The Velvet Handcuffs: Breaking Free from Corporate America

By Bob Wallace MBA

• Are you feeling stuck in your current career and feel like there is no way out?
• Is going to work just another obligation with no joy or passion?
• Have you become a slave to your job and are you living paycheck to paycheck?
• Do you have a burning desire to do something different?
• Are you aware or curious that there is something better out there for you?
• Do you dream about being your own boss?
• Are you achieving your full potential?
• Do you feel like there is something missing in your work life?

If you have ever asked yourself any of the above questions, this book holds the answers you seek. Through self-actualization and personal reflection, the author shares with you his personal journey, wisdom, insights, and key lessons that will help you to realize your full potential and follow your dreams. You have the ability to take control of your life and create your own destiny allowing more freedom of time, financial independence and a more fulfilling existence. This book will inspire you to reach for more than the status quo and what you truly deserve in life, not just a job or career, but a lifetime of excitement, independence and financial freedom, no longer being bound by the Velvet Handcuffs of Corporate America. This book will give you the skills to make the leap from a mind-numbing job to a great career and the courage to follow your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Sep 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982235482

Bob Wallace MBA

Bob Wallace is the Founder and President of a successful consulting business, WIH Resource Group, which he started in 2005. The firm is a leading global environmental and logistics consulting firm that provides solutions to clients, in both the public and private sectors. He has over 28 years of experience in Corporate America and various business ventures. Through personal growth, professional experience and lessons learned, he discovered the entrepreneur within himself. Bob broke free from the velvet handcuffs of Corporate America to follow his dream and start his own business. Mr. Wallace has authored a wide range of technical articles and white papers that have been featured in a variety of trade publications and has extensive expertise in his field. Bob is a Washington State native and now resides in Arizona where his business is headquartered. He is an auto enthusiast, enjoys snow skiing, mountain biking, golfing and discovering new business ventures. He holds an MBA in Managerial Leadership and a BA from Washington State University.

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Copyright © 2019 Bob Wallace, MBA.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-3330-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-3331-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-3548-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019914740

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/20/2019

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 MY STORY – BREAKING FREE OF THE VELVET HANDCUFFS

CHAPTER 2 LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY FAMILY BUSINESSES

CHAPTER 3 CORPORATISM

10 TRUTHS ABOUT CORPORATE AMERICA AND WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE IT BEHIND

CHAPTER 4 WHAT ARE MY CHOICES?

REMAIN IN CORPORATE AMERICA (CONTINUE AS AN EMPLOYEE)

CHAPTER 5 WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?

CHAPTER 6 FIND AND FOLLOW YOUR PASSION

CHAPTER 7 TRUST YOURSELF – FEAR IS THE CULPRIT!

CHAPTER 8 CHOOSE TO INVEST IN YOURSELF – YOU CAN DO IT!

TOP 10 WАУЅ TO INVЕЅT IN YОURЅЕLF

JUST PICK SOMETHING! – WELL, SOMETHING YOU LIKE HELPS!

CREATE A MIND MAP

CREATE A PRODUCTIVITY SYSTEM

BUILD A TEAM - 5 STЕРЅ TО BUILDING AN EFFЕСTIVЕ TЕАM

CHAPTER 9 INSPIRING QUOTES FROM SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS

CHAPTER 10 ACHIEVING SUCCESS CAN BE BOILED DOWN TO 5 BASIC THINGS

CHAPTER 11 FINAL THOUGHTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LEGAL NOTES

Copyright, Legal Notice, and Disclaimer:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976, and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws and all rights are reserved, including resale rights.

Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this book, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, use this information as advice, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here, and you should adjust your use of the information accordingly.

PREFACE

Do you feel burnt out, frustrated, disillusioned, dissatisfied, or any other mix of words that describe your unhappiness at work? Are you stressed out, unhappy, and feel like you are stuck in the same old routine every day of your career?

You are not alone. According to the 2016 edition of The Conference Board Job Satisfaction Survey¹, less than half of US workers (49.6 percent) are satisfied with their jobs. After improving incrementally since the post-recession recovery period of 2008-2009, overall job satisfaction is at its highest since 2005. What makes employees happiest at work?

Interest in work," which 59% said satisfied them.

People at work," which 60.6% said they liked.

You do not have to stay in a job that is not exciting, interesting and inspiring to you (unless you are just staying because you like the people you work with).

As a corporate industry veteran, turned 15-year entrepreneur now, I wrote this book in part to share with you some of the knowledge I have gained through my experiences in corporate America and as an entrepreneur. In larger part, my inspiration is to offer you some alternatives to consider so you don’t feel trapped.

After working for 19 years for three sperate companies in eight different positions, through promotions within those companies, I learned a few things. I realized what I liked, disliked, and how differently I wanted my life to feel so that I could be excited about my work, career, and to be able to look forward to every day moving forward.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the road to success and happiness were an easy one? Unfortunately, as we all know, this isn’t always the case. The reality is, you’ll only succeed once you force yourself to do things that may be uncomfortable at first.

It’s true. You see, our brains are hardwired in such a way that we often do not take action until we feel a sense of fear, uneasiness, or uncertainty. Basically, the pain of keeping things as they are has to become more significant than the fear of making change.

Multiple studies have backed this claim up, showing that performance spikes when we are doing something out of our norm. The act of stepping out of our comfort zone is not only vital to our success, but also our well-being and ability to grow as individuals too. With a little understanding and a