Interview #2: Rachael

Posted on November 28, 2007
Filed Under Interviews |

This is the second in a series of interviews with people who have successfully ‘dropped out’ of the rat race.

Rachael ByrnesName: Rachael Byrnes

Age: 28

Rachael gave up her job with an environmental NGO to concentrate on her creative life as a singer-songwriter. Music is now her primary occupation.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia and has a blog at lessismoreblog.blogspot.com

Where do you live now and what do you do?

Melbourne, Australia. Singer/songwriter and creator. Part time administrator, part time keyboard and vocal teacher.

Where did you live before you left the rat race and what did you do?

I lived in Melbourne same area. I worked as a full time fundraising and development administrator for an environmental NGO.

What made you decide to drop out of the rat race?

I noticed that a vast majority of people in the rat race seemed to carry either concious or repressed depression. Many of the people I worked with and knew were happy and competitive on the surface yet unfulfilled and apathetic underneath. In contrast the people I met and observed on my travels through Nepal, were poor yet extremely vibrant people. This made me question the validity of affluence. I then read books like Affluenza, Your Money or Your Life and What Should I Do with My Life? which made opened my eyes to different possibilities for living a more enriched life.

How did you get started?

I used my imagination first. I dreamed about how things could be different. I asked myself and the universe “how does it get better than this.” I looked deeply into myself to discover my true talents and gifts and used books as a way to keep me dreaming about what could be possible for me. Po Bronson’s book “What Should I Do with My Life?” was very helpful and provided many inspiring stories about people who have changed their careers or moved out of the rat race.

Discussing my aspirations with other people was also helpful however I think it’s important to choose the right people. Quite often when you start dreaming about what you want, friends and family will try to rationalise you out of wanting what you want. They will say things like… “we are so lucky here”, “we complain about our jobs but we should be happy that we are safe and not living in poverty” etc.

People say these things because they relate to tension you feel between what you want and what you have right now. They try to resolve that by rationalising you out of wanting what you want.

A painter doesn’t choose not to paint a painting because people are starving in Africa. It’s ok to want what you want! Humans have always been creative beings. We should celebrate our desires and dreams and enjoy the process of building and creating them. If you want to help Africa, then help Africa. Create a way to help Africa.

How is your life different now?

I am a musician now. I spend far more time devoted to music than I did then. I consider it the king in my working life. It sits at the top of my life and and I try to make everything else serve it (career wise that is). I have proven to myself that I can create great music that people love. Before I was so exhausted by the daily grind that I didn’t give my music the attention and sustenance it needed.

What have been the highs and lows so far?

The lows have been:

Financial worries. Living with the uncertainty of self employment. Not knowing how much money is going to come in. I’ve managed to create work as a music teacher, and get paid for occasional gigs however, I don’t have an album yet so I’m not making money off what I love to do most – songwriting and composing. This means I’ve had to earn money by balancing other money making activities (freelance admin work, teaching etc..).

The highs have been:

Would you have done anything differently?

No

Do you have a philosophy or a mode you like to live by?

We create because we love the vision of what we want to create enough for it to exist. This applies to any activity in life. Don’t problem solve. Instead create what you want. It is not a problem that a song doesn’t exist before it is written. Songs a written because they are loved enough by the writer to exist. Always hold the vision for what you want to create. Don’t loose sight of it in the face of “problems.” Choose people, activities, and structures that support your vision and …..seize the day!

What advice would you give to someone wanting to do the same thing?

Create your life like it’s a piece of art. Decide, describe and define the life you want to create and bring the vision to life by writing it down, making a collage, posting it on the net… what ever way works for you. When I decided to make the change I created a blog, lessismoreblog.blogspot.com. This helped my vision feel real and not a flaky concept that could easily be knocked down by bitter people stuck in the rat race. Show people you mean it!! Commit to real life stepping stone actions that prove your committed: do a short course, create a discussion group, start a blog, join a co-op, anything that helps bring your vision to life.

Also read The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz.

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