This morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, as usual, poured myself a cup of coffee, as usual, and thought about what my son said to me yesterday evening. You see, he's 2 1/2 years old and talking quite well, for his age. When I came home from working all day I was greeted with the always joyous "daddy's home, daddy's home" but today, this greeting was followed by "daddy no you go to work!". It's amazing what a 2 year old can know and understand.

So, as I sat and thought, several things occurred to me. #1, I hate having to go to work all day, #2 my son hates me going to work and #3 at least 1/3 of my life has been dedicated to earning money. None of this was sitting very well with me. The last realization really repulsed me! What good is a life if you spend it in an office building or beat yourself up building that office building, as in my case.

All of my life I was told that in order to achieve the American dream, I have to go to work, put in my time and one day I would be set. It's what my dad was led to understand and, he's still working at 62! He had immigrated from Poland in 1977 and he worked in a factory for the next 25 years, till the last one he worked for closed up. Now he drives limo's. . . at 62, he still has to work. What confused me about this situation is that he did put in his time, 50-60 hrs at a time. Just didn't make sense.

Yet there are those people who do make it. I've met many of the ones who will make it. Typically, both parents work while their 2.1 kids miss them. It'll never be said but, there is a cause for kid rebellion. I believe it is because the parents do not hear their kids nor do they meet their kid's needs. The parents are too busy, working. I believe that when kids are young, they really do miss their parents, when we go to work. It is only with ongoing justification that kids grudgingly stop needing us. I believe that kind of separation is bad for both the kid's and the parents.

I did some research and found some very interesting ideas on the subject. It seems the "American Dream" is something "they" tell you to chase because "they" need a work force. After all, who would make "them" money, if it were not for average worker, who has nothing more substantial than time and effort to exchange for money. True, you can accomplish much in this country, in one life time, however you will spend your most precious commodity to do it. Our time is the most valuable asset and it is being taken away from us so that we may live comfortably.

There has to be alternatives. The decline of western civilization is mainly due to the fracturing of the family unit. Most of us have heard that before. No one has ever explained "why" the family "fractures". I believe the reason is that we work all day and when we get home, we're too tired for meaningful family interaction.

So, what to do? Again, I did the research. I found some very good alternatives which can break us from this cycle of dependence on selling our time.

There are two ideas which really stood out. The first is to capitalize on the next real commodity which we all posses. Knowledge is the other real possession and everyone has it. There are things you know that I may be willing to pay money for. Let me give you an example using my situation. I've been a carpenter for 15 years. I know residential structure inside and out. There has been a growing trend in the USA. In the course of purchasing a home, the buyer hires someone to inspect the building for structural and mechanical deficiencies. That is my niche. I already possessed the knowledge, I just needed to get licensed in my state and sell my knowledge. I am now building the capital I will need to stop having to sell my time.

Let me repeat that; Everyone possesses knowledge. People simply need to find their niche and capitalize on information exchange. I will write subsequent articles on this subject with ideas on how knowledge can be marketed.

The second is to sell products. If you don't have products, relax. About 40 years ago a company came on the scene which changed the prospects for average citizens. This company introduced the "affiliate" system of marketing products. The general idea is that an already existing company gives anyone who signs up the opportunity to sell that company's products and make a very good commission on the sale. But, it got better. The individual could also introduce other people to the business opportunity, allowing them to sell the company's products, in effect, sponsoring a sales person. The sponsor would also earn a commission on "their" sales person's sale. If you sponsored two people and each of them sold two products and you would earn a commission of 4 sales. That doesn't include your efforts. And the best part is that some of the better companies will give you the training and support you need for free.

Neither one of these will get you rich quickly. Both methods require some effort and some investment. These are, however two ways which I found can allow an average person, born to average parents, to become financially independent. This, in turn allows everyone to lead more fulfilling lives and to take care of that, which needs our most focused attention; the people around us!