I Turned the Money Down–All $10K of It

…and don’t regret it. Not even a little bit.

I was offered a job making $40,000 per year. Compared to what I currently bring in, that would’ve added another $10K to my account. Problem is, the job had absolutely nothing to do with my passion. I made a promise to myself last year during The Crossing Retreat that…

I’m staying clear of the not-it shit!

Saying yes to that job would have felt like I was going backwards. I have a goal. I’ve written it; I’ve dreamed it; I  I can see it; it’s right there. It won’t be easy to obtain, but it’s right there. The Universe has confirmed that all I have to do is stay focused and it’s mine. Then this comes along.

In the words of my grandma, “it ain’t nothing but the devil.” I could very well take the job and say that I’ll use the extra income to back my vision, but I’d be lying to myself. Taking that money would not inch me any closer to happy; instead, I’d be moving away from it. And at this point in my life, happy is a prioritized feeling–even if that means leaving money on the table.

I’ve finally gotten a taste of what it feels like to love what I do. To have the type of control over my creativity that profits me. To stay up until 3 a.m. planning, executing, and evaluating, and loving every second of it.  I cannot go back.

My experience allowed me to adopt new attitudes about money, and it wasn’t until I turned down the $10K that I realized this fundamental evolution. I’ve learned that:

1. The money will be there. You just gotta have the faith and the focus.

Taking what I’ve mined from my experiences thus far, I was able to see that the $10K was not an opportunity. It was a distraction. Not all distractions are bad things; they’re just not for me. That’s the importance of focus. If you’re not focused. If you don’t have detailed goals and constant reminders of them, then you’re not focused and are less likely to get where you’re trying to go (and with a smile on your face).

2. Save, yes, but don’t carry the “money is hard to come by” attitude.

Money is not hard to come by. It comes and it goes. We save so that the going of the funds don’t land us in the negative. We hustle so that the coming is continual. Even when it’s not evident, I know that it’s coming. As long as I’m focused and working, then it’s coming. That’s where the faith comes in.

3. You can’t afford to believe that money is the root of all evil.

Money is not the root of all evil. It’s physically impossible for it to be. It’s the people that are dealing with it.

4. Money is the mean not the end.

I’m not working for the money. I’m working for what the money buys. There are several ways of acquiring these things. Therefore, it’s nothing for me to turn money down.

 

What about you? Have a similar experience?