In part one I talked about what makes a job a career versus something that just makes us money. In part two I went on to discuss what the Bible has to say about the careers we choose. In this final part of the series I wanted to dig a little deeper into how we can practically combine these things (our passion, our job, and our beliefs), as well as how I am trying to break this idea down into something that can help me achieve my career goal and break free from the 9 to 5 job. My thinking on this subject has been influenced, as always, by the Bible, but also by a book I recently finished titled “The 4-hour work week” by Tim Ferris. In this book, Tim provides some useful insights and different ways of thinking about our careers. While I didn't agree with the motivation he gives for wanting to join the "new rich" as Tim calls them (more on that later) I do think that the major themes of the book provide a new way to see and think about work, goals and our passions in life. Before I dive into the book, I wanted to give a couple thoughts about the American Dream.
The idea of the American dream seems to be ingrained in us from youth and we often accept it as normal instead of capturing it and measuring it against scripture to see if it really holds up. A big part of this dream (the whole end-game in fact) is to save up money and (after 35+ years of working the every day “9 to 5”) retire. One of the main points from the book was how the “new rich” break this mold and live out their lives with retirement sprinkled throughout ("mini-retirements" as Tim calls them). I found this concept appealing. It provides for a better flow of seasons in life. How many times have you taken a 7 to 10-day vacation and worried the whole time about getting everything just right? The thought process often becomes: "we won’t get another shot at it for another 6 to 12 months, so do it big now!".
If the weather is wrong or someone is sick or something unforeseen at work comes up the whole thing can be thrown into turmoil. Living life this way can feel hectic and a bad mood can ruin the whole experience. The mini-retirement approach allows for more time to focus on family and rest, and as Tim explains, immerse yourself in another environment. This doesn't have to be a trip to Hawaii or Europe (though Tim recommends wold travel) but it does provide more time to enjoy family and relax than the typical vacation of a week or two.
Looking back at the American dream, a larger perspective change came when I thought about what the Bible would say about the idea of retirement. It's scary how closely the idea of retirement in America matches the rich man in the parable Jesus tells in Luke 12:13-21. I think that the phrase: "take life easy, eat, drink and be merry" would sum up the American goal of retirement perfectly.
This is where I really think that Tim's concept of creating a career that earns money passively as you live life can fit into the Biblical concept of stewardship better than the American dream. I don't think a 9 to 5 job is wrong, but I do think that working for the future and focusing all our savings and expectations and even hope on retirement is. Passive earning can be a way to work your whole life. There doesn’t need to be as tight of an emphasis on working years with this type of earning as a normal 9 to 5 job. The Bible tells us to be smart with our money and the parable of the talents is a great example of this. Smart investing is a necessary part of using our money, but, as always in the Bible, it boils down to a heart issue. What is your end-game? This is where I think the motivation that Tim provides for joining the "new-rich" falls short of the Bible.
Let me first say that Tim doesn't claim to be religious, but he does dive into some comments about his motivation for achieving this status of "New rich" and gaining the freedom it provides. For Tim, the motivation boils down to “excitement”. He says:
"Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. When people suggest you follow your 'passion' or your 'bliss', I propose that they are in fact, referring to the same singular concept: excitement."
As Christians, we know this idea, which I think could be called: "following your heart", is off base because the subject and end all is me. Instead, Jesus reminds us that only in following Him can we have the true goal of life. Joy! I talked about Joy in this blog and the main takeaway was that joy is very different than happiness (or excitement as Tim calls it). Joy is a discipline that we learn. We can have joy in pain and hard circumstances when happiness is long gone. Excitement, much like happiness, depends on our circumstances while Joy depends on the outlook we have in life. If my outlook is anchored to my finances; how much money I have in the bank or how exciting my life is, then there is no difference between excitement, happiness, and joy. BUT, if my outlook in life is anchored in the promises of God then my Joy is independent of how exciting something is or how happy I am emotionally or how much money I have because my joy is found in something outside my circumstances.
The anchor of our joy determines the outlook of our life!
Thankfully, the Bible doesn't leave us hanging here, it reminds us time and again that God is more than able to provide everything that we need. This was a big realization for me. American Christianity blows right through many of these promises and commands and instead of letting the promise define how we save or spend our money it seems to incorporates the “best practices” from the world (or just adopts the worlds desire for security) and then backs them all up with out of context scriptures. I really liked how this book helped me rethink some of the traditions we take for granted when it comes to money retirement finances and helped me instead put them under the Biblical microscope.
I do think there can be a place for retirement in a Christians life. I just think that if the end game for our career is to sit on a beach somewhere and "relax" while we enjoy our storehouse of money then our goal is not Biblical.
So how does all this fit into the pursuit of my career? That is a good question and I think it is one that must be taken seriously. To ignore the promises of God in favor of comfort or security is a dangerous offense. How we manage our money, time and resources are of the utmost importance. With that in mind, I have three goals concerning the career I want. These goals are shaped by this book, the Bible and my experience working different jobs throughout my life.
The first goal is to find a career that allows me to prioritize my family. For me this is allowing me to spend a majority of my time with them, My goal is not to work as little as possible, instead, I want to be able to work from home and be active and present as my kids grow up as much as possible. Leaving before they wake up, and getting home 3 hours before they go to bed is not what I want. I think working from home can also provide a good example for my kids. It can show them what it takes to succeed in life by allowing them to see me work every day. Finally, on this point, I love to travel and still want to (be it mini-retirements or for a work from home job in some capacity). However, I don't want to leave my family at home while I travel. Instead, I want to be able to travel with them. This is where the idea of mini-retirements fits into my thinking. Giving my kids an experience to see new places is valuable and fun and I want to be able to incorporate travel into their lives if possible.
My second goal is to provide for my family. A house, a Christian education for my kids, food, vacations and so forth are all included in this. There are wants and needs in this list and I understand that wanting to take my family on work trips may not always fit under the promises that Jesus gives when he says to ask in His name and He will do it. Regardless, I do think that my motivation behind all these requests is in alignment with the command to ask in Jesus name. The goal of all these requests is to glorify God through strengthening my family and being a father who is there to teach my kids about hard work and Jesus. Cliché? Maybe, but Biblical, and that is what matters.
My third goal is to do something I love. Ultimately this is working from home, doing something that puts my family first, shares the Gospel with others, shows my kids how hard work can pay off and encourages everyone around me to trust God. This goal is lofty for someone who has little “real world” entrepreneurial experience, but I have three things that I think can tip the scales in my favor. First is a trust that God’s promises concerning prayer are true. If I ask and trust, He will provide! Second is a willingness to work hard and find a job that can work. This is the practical step and I think a required part of finding an answer from God. Finally, I believe I have valuable knowledge that can make a difference in peoples lives. As an armchair theologian, Engineer, athlete, Graphics designer, father, adoptive parent, avid reader, world traveler and lover of Jesus I believe there is a job that can fulfill all the desires I have for a career. This is where the meat of the "4-hour work week" focused and the part I found most encouraging.
The main concept behind the 4-hour work week was to find a product that you can sell online (ideally for around $80-$100). Tim explains that the back end (shipping, packaging, even the building) of the product needs to be simple and straightforward. The goal is something that you don't have to micro-manage, but will still provide a constant paycheck. I find this idea appealing for a couple of reasons. The first is that I know how this type of process works. I have experience with earning royalties from church videos that I sell through a couple different websites. Seeing how this works and the fact that I can get a paycheck every month for videos I created months or years ago just reinforces the idea that this can work. Second is the openhandedness of this concept. This is both good and bad, the possibilities are really limitless. But that also means it may take a while to find an idea that will work. I have a couple ideas I have started to try and get my feet wet with the process of selling and advertising online, and my goal is to get the first one out later this year. So with these ideas, I bid 2018 goodbye. I am excited for the possibilities in 2019 and pray that as I continue to pursue these goals, God would provide wisdom and direction along the way. Here is to a great 2019!
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