So yes, I know I have been talking about ways to escape the rat race on this blog, but I don’t think I’ve been too specific. I recently posted how The Real World Myth was going in a new direction, a more personal direction, and here is what I mean.

What I am doing right now to escape the rat race

© dipfan

I recently read one of the top three books I’ve ever read. It’s called the Education of Millionaires (aff). I’ve talked about it before on my blog, and it was recommended to me by one of my best friends, James Kerti.

I am going to write a book review on it once I reread it. But for now, I will just give you some basic tenets from the book and how I plan on following them.

First, the author (Michael Ellsberg) recommends learning the skills of networking, sales, and copywriting.

Naturally, I am learning all three of those skills. I have always been a people person, but I recently picked up a few books on networking: Never Eat Alone, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and How to Network Awesomely. I also bought Michael Ellsberg’s Networking course on AppSumo.

I also attended the  Business Network Korea meetup yesterday, and I will become more active in the Couchsurfing and Toastmasters communities. And of course I will continue to leave my comfort zone.

My time in Korea is winding down. Right now the plan is to leave this place in August of 2013. When I go back to the States, I want to get a sales job so that I can improve my sales skills. Sales skills are vitally important and are what I call “real world skills.” Real world skills are skills that you can use in any environment; you can take them with you wherever your life takes you. Sales is a real world skill. Learning differential equations is not.

Ellsberg’s take on how to network better is both interesting, insightful, and a little bit common sense. He recommends reaching out to famous people by offering them something of value in order to get their attention.

So I also want to learn copywriting for this purpose. Copywriting will also help my online blog and businesses down the road. I am thinking of buying the Kopywriting Kourse on Appsumo. I will let you know if I do.

Finally, I am also going to teach myself graphic design. I took a class on Photoshop way back in high school and I enjoyed it. I just never got around to committing to learn it in more detail until now. I would like to learn graphic design as another “real world skill.” I can use  graphic design to network, or I can use it as  freelance tool, and it also fits it to my goal in life which is to live a mobile lifestyle.

I will give monthly updates as to what I am learning. Maybe this will inspire others to go on their own path of growth, self discovery, and rat race escape.

So, these are four skills I will be working on for the time being: networking, sales, copywriting, and graphic design. And of course, I will still be doing jiu jitsu for three or four times a week.

This journey will be challenging but exciting. And I know it will pay dividends to me in the future.  And of course, plans and things could change, but this is what I am thinking right now.

What are you guys working on?