I left a well-paying job that was toxic, but I got to build interesting and challenging things with a lot of freedom. I took a 30% pay cut to join a smaller company that was known for its great culture and owner. One of the best decisions of my life.
8 years later, just last month, I closed on buying that second company from the founder.
Obviously, no one knows the future or could plan this stuff out, but in my experience, prioritizing your overall life over purely your financial life is worth it. We have a weird obsession with "more money, more good", and I haven't found that to be inherently true. It's true to a point, but like a bell-curve, there's a downturn and diminishing returns at some point. And that point is different for everyone.
8 years later, just last month, I closed on buying that second company from the founder.
Obviously, no one knows the future or could plan this stuff out, but in my experience, prioritizing your overall life over purely your financial life is worth it. We have a weird obsession with "more money, more good", and I haven't found that to be inherently true. It's true to a point, but like a bell-curve, there's a downturn and diminishing returns at some point. And that point is different for everyone.