The power of options

No.. I'm not talking about the trading derivative. Rather, I'm talking about options as a whole.

What are options? TFD defines options as thus (irrelevant ones removed):
op·tion (pshn)n.

1. The act of choosing; choice. See Synonyms at choice.
2. The power or freedom to choose.
3. Something chosen or available as a choice.

So .. how many of us have options, in terms of working, lifestyle? What kind of options do we need? Well I'm going to focus more on working options, since that's what I'm primarily concerned about these days.

Your boss is mean to you. His demands are unreasonable. You feel so angry and want to piak him/throw letter/etc. But can you? Do you have the capability to? How will your car/house/education loan get paid? Can you get a job elsewhere?

Nay, that will never happen to me, I hear you say. My boss is very nice.. sure he's abit mean sometimes but mostly he's nice.

Ah, but then again... some things are unforeseeable. What if he suddenly gets replaced? What if the company poofs? (It does happen! Well the example I've seen isn't really a company, but there was this kopi tiam which I walked past everyday at the old company. And one morning, when I walked past it, it was closed, with OCBC notices on it. Apparently the owner had been defaulting on payments and such. So imagine if you're one of the stall owners.. You wake up, prepare your stuff and go to your stall, only to find it closed. Who'd knew?) If shit happens, do you have the ability to escape relatively unscathed?

Having options gives you leverage. If you're underpaid, you can either walk, or show your boss the options (ie job offers) you have and negotiate for higher pay. Else? Sit around at lunch/dinner with friends and colleagues and bitch about it? I realised that I have no more patience for such crap. Don't bitch about stuff, not unless you're ready to make a change.

You need to anticipate and prepare for change. It might not be your doing, but it would most definitely affect you.

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Mindsets, this slightly digresses from the topic, but mindsets must also be changed. A lot of us (well I used to be like that too) always just think .. well okay, I'm just a peon, I do what the boss asks me to do. I obey his every order. He want me to go East, I go East..

That's the makings of a good peon. But do you want to just be a peon? You will just be a fixture in the office, the obedient one whom the boss can depend on. That's nice, but is this it?

I was talking to my ex line manager the other day, and he was saying, if you want to distinguish yourself, you need to show initiative. Similarly, the books I've read say roughly the same thing too. Don't go to your boss with a problem. Rather, go to him to notify him of the issue, and suggest solutions. In this situation, you can influence his decision to pick the solution that you want.

Mindsets about salary and money issues have to change too. Alot of people just go, well I'll save $X every month, and when I finally have enough, I'll be able to buy Y item. Why? Why try to save? What about turn it around (as wont in Phoenix Wright games)? Instead of saving the money, what about telling yourself that you want to EARN the money to afford Y item? (Admittedly it's hard.. I'm still trying to learn this). Why scrimp on your salary? What about think of ways to INCREASE your salary so that you can afford Y item (faster)?

And lastly... negotiate. Try to learn that (I'm learning too! ><) Nothing is truly cut and dried. Humans are not 0 and 1. You can always negotiate (and to do it better, you need leverage!)

Whoever reads this, please ponder over it. Don't just be a peon with no leverage. Improve yourself, anticipate and prepare for change!