My Exit Strategy from the Rat Race

The term “rat race” is often thrown around to describe the modern pursuit of success: wake up, work, sleep, repeat. It’s the daily grind most of us are familiar with, chasing promotions, bigger salaries, and a sense of accomplishment that always feels just out of reach. The irony is, even when we “win” the race—hitting those career milestones or personal goals—the satisfaction is fleeting, and soon, we’re back to the eternal chase. 

Whether we realise it or not, most of us are deeply embedded in this race. We wake up to alarms, push through crowded commutes, and spend our days chasing deadlines. For a long time, I was no different. I lived on autopilot, doing what I thought I was supposed to do. The daily routine felt like a hamster wheel I couldn’t get off—constantly running but not really getting anywhere. 

What’s interesting is that so many of us don’t even question it. We’re conditioned to believe that this is just how life works. Work hard, and you’ll be rewarded with happiness is what I was always told. But is that really true? The more I achieved, the more I realised that success alone didn’t equate to lasting contentment. Sure, there were moments of joy after completing a big project or getting a promotion, but they were always followed by more stress, more to-do lists, and the pressure to do even better next time. 

For me, the turning point came when I began practicing Simran. Simran is a focussed practice for the mind—a practice of focusing the mind inward and quieting the constant chatter. I didn’t know it at the time, but this simple act of stillness would completely transform the way I experienced life. It wasn’t that I stopped working or abandoned my responsibilities. In fact, nothing about my external life changed overnight. But my internal world? That’s where the real shift happened. 

Through Simran, I learned how to step back from the noise, both externally and in my own mind. The stresses of work, the pressure to perform, the never-ending cycle of goals—they were still there, but they no longer consumed me. I started to see the rat race for what it really is: a game of endless chasing, driven by external validation. The more I practiced Simran, the more I could detach from that cycle. My happiness and sense of peace no longer depended on how well I performed at work or how busy I was. Instead, it came from a deeper place within. 

It’s important to understand that the rat race itself isn’t inherently bad. We all have responsibilities. We all need to earn a living and provide for ourselves and our families. Escaping the rat race doesn’t mean quitting your job or moving to a remote island (though that sounds tempting at times). It’s about rising above it, not letting it define your sense of self-worth or dictate your peace of mind. 

What Simran taught me is that real freedom doesn’t come from exiting the race, but from mastering how you move through it. Once you realise that your happiness doesn’t have to be tied to your accomplishments, you stop running after every external goal like it’s the solution to your stress. Instead, you find a stable sense of peace that stays with you, no matter what’s happening around you. 

These days, my life isn’t much different on the outside. I still work, I still have busy days, and I still have goals. But I no longer feel like I’m running in endless circles. Practicing Simran has allowed me to approach life from a place of calm, where I’m not constantly chasing after the next big thing. I’m more present in each moment, and I don’t let stress control me the way it used to. 

If you’re feeling stuck in the rat race—constantly pushing but never quite feeling satisfied—I’d encourage you to look inward. The solution isn’t to run harder or faster; it’s to rise above the race altogether. By focusing on inner peace and clarity, you can find a way to move through life without being consumed by it. You don’t have to exit the rat race to find happiness. You just have to realise that perhaps the race is just a state of mind only you can free yourself from.