A chat with my old boss made me rethink success, and now I have an unpopular take

We were loading a truck when he said he measured success by how little he worked, not how much he earned. That flipped my whole view on climbing the career ladder. I now believe that chasing promotions can actually make you miserable, which most of my friends disagree with. Anyone had a conversation that turned their goals upside down?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_chen512d ago

Honestly I learned that lesson the hard way after taking a "big step up" that just meant answering emails until 10pm. My boss had a point about free time being the real win, lol. Jade's right that some climb can help you buy freedom later, but man, it's easy to get stuck on that ladder and forget to get off. I'm now in a way less fancy job that lets me clock out at five, and I've never been happier even if my title sounds boring.

the_tyler2d ago

Take it from someone who burned out climbing that ladder. The extra cash never made up for lost weekends and constant stress. Finding a job that lets you disconnect is the real upgrade.

jade_jenkins2d ago

Your boss's view is interesting, but missing out on promotions left me stuck in boring jobs. Moving up gave me better problems to solve and more say in my projects. The raise wasn't just money, it was buying back my time for hobbies. Climbing a bit first can build the savings to work less later.