Loving What You Do

I was at a conference this week, and met someone who basically offered me the opportunity to explore job opportunities at his trust firm.  He pointed out that what I could be making in Manhattan would make the rest of my life QUITE financially comfortable.

So we talked.  In my disbelief that SOMEONE WAS TALKING TO ME ABOUT A JOB THAT PAYS A BILLION TIMES BETTER THAN I MAKE NOW, I promptly texted half the people I know.  Most encouraged me to follow up and take the job if offered, because damn that's a lot of money.  And I was flattered... He explained that my particular qualifications are very rare and very expensive in the world of high finance.  I'm expensive.  I knew that on the output side, never realized that on the income side!

I learned from taking a job once purely for the money to NEVER EVER DO THAT, so I was a bit more circumspect.

The kind of job he was offering was basically life in a shark tank.  If you know me, you know I crumble like a cracker under pressure.

Okay, that isn't really true, I'm pretty damn tough, actually.  But I just don't CARE enough about money to live my life with that at the center.  That sort of job comes with that as a minimum qualification.

A few years ago, I looked around and realized I make enough money. Yeah, it would be nice to have enough to live in luxury, but really, I have a roof over my head, a driveable car and I never have to choose between electricity and food.  This puts me in a pretty freakin grand situation.

More importantly, I have TIME.  I get a goodly number of vacation days, I can spend time with my friends, I don't have to keep my phone on 24/7 or when I'm on vacation.  I work hard, but I can set boundaries for my mental health.

So, while knowing I am Expensive is delightful, I don't want to pay that high a price for that kind of life.