there are immigrants in this country

there are immigrants in this country who know they are struggling in this country who know they are struggling they are doing night shifts doing agency work double shifts doing agency work double shifts sometimes even triple shifts they are on survival mode they are on survival mode for the people in this category for the people in this category nobody needs to explain the UK trap to them nobody needs to explain the UK trap to them they can feel it every morning they can feel it every morning when they wake up when they wake up then there's a second group they have a career progressing they've got a mortgage a nice financed car they've got a mortgage a nice financed car they are stable and life is beginning to look like everything is working fine for them everything is working fine for them and then there is a third group and this is the dangerous group these are immigrants that believe that they've hacked these are immigrants that believe that they've hacked the system hacked it completely the system hacked it completely life is good life is beautiful to them life is good life is beautiful to them these are immigrants that believe that they've beaten the system that believe that they've beaten the system let me introduce you to Tunji Tunji is a cyber security architect earns £750 a day as a contractor earns £750 a day as a contractor he's got a beautiful detached house in a leafy suburb he's got a beautiful detached house in a leafy suburb his children are in private school a luxury SUV on the driveway Dubai one year Maldives the other year Dubai one year Maldives the other year if you meet Tunji you probably say this guy has made it and maybe he had but this is exactly where the trap becomes invisible but this is exactly where the trap becomes invisible because when you earn that kind of money for long enough you stop questioning the machine for long enough you stop questioning the machine that's producing the money you stop imagining the world where the rules can change you stop imagining the world where the rules can change and then the government introduced IR35 and then the government introduced IR35 and the same role where Toji used to earn £15,000 and the same role where Toji used to earn £15,000 started producing half of that money started producing half of that money the numbers changed but Toji adapted the numbers changed but Toji adapted he was able to look for outside IR35 roles he was able to look for outside IR35 roles and for a while that solved the problem temporarily and for a while that solved the problem temporarily though there were times he could not land roles outside of IR35 he could not land roles outside of IR35 and then Covid pandemic hit and with that a lot of remote roles came up and with that a lot of remote roles came up and Tunji was able to do multiple roles and Tunji was able to do multiple roles so again his income elevated and life was good and life was good the money came back even stronger than before the money came back even stronger than before and the trap looked defeated but only for a while because when Covid ended but only for a while because when Covid ended there was a return to work push and roles that used to be remote became hybrid and roles that used to be remote became hybrid and from hybrid you started hearing we need you back in the office you started hearing we need you back in the office suddenly the second contract disappeared and again suddenly the second contract disappeared and again two G's income dropped interest rates also climbed two G's income dropped interest rates also climbed and mortgage payments went up to make matters worse the Labour government came in to make matters worse the Labour government came in and then they added VAT to private school tuition it was at this point it was at this point that Tunji discovered something really uncomfortable that Tunji discovered something really uncomfortable he had entered the trap he had entered the trap entered it fully entered it fully He wasn't trapped because he was poor He wasn't trapped because he was poor because his entire life has been designed around one because his entire life has been designed around one single Assumption that the next year single Assumption that the next year income would look exactly the same as this year's income would look exactly the same as this year's so he has this big mortgage so he has this big mortgage the school the holidays the school the holidays everything depended on his singular income everything depended on his singular income every single thing depended on the machine every single thing depended on the machine operating exactly the way it used to operating exactly the way it used to on paper Toji had options on paper Toji had options he had a lot of equity in his mortgage he had a lot of equity in his mortgage in his property it could downsize in his property it could downsize it could relocate could even reinvent himself it could relocate could even reinvent himself however Tunji could not bring however Tunji could not bring himself to do it himself to do it because the house was no longer just the house because the house was no longer just the house it was proof that Tunji had made it it was proof that Tunji had made it the private school the private school his children attended was proof that he had made it his children attended was proof that he had made it the holidays the big car the holidays the big car they were all proofs that Tunji had made it they were all proofs that Tunji had made it what is he going to tell his friends what is he going to tell his friends also in church what is he going to tell them also in church what is he going to tell them all these people that see him as a role model all these people that see him as a role model and that was the day and that was the day Toji discovered that he was not rich Toji discovered that he was not rich he wasn't even a big boy it was simply committed he wasn't even a big boy it was simply committed committed to a version of success that only worked committed to a version of success that only worked as long as his income remained consistent as long as his income remained consistent committed to a lifetime of subscription committed to a lifetime of subscription a lifetime of participation a lifetime of participation and that is the UK trap and that is the UK trap it's not like you cannot succeed it's not like you cannot succeed you absolutely can you absolutely can the trap is building a life so expensive the trap is building a life so expensive that you lose the freedom to choose differently that you lose the freedom to choose differently you cannot slow down you cannot step back you cannot slow down you cannot step back you cannot tell a bad employer to get lost you cannot tell a bad employer to get lost you cannot even take a lower paying role you cannot even take a lower paying role that gives you peace that gives you peace because everything depends on one month's salary because everything depends on one month's salary if you think your career will remain relevant forever if you think your career will remain relevant forever ask the SAP consultants of the 90s and early 2000s ask the SAP consultants of the 90s and early 2000s industries change and the people who industries change and the people who suffer the most are the people suffer the most are the people that build their lives that build their lives as if change can never happen as if change can never happen and that is why I build assets alongside my career and that is why I build assets alongside my career because one day because one day life may ask you a very uncomfortable question life may ask you a very uncomfortable question if your income drop by half tomorrow if your income drop by half tomorrow what changes would happen to your life what changes would happen to your life the answer would tell you the answer would tell you whether you are wealthy whether you are wealthy or whether you are just participating in an expensive or whether you are just participating in an expensive game if this post makes you feel uncomfortable game if this post makes you feel uncomfortable that was probably the point that was probably the point optionality is not something you start to build optionality is not something you start to build during crisis during crisis it's something you build while things are going well it's something you build while things are going well because by the time you need options because by the time you need options it's usually too late to start creating them it's usually too late to start creating them if you're starting to think seriously about building if you're starting to think seriously about building income from multiple assets income from multiple assets that you don't have to depend entirely on your salary that you don't have to depend entirely on your salary your contract or your employer your contract or your employer if you want to build a life if you want to build a life that's separate from you that's separate from you having to satisfy your line manager having to satisfy your line manager send me a DM with the word optionality send me a DM with the word optionality let's have a conversation