Our country is being ravished by steep unemployment rates and job cuts. These employment issues have sent our economy in a tailspin that many regard as the worst since the Great Depression. How do we fix it? We actually have the opportunity to change focus from the Great Depression to focusing on the Greatest Succession. What do I mean?

Since the mid 1860s, we have designed a culture of individuals who achieve for education and training in order to get jobs. Seventy percent of the money circulated throughout the country come in the form of wages. What does this mean? It means that the majority of the families in America are sustained by income from a job. So in fact, if this income disappears, families across America become insolvent. When we take a very close look at this, would we still believe that America is the most powerful country in the world? Are we instead the most vulnerable nation in world who is in debt to other countries and its citizens? The problem with this setup is when there are little job opportunities in this country, the American people begin to panic and lose all they have worked for without recognizing their ability to secure income through their gifts.

Becoming an investor or entrepreneur is not a comfortable lifestyle to live. Your income is not as consistent as it is with a paycheck; your ability to leave work at the office is a thing of the past; and your schedule is tough to forecast.

So what are the benefits? One benefit is knowing that your destiny is in your hands. If you are actually working in a capacity of your passion, you will also never work a day in your life. You can also rest easy knowing you know the entire story of what is going on with your income and you are able to adjust according. Finally, you are able to reap 100 percent of the financial rewards instead of sharing them with the guy sitting next to you.

Some of us are so eager to get started in our careers and contribution to society that we neglect to be an owner of our talents. We take our labor and sell it to corporations for a fee. There are multiple ways we can benefit from our labor and intelligence, and if you are currently feeling the blunt of this sagging economy, you now understand its importance. I am not saying jobs are bad to have. I am saying, contrary to our educational system's teachings, they are not the only way to sustain a lifestyle. Full entrepreneurship isn't for everyone. Let me be the first one to say this. However, each one of us possesses a unique talent that someone somewhere would pay for.

Additional streams of income perhaps? You may not necessarily need to make entrepreneurship the breadwinning income of your home but it is imperative for that income to exist. When we rely on the government or employers to ensure we are safe, the real people safe are the ones who sign our paychecks!

St. Thomas native Devin Robinson is a six-time author and columnist. He can be reached at www.devinrobinson.com.