GatewayRedbirds.com

Michael wrote:I got a promotion at work today. Career wise I think this is it. I don't want to move up the food chain anymore. Feels good man.

Congrats, both on the promotion and realization. For me, recognizing I was at that point led to the best years of my career.

Michael wrote:I got a promotion at work today. Career wise I think this is it. I don't want to move up the food chain anymore. Feels good man.

Awesome! Congrats dude, that's very cool.

Don't you want to do piano? Drums? Guitar? Bass? Keytar?

Violin. My son starts violin lessons this week. I'm thrilled he has the desire, and hope this sets him on a musical path with lots of happiness. But damn, I'm inviting a feral cat fight into my house. I'm paying for it.

Michael wrote:I got a promotion at work today. Career wise I think this is it. I don't want to move up the food chain anymore. Feels good man.

Well done!

Time for some existential angst?

Michael wrote:I got a promotion at work today. Career wise I think this is it. I don't want to move up the food chain anymore. Feels good man.

That's great. I've kind of reached that point with my practice and have told my partners. Not that I won't do more work if it comes in the door, but I feel I've reached a place where the amount of work I have - and money I make - is just right for me. You're right, it feels good.

Thanks for all the nice comments! Now I just need roughly 10 more years of this then FIRE.

Arthur Dent wrote: Time for some existential angst?

Right now I'm taking a break from studying for a philosophy class. Draw your own conclusions.

In all seriousness, I read years ago your 40's are typically your happiest years. I can believe it.

You guys and your go-getting can do attitudes are making me feel like a slacker. I gotta get off my butt and either find a new job or start my own company. I've been here for 5 years and do genuinely like it. I have an excellent work/life balance, almost no work related stress, and great colleagues, so that is all good. But the company is tiny and there is nowhere up to go. My only supervisors are the two owners, so unless they give me a piece of the business there is really no way for me to move up. I really ought to be making more money, and could probably negotiate a pretty good raise if I threatened to walk, but nothing life changing.

Going to another company has so many unknowns. The people could suck. My work/life balance could change completely with longer hours and performance metrics and office politics and all that stuff. On the other hand, it would be nice to have more resources so that I can actually do certain projects and more high-value work and have a ladder to actually climb. I dunno. My gut tells me I should man up and start my own company as an after hours side project and see if I can grow it into something productive enough to sustain me full time. The problem is I have a high tolerance for repetition and huge fear of failure.

IMADreamer wrote:One of the biggest surprises of my relationship was her willingness to jump in and help on the farm. I would have never asked her or any significant other to do that, but a while back she said she wanted to help out. Today she got her CDL so she can run a grain truck for harvest. Kinda badass.

That is indeed badass

Michael wrote:I got a promotion at work today. Career wise I think this is it. I don't want to move up the food chain anymore. Feels good man.

Congrats dude. Both on the promotion and the self awareness. I think having both is a big key to happiness.

G. Keenan wrote:Going to another company has so many unknowns. The people could suck. My work/life balance could change completely with longer hours and performance metrics and office politics and all that stuff. On the other hand, it would be nice to have more resources so that I can actually do certain projects and more high-value work and have a ladder to actually climb. I dunno. My gut tells me I should man up and start my own company as an after hours side project and see if I can grow it into something productive enough to sustain me full time. The problem is I have a high tolerance for repetition and huge fear of failure.

I am completely the same. There was an enormous activation barrier, but finally doing the emotional introspection necessary and then getting up the energy to seriously look at alternatives was a good experience -- made me feel a sense of possibility and real agency that I'd lost.

And this choice could still absolutely have been a mistake. The emotional work was in deciding trying a change is the right choice even if it doesn't work out.

Obviously, none of that necessarily applies to your situation, and a good thing is definitely worth preserving, but it's also good to consider whether these things are about sensible risk aversion or simply fear blocking a choice you actually know you should be making.