Why do your parents push you to be mediocre?

Reader,

Why are our parents and friends always on our case about getting a “stable” job, getting married, and buying a house?

Why are they always crinkling their noses in disgust when they hear us trying something new? 

“Oh, what is this Paleo thing?? You mean you have to skip eating rice FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE??”

In an old interview, my friend Michael Ellsberg and I were talking about why a lot of our parents and friends took the traditional road to life. Sometimes, even though they’re unhappy, they push us to make the same decisions they did!

It’s weird because the very same people who harangue you about all the things you “need” to do are often the SAME people who are buried in mortgage debt whose idea of fun is 2.5 beers every single weekend, same as last weekend. 

They serve as a crystal ball into our mediocre future.

In our interview, Michael said something I’ll never forget:

“Our parents want safety for us, not excellence.”

Safety, not excellence. In other words, they want us to take that safe job, live in that safe place, and make those safe choices, because they’re worried about the RISK of us ending up homeless or (gasp) unhappy. 

(People love to complain about being unhappy, then do everything possible to become predictably unhappy.)

What our parents ignore is the potential for EXCELLENCE.

To be excellent, you have to make unconventional choices. Sometimes, choices that seem risky.

But here’s the counterintuitive truth: 

If you get a few amazing pillars of your Tripod of Stability — like your job, relationships, and house — you can afford to take massive risks in your life.

Let me show you what I mean.

By the way, real talk: NOBODY talks about this because it’s not the sexy narrative of throwing it all to the wind and becoming an entrepreneur. 

My goal isn’t to sell you soothing narratives. It’s to show you how you can deliberately, methodically, and successfully create a Rich Life.

A Dream Job can be the BEST support system for doing exactly that. 

For example, what if your Dream Job paid you $20,000 more? (I can show you how.)

What if you could switch industries? No problem.

What if you could build the skills to eventually start your own business — while your job PAYS YOU to learn?

Your Dream Job will give you:

An enviable income. We’re willing to work — as long as we know we’ll be compensated handsomely for our time. (BTW, you can use your savings to “fuel” your business or whatever you want.)

Free training. A great job offers you the ability to build your skills. (And pays you to do it!)

Amazing connections. People say, “It’s all about who you know.” YES! This is exactly how you meet amazing people. Not by reading some subreddit on dodgeball. I’ll show you how.

When people ask me, “Ramit, should I get a Dream Job or start a business?” 

The answer is simple: Yes and yes. 

Be realistic. The fact is the vast majority of us will have a job throughout our lives. 

Most of us have never learned how to find a Dream Job. We just took what was in front of us.

Over the next week, we’re going to talk about how to create a career that gives you MORE freedom, not less — freedom to make more money, to take more risks, and to craft the life you want.

Not just a job you trudge to every day, but SOMETHING YOU LOVE. 

You spend enough hours there. You SHOULD love it. I’ll show you how.

For today, I want you to meet Andrea. Andrea leveraged her Dream Job to get a $10,000 bonus, extra courses and training, and then used those wins to take time off and go traveling (knowing she could go back to her career when she came back).

Talk soon,

P.S. I also recorded a bunch of videos to show you other stories — people just like you landing Dream Jobs with little experience, switching industries, and getting $5,000 - $25,000 raises. They’re all on this page (scroll to the bottom for more).