It’s easy to think that getting promoted will solve all our problems.
A promotion is not just about getting paid more. It is confirmation that the work you are doing is valuable. You also get a fancy new job title to put on your resume!
But step back for a moment.
Will it make you happy?
I actually think it will. For the first few weeks.
The extra money will come in handy and you’ll spring out of bed with a renewed commitment to the company.
It turns out your boss wasn’t so bad after all!
However, every new promotion comes with additional responsibilities, people to please, and the need to look extra-busy to justify your extra salary.
Fast forward three months…
You are now living somewhere more expensive, enjoying a few more dinners out every week, subscribing to a few more services, and treating yourself to well-earned breaks away.
Before you know it, your expenses have risen to equal your new income. With all these extra bills to pay, it’s now more important than ever to keep your job.
So what’s the solution?
A promotion offers us three separate things:
More money
Higher status
External validation
Let’s start with number one:
1. More money
There is a better way to increase your income than sitting around waiting to be promoted: create passive income streams.
Think about it. Getting a ‘safe and secure’ job is harder than ever. Even software engineers for Uber are getting laid off these days.
Life is less risky if you have multiple sources of income instead of relying on one big pay check a month.
This way you can afford to walk away from any job, business or other income stream that is not making you happy, without having to sell your house or go bankrupt.
Over the coming months, Escape Hatch will teach you multiple ways to generate additional income. (Don’t forget to subscribe to find out more!)
2. Higher status
Do you like the idea of “Senior” or “Head of” in your job title? If so, consider why.
Yes it will look good on your resume but, I promise you, the people in your life who care about you will love you just as much with or without your fancy new role. (If you don’t believe me, get a promotion and see how little anyone cares!)
Job titles are entirely arbitrary. Rather than aiming to become a “Chief” or “Vice President”, it’s much more useful to ask yourself questions like “Do I want to manage a team?”, “Do I want to work for a big or small company?” and “How can I surround myself with people who know more than I do?”.
Always seek clarity, not status.
2. External validation
Being promoted feels amazing. There’s no denying that.
However, it is dangerous to live conditionally on someone else’s approval or disapproval of your work.
People are fickle at the best of times. No matter how well intentioned your boss may be, your boss will chiefly be concerned about one thing: pleasing their boss.
As much as we all love to be told we are doing a good job, let’s remember that your boss hasn’t lived your life experience. They don’t know what your heart truly desires, and nor do they have the perspective or authority to tell you if you’re succeeding at life.
The good news
You don’t need to wait around to be promoted before you can start making more money, and you don’t need to wait for someone else’s validation before you can feel better about yourself.
You are never going to have all the things you want in life, so you have two choices: life conditionally for a future that may never come, or choose to be happy now with what you’ve got.
As cheesy as it may sound, all your power really is right here, right now.
Book Recommendation
If you catch yourself saying “I’ll be happy when…”, it’s a good sign that you’re basing your happiness on future conditions that you cannot control.
The Power of Now made me realise I was living in the future, not the present. Given that we are all going to die with a full inbox and list of unfulfilled desires, it feels logical to me that the only path to true happiness is to be happy in the now.