Question: Why is it so easy for an elephant to get a job?
Answer: Because an elephant will work for peanuts
I’m here all week!
But there’s a serious point to this little joke:
Don’t settle for less than you’re worth.
Seems obvious right?
So let’s shift gears and talk
about the other side of the coin. A trap which can snare you if you’re not paying attention.
And it’s this:
Your salary
does not equal your progress.
Stick with me while I break this down for you.
Most people would say yes to a bigger salary.
After all, you can finally buy that Peloton bike you’ve had your eye on (and use it to hang out your laundry).
But as your salary increases, it’s not a big leap to start using your salary as a
measure of your personal progress. Even without realising it.
I fell in to this trap.
I had a graph in my head which
charted my salary. And most years that salary went up.
Happy days!
But that graph didn’t just track my
salary.
It was almost like a “personal progress” graph. As the line went up and to the right, I started to think I must be growing as a person too.
I must be getting happier. I must be more confident, more respected and more fulfilled.
But I was way off the mark.
Apart from my salary, everything was shrinking. Not growing.
I was less happy. I was sleeping less, I had less energy and I was increasingly
unfulfilled.
And I didn’t catch this at the time. My salary hoodwinked me.
The fact of the matter is this:
An increasing salary is like an increasing follower count on Instagram.
More followers means nothing about you. It doesn’t mean you’re more popular, more successful or
happier. All it means is you have more followers.
And a salary which goes up is the same. All it means is your salary is going up.
That’s it.
When you start to add other meanings to an increasing salary, it could be a sign you’ve taken your eye off the ball.
Because personal progress isn’t your salary. It’s so much more.
In fact, I’d go so far to say that personal progress has nothing to do with your salary.
That’s my two pennies worth for today.
What do you think?
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me