By Myracle Stevenson

What is your idea of “The American Dream”? Think about that for a second… I thought I was living the American Dream working 9-5 from home, making $75k/yr, traveling the world for work and leisure on the company's dime, and living in a high rise condo on the strip in Las Vegas, NV. On the surface it seemed as if I had made it.

Reality Check✓

Turns out the American Dream was a facade, its false advertisement, a ploy by the powers that be to keep you in financial bondage. I had a great job, bosses I thought loved me, loyal clientele, great retirement plan, all the bells, and whistles. My numbers were great! I was the top seller, #2 in the whole company, and not far off being #1. Then one day it all came to a screeching halt. I got a phone call that turned my world upside down. The VP of the company called me and threatened my job. Confused and shaken up, I called my spiritual advisor; He said, “Myracle, there’s no such thing as job security. You’ve been talking about starting your own business so do it!” I used my resources, my savings, and my background in Business Development to get me started. Needless to say, I poured all of me into building my business. I gave up the “lavish lifestyle”, moved back to California, stopped traveling so much, and made better decisions concerning my future, so that I could leave a legacy for the coming generations.

Who Ain't Got No Drive?

See, I could’ve gone out and sought employment elsewhere. When all this went down, my initial thought was to update my LinkedIn profile. Like many entrepreneurs I’m a go-getter; that’s what I’m wired to do. Suddenly I had a moment of clarity where I realized the same thing would keep happening no matter what company I worked for. Corporate America is parallel whether it’s a big company or a small one; the same rules apply.

I haven’t “MADE IT” yet, but I can say I’m free. My life is no longer tethered to a company and bosses that secretly plot my downfall. I choose who I work with, my fees, and I make the contracts. Don’t make the same mistake I made and wait until you get fired or threatened with termination to get up and start building your legacy. Everyone has some skill that can be monetized. I leave you with this one important tool, SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! God forbid you to get blindsided and don’t even see it coming, and have no source of security to get you by. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 6 months of income saved up at all times to prepare you for the drought so that you may not perish.