There’s nothing left for you at work. Except of course the salary.
That, you’re finding extremely difficult to walk away from.
For all that you know about the value of life and the things that don’t cost anything, much of your life has been built on things that DO cost something. Things that cost a lot, actually. And to take that away would mean a massive re-arrangement of things.
Still, when you go to work, there’s nothing there but the awful sound that is made when life is being sucked out of you.
You can’t get away. You’re trapped.
They call this “Golden Handcuffs,” and you might own a pair.
They’re stylish and they’re in vogue. Lots of people are wearing them these days. In fact, you might feel weird if you’re not.
If you’re one of the lucky ones that isn’t an owner of this fine piece of jewelry, you might be scoffed at (though secretly admired).
To be so bold as to do your own thing!
To not care what THEY say!
Or, maybe, to have figured out how to take them off and live on your own terms!
It’s almost too much for the unfortunate and unwilling shackle-wearer to bear.
If you’re one of them, you’ll know what I mean.
Can The Golden Handcuffs Unlock?
By now you know if you are wearing golden handcuffs. The question is, can you unlock them?
Of course you can, and there are (at least) two ways to do it.
Way One: Bite the bullet and go for a massive re-arrangement of things in your life. Walk away from your salary and all that comes with it, and learn to live on less. Appreciate what you gain in life, which at very least is the ability to have more control over your time and activities.
I’ve heard the argument, “When people make less money they tend to have less control over their time and activities.” But I don’t think this is true when you’re coming back down the ladder, so to speak.
You’ve already gained valuable skills, knowledge and resources (including possibly some savings). You get to decide how far “down the ladder” you want to go.
Do you want to gain more control over your time and activities by doing a little consulting work, by keeping a high five figure or six figure job and just no longer managing people, or by taking a job at a fast-food restaurant?
You get to decide how much control to keep and how much control to give up to others.
Way Two: Do what you love.
I know it sounds impossible. In fact, you probably just spit coffee out of your nose. But it’s true. When you do what you love (and I’ve been helping people find and do it for years now), you are no longer wearing handcuffs.
That soul-sucking sound? Gone.
Your salary might be the same, more or maybe less than before. Who knows?
Depending on what you want to do and how you choose to do it (all conscious and thought-out choices – not surprises – along the way).
But with this choice you’re not deciding to give up on playing big. You’re not walking away. You’re shifting gears on your big-life mentality and deciding that life needs to start playing by your rules.
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Can I be completely honest?
You got where you are in life for a reason. No one handcuffs people that have failed and does whatever it takes to keep them.
You are an achiever and you deserve to get what you want from life. You just need to know how to do that and what to ask for.
So tell me, what keeps those handcuffs on you? And what do you plan to do about it?