manifests into the life style we know, just like the lifestyle the institutionalized prisoner knows.  But, when do we cut the ties and release, let go.  Isn’t that what the greats or so many people who run their own businesses do?  They step out on faith, believe in themselves, see the bigger picture, and untie themselves to someone else’s dreams and expectations.  Where would Ford be without Henry?  Where would Microsoft be without Bill?  They were addicted to no other corporations than their own.

It occurs to me as I think more and more about this that our economy would probably be at its greatest, if more of us had their faith and their drive.  Perhaps even the elimination of poverty could be possible if everyone had an attitude of self-sufficiency that was based on the belief in their own talents and abilities.  Or, perhaps, this is the direction the next evolution of commerce is taking, the entrepreneurial revolution replacing the information revolution that replaced the industrial that replaced the agricultural.  We are all here for a purpose to help each other, but the best way we can do that is to help ourselves.  So my recommendation, if you see yourself a victim of your own corporate addiction, is to open that business you are dreaming about.  Have faith.  I do.  So, I’m still tied to corporations and rules, but I am still tossing those pans around in the fire as I build my own corporate world. 

As I build my bridge to freedom, I hope to help others take control wherever they can.  In my recent book, A Comprehensive Guide to Finding the Right Doctor, I share tips on controlling your choices in healthcare providers.