Burn Rate Does Not Care Who You Used To Be
Burn Rate Does Not Care Who You Used To Be
By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
I have lived this.
Not from a textbook. Not from a financial seminar. Not from some motivational video.
I lived it.
A handsome golden handshake. A package that looked strong on paper. People may even say, “You are okay lah.”
But let me tell you the truth.
When income stops, money starts bleeding quietly.
That is called burn rate.
Silent. Brutal. Merciless.
It does not care what position you held. It does not care how much you used to earn. It does not care how many people once respected your title.
When the salary stops, the commitments continue.
The house still needs payment. The car still needs payment. Insurance still needs payment. Food, family, bills, school, loans, lifestyle — all continue moving.
But you?
You are standing still.
My Journey Was Not Easy
I was retrenched back in 2015.
That same year, I lost my father.
That same year, my mother was in a coma.
So tell me, how does one breathe?
How does one think straight?
How does one smile when life hits from every corner?
But life does not pause because we are in pain.
Bills do not wait because we are grieving.
The world does not stop because our heart is broken.
And that is when I truly understood burn rate.
My payout was not new income.
It was runway.
And runway can disappear very fast when you do not control the burn.
Then 2016 Hit Me Again
Odd jobs. Survival mode. Trying to rebuild. Trying to stand again.
Then came a major accident in 2016.
My heart stopped for 1 minute and 42 seconds.
Yes.
Let that sink in.
In those moments, I met my dad.
And yet, even after all that, life was still great with a smile.
Why?
Because pain can break you.
Or pain can introduce you to yourself.
The Real Question
Do you believe in your own capabilities?
Do you believe in your skills?
Do you believe in your knowledge?
Do you believe in your ability to rise again?
Because when you lose your job, you do not only lose income.
You may lose confidence.
You may lose direction.
You may lose routine.
You may lose people who were only around because of your position.
But never lose yourself.
Burn Rate Is Not Just About Money
Burn rate is emotional too.
You burn through savings.
You burn through confidence.
You burn through patience.
You burn through pride.
You burn through the illusion that life will always remain comfortable.
That is why we must be honest with ourselves.
Ask yourself:
- How long can I survive if my income stops today?
- Do I know my real monthly expenses?
- Am I living based on income or ego?
- Which assets are helping me?
- Which assets are choking me?
- What must I let go before it destroys my runway?
Letting Go Is Not Failure
Sometimes you must let go of assets.
Sometimes you must cut expenses.
Sometimes you must downgrade.
Sometimes you must stop pretending.
That is not failure.
That is intelligence.
That is survival.
That is strategy.
Many people go broke not because they have no money.
They go broke because their ego refuses to adjust.
The lifestyle continues even when the income has died.
That is dangerous.
Prudence Is Power
Being prudent does not mean being cheap.
It means being awake.
It means knowing what matters.
It means protecting your runway.
It means cutting unnecessary commitments early.
It means understanding that a payout is not a reward to spend.
It is oxygen to survive.
Go For The Low Hanging Fruits First
When you are unemployed, do not wait only for the big opportunity.
Yes, work on the big dream.
Yes, build the big business.
Yes, chase the bigger contract.
But while waiting, go for the low hanging fruits.
Take the small jobs.
Do the consulting work.
Sell what you can sell.
Use your skills.
Use your network.
Create small cash flow first.
Small money coming in slows the burn.
More importantly, it keeps your mind alive.
Then while you survive on the small wins, build the bigger one quietly.
Turnaround Is Possible
Turnaround?
Yes.
Strong will?
Yes.
Mindset?
Very important.
But mindset without action is only noise.
You must move.
You must calculate.
You must cut.
You must rebuild.
You must believe that what you carry inside you is still valuable.
Final Truth
Your job can be taken.
Your title can disappear.
Your income can stop.
Your comfort zone can collapse.
But your capability, your skill, your knowledge, your willpower — that must never die.
Spend like your next paycheck may take 18 months.
Protect your runway.
Cut the burn.
Let go of what is dragging you down.
Take the low hanging fruits first.
Build the big one after that.
Survival mode is not shameful.
Survival mode is strategy.
And sometimes, the man who smiles after losing everything is not weak.
He is the one life failed to destroy.
Tomorrow sharing on Ccompany point of view, survival strategy..
By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
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