The System Lied And You’re Paying for It

Dr Ritesh Malik
Apr 16
6 min read

You’ve done everything right.

You went to school. Got the job. Saved what you could.

You followed the path everyone told you would lead to success.

& yet, here you are underpaid, replaceable, and one economic hiccup away from disaster.

You’ve worked hard. Sacrificed. Complied. And still, the dream remains just out of reach.

Here’s the harsh truth:

The system you’ve been following?

It wasn’t built for your freedom.

It was built to keep you stuck.

The Truth Behind the Treadmill

Let’s talk about Rishi.

Rishi is what most people would call “successful.”

Top of his class, an IIT grad, landed a prestigious job at a consulting firm.

He worked relentlessly — nights, weekends, every hour of every day. He climbed the corporate ladder, hit every target, and even bought his first home by 30. On paper, Rishi had it all.

But inside? He was breaking.

Burnout, stress, and exhaustion ruled his days.

Despite all his hard work, he barely had time for himself, his friends, or his passions. His savings barely made a dent in his growing debts, and his job the one he was supposed to be grateful for felt like a never-ending cycle of work, stress, and more work.

Rishi did everything right, and yet, he felt trapped.

Sound familiar?

This isn’t an isolated case. It’s happening to millions of people around the world.

The system that’s supposed to reward hard work ACTUALLY DOES'NT WORK THAT WAY. Its rigged against you. The system was created for the rich to get richer & the poorer to get poorer. Also - while number wise you might think you're getting richer but INFLATION & COMPARITIVE WEALTH Frameworks ensure you remain POOR (relatively). Just imagine you do an FD & get a 6.5% interest (pre-tax) & post tax - 4.5% & annual inflation is 6-7%. You're actually getting poorer by the day. A businessman can take input credit on his expenses while a salaried employ cannot!! WTH - if this isn't enough - gains on stocks can be as low as 12.5% & tax on salary is the highest!! All these frameworks are built to ensure the rich become richer & poor become poorer.

The System Was Never Built for Your Freedom

You’ve been told your whole life that the way to success is simple: Go to school, get good grades, get a steady job, save money, retire happy.

But let’s get real for a second.

In today’s world, that plan doesn’t work anymore. The economy has changed, but the system hasn’t kept up. The same old path that was built for security is now a straight road to burnout, stagnation, and limited freedom.

We’ve been fed the narrative that hard work leads to success, but the truth is, hard work alone won’t get you far in today’s world.

Here’s what most people don’t tell you: The system rewards obedience, not innovation. It rewards compliance, not creativity. And in the end, it keeps you working harder and harder for less and less.

While the rich scale their time and efforts, you’re stuck trading hours for dollars.

The system isn’t broken. It was designed this way — to keep you busy, dependent, and compliant.

The Real Path to Freedom: LEVERAGE

Let’s talk about leverage.

In simple terms, leverage is the ability to do more with less. It’s the tool that allows you to scale your efforts beyond your own time and energy.

Imagine you could create something that works for you 24/7, even while you sleep. A product that sells itself. An audience that opens doors. A business that doesn’t rely solely on your hours.

This is what the wealthy do.

They build leverage.

They don’t hustle harder.

They don’t put in endless hours.

They scale their time by leveraging resources — whether that’s money, media, technology, or people.

Take a moment and think about the last time you felt really free.

Was it when you were working for someone else? Or was it when you were in control of your time, doing something that aligned with your passions and purpose?

Leverage is what lets you take control. It allows you to scale your impact without scaling your effort. And that’s where true freedom lies.

You don’t need to work harder to achieve financial success. You need to create leverage.

How Leverage Works

There are a few different kinds of leverage. You’ve probably encountered some of them already.

Code: Creating software that works for you even while you sleep.

Think of the apps, websites, and platforms that keep running 24/7 — making money, gathering data, or serving customers without human intervention.

Media: Creating content — articles, videos, podcasts — that reach people worldwide.

A single blog post can continue to drive traffic to your website years after it was published. A YouTube video can earn revenue every time someone watches it.

Capital: Building wealth through investments that generate income without constant effort.

This is the kind of leverage the rich use when they invest in real estate, stocks, or businesses that work for them while they focus on other projects.

People: Building a team that helps you scale your business or efforts.

Instead of being stuck doing everything yourself, you build a team of skilled people who help execute your vision. This lets you free up your time and focus on growing your business.

Take Sneha, for example.

She was a UX designer working for a tech company in Bengaluru. After years of feeling stuck in the corporate grind, she decided to build something for herself. She started writing content on LinkedIn, sharing her design insights and building an audience. Over time, she transformed that audience into a thriving online business by creating a UX design course.

In just 18 months, Sneha was earning three times her salary, working half the hours.

She didn’t hustle harder.

She built leverage.

This is what true freedom looks like not more work, but the right work. Without leverage, you are simply trading hours for money. And that’s where most people get stuck.

They can’t escape because they don’t have the leverage to break free.

Optionality: The Power to Pivot

The world doesn’t stay the same.

It’s always changing and not always in predictable ways.

Markets crash. Industries transform. Technology advances.

When chaos strikes, you don’t want to be stuck without options.

That’s where optionality comes in.

Optionality is the power to pivot. It’s the freedom to choose your next move without being forced into a corner. It’s the ability to say "no" to what doesn’t serve you and "yes" to what opens doors.

Think about it:

During the COVID pandemic, millions of people lost their jobs overnight. But those with optionality those who had the flexibility to pivot to remote work or side projects were able to weather the storm. They had a cushion, a backup plan, and the ability to adapt.

Freedom is not about lounging on a beach, sipping lattes. It’s about having the ability to pivot and make decisions that serve your life and goals. It’s the ability to walk away from something that isn’t working without fear of losing everything.

Optionality is your survival tool.

And the best part? You don’t need to wait for the world to fall apart to start building it. You can start today.

Here’s the thing -

You were never meant to be a cog in the machine. You were meant to build your own machine one that works for you.

The road to freedom doesn’t happen overnight.

It’s a long-term journey one that requires building leverage and protecting your optionality. But it’s a journey worth taking.

It’s time to stop waiting for someone else to give you permission to live the life you want.

It’s time to stop relying on a broken system to keep you afloat.

You don’t need to quit your job today or make radical changes in your life. But you do need to start building now. Start small. Start with learning a new skill. Start with building an audience. Start with finding ways to leverage your time and efforts.

The system you’ve been following? It won’t change for you.

But you can change for yourself.