Have you ever turned down $25,000? I have. One of my last traditional jobs was at a law firm. I started the job in January, and in March, the firm increased my annual salary by $25,000. It wasn't because I was brilliant. (I'm not, but you already knew that.) It seems they had decided that by increasing my salary, they could compete more effectively against other firms for new attorneys.
As the managing partner announced my raise, I wanted to yell out, "No, thanks! I don't want your money!" You'll be glad to know I thought better of that little idea. Still, I was not happy. Something inside me wanted to actually earn a living, to eat what I kill. Instead, I was a slave, and I knew that the more money they threw at me, the more slave-like I would become. A slave who make gobs of money is still a slave, right?
I was not ungrateful. In fact, I realized that millions of people would work twice as much as I did for half the money. God bless them. I just couldn't do it. The raise first appeared in my April pay check. By November, I had resigned to start the Indie Beauty Network.
Thanks, but please keep your golden handcuffs. I'd rather be a free agent than get a free ride.
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