A $78K Pay Cut Significantly Improved My Life
It’s not only about the money anymore
We’ve all heard it. Money makes the world go round. There’s no doubt. Of course, I want more of it in my pocket. Who doesn’t? But I’ve come to learn it’s not only about dollar signs.
Back in 2017, I was working part-time for a corporate organization making $78K (€71K) per year.
Not bad considering it was only 32 hours per week.
But, the projects I was working on were wrapping up. Our program was closing.
My manager came to me to let me know the details of what was happening to my role. It wasn’t hard to figure out, as my projects were pretty much done.
She handed me my notice.
It gave me two options
- Look for something else within the organization and keep my part-time salary of $78K.
- Take a two-year, fully paid offer that was on the table. WTF?
(Note: It may help to add that I was also 7 months pregnant with my daughter and had a 16-month-old son at home.)
Naturally, I took the package and ran!
This was my big moment. I’d never been happy within the corporate world. It enhanced my negative perfectionist qualities and I allowed it to turn me into a people-pleaser.
But now I had all this time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
Man, was I wrong!
What happened during those two years
- Uncertainty and feelings of being passionless, without a purpose.
- Pressure to find a job before the money ran out.
- Self-doubt and a lot of it.
- Lack of sleep with a toddler and a newborn. Then later a toddler and a preschooler.
- Sadness at my inability to get my shit together.
I felt defeated. Then the money stopped coming in.
This is when everything shifted for the better
I gave up struggling and fighting for a way to keep my head above water.
Here’s what I did instead
- I decided to never return to the corporate world no matter how desperate I felt. Luckily, my husband fully supported my decision.
- I used some of what I had saved to hire a coach and work through what was holding me back from discovering what I love to do.
- I started reading personal development books and blogs regularly and applying what was recommended.
- Journaling and meditating became daily practices.
- I studied life coaching and received my certification.
Without the money, I started to focus on what I love to do.
This is what I’m doing now
- Connecting with like-minded, supportive people.
- Writing articles on Medium about topics I’m interested in.
- Coaching amazing women.
- Working from home and hugging my kids the second they step out of school.
- Discovering my voice, my hopes, my dreams and the life I truly want for myself and my family.
The result
My quality of life has significantly improved! I’m happier and more fulfilled.
My entire life I was led to believe I had to work in a secure job, make a decent salary, smile and be happy with what I had.
I was never taught to discover what makes you happy first and go from there.
It took losing my steady and secure income of $78K to open my eyes, discover who I am and what truly makes me happy.
If you’re going to leave with anything from this article, please leave with this quote:
“No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself.” — Unknown
I hope you enjoyed reading the article above. If you’re interested, below are a couple of my other stories. Thank you and happy reading!
