When To Walk Away From a Huge Salary – Monday Motivation

“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.” – Niccolò Machiavelli

If you wake up each Monday morning excited to head to your job, that’s fantastic.  You’re probably doing something you’re passionate about.  If not, it may be time for a change.  You’ll very rarely hear someone tell you to quit your job, but unless you are truly happy in it, that’s exactly what I’m here to do.

I’ve had more than one experience in my life where I walked away from a job and left a significant amount of money on the table.  I’m here to tell you now, years later, it was one of the best decisions of my life.

In one example, I had invested tens of thousands of dollars and years of my life into a company that had a lot of promise.  I loved the company, but one of my business partners was unbearable to work with.  My entire identity was tied up in this company, and I couldn’t fathom leaving it.

“The average man is a conformist, accepting miseries and disasters with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain” – Colin Wilson

I was absolutely miserable, but I kept trying to hang on, because I saw money on the horizon. I was trying to hold on so tight, that I started going to therapy, twice a week at times, to try to figure out how to salvage the business partnership.

After things got truly bad, I continued to hold on for an additional 6 months. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.

I finally realized that no amount of money was worth being unhappy for so long, and it was that fundamental realization that has continued to guide me the rest of my life.

Follow your passion. Trust in yourself.  The road to happiness isn’t always easy, but it’s a lot easier to work hard for your own happiness than someone else’s.

Looking to make a life change?  How can I help?  I’ve helped many people make the transition from their traditional job to creating their own business, so I’ve seen many of the pitfalls.  Shoot me an email at dylan@lifebydylan.com.