A recent News & Observer article highlighted a “successful” father who was fired from his job after adopting his youngest child from Russia.
While there’s much to the actual story, Jim Dotson was, from the outside, very successful in his career. Jim’s job at Pfizer as a salesman had him earning $250,000 per year before bonuses. He had stock options, a great retirement account, company car and a nice computer.
Jim moved his wife and three children (before the adoption) into a 6,500-square-foot house in North Raleigh and things looked good until the termination.
Jim’s family prayed for him to find a job nightly but they prayed that “it wouldn’t be a high-paying one, because, as son Hunter said, ‘Money gets in the way of what’s best for us.’”
While I don’t know Jim and his family I would argue that the money doesn’t get in the way but rather it’s people that get in the way of what’s best for us.
I’ve personally worked with clients who make a lot of money and are owned by their jobs. It’s rare for them to find time for their families and they’ve come to me to figure out how to reclaim their lives.
But just because you’re making six figures or more, it doesn’t mean that your job has to own you. I know people making $40,000 that seem to be owned by their jobs and I know people make $1 million per year or more who work 35 hours per week.
Money is amoral; it doesn’t care what you do with it. If you’re owned by your job and make very little, change now. It will only get worse when you make more.
Jim now has more time at home to help his children apply for college and complete their homework. Last week he was a surprise reader at his daughter’s first grade class.
Determine your priorities and don’t get deterred from them.
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