I think that nowadays many people get stuck in their current situations and see no way out of it. They focus on what they do not have, how their life could be better, what they are not achieving. And yes, you are right: it’s good to have some drive and always want to achieve more.
Recently, a large opportunity has presented itself, and the choice is never easy to make. However, not making a choice is the worst thing you can do. You may be taking the wrong choice, but as long as you commit to it then you are still advancing. The worst is being in a stalemate where no choice is made, and you just sit in limbo. At the end of the day, we want progress. We want to keep on moving!
So, now you are presented with a dilemma: you can either take a job that pays super duper well, or you can continue down your freelancing path that you are currently on. The right thing to do here is not linear or easy, as one path is higher-risk yet you are used to it and the other path provides job security however you are stuck to one office and one project. Knowing this, what would you do?
The answer will not be the same for two different people. The opportunities will not be the same between two people. But the important part is that you make a decision, and understand deeply why you made that decision, so you can live a happy life and not one full of regret.
This is why I have decided to take the job. I am waiting on my final offer documents, and I am ready to sign it. I am ready for the next step of life in this chapter: the employed life. Yes, being employed is never what i thought would happen, but maybe just maybe this structure in a job is what I need to truly bring myself to the next level and gain the experience needed to be able to perform an even better exit in the long run. I have gone freelancing for 6 years, some years amazing some years less, enjoying my freedom of location. I was living in Mexico Taiwan Ukraine Dubai Georgia Barcelona Corsica Vietnam Paris and so many more places during my freelancing days. When I decided to go back to New York and see family, I realized that stability may be the next step in life
I will be honest: NY has never been my favorite city. My main issue is that I find it extremely difficult to make friends in this city, and don’t get me starting about dating: it’s awful here. Everything is expensive, and in general people don’t know how to chill. Finally, the values scene here is all over the place: or you are way too liberal or you are way too conservative — very few people have nuanced opinions here. This is a city that never sleeps, with a million options. So from option overload nobody commits, everyone is in a situationship, and nobody actually has your back when you need it most. So, you become a slave to your work, or you become a slave trapped in a city where although yuo make a lot of money, you generally will be spending even more than what you make. I call NY not the concrete jungle, like many people, but the trap. That is, until I changed my mindset.
The reality is that New York is an amazing city, it’s just so overwhelming that it might take some adjusting before you truly get to appreciate it to the fullest. Making friends takes time, and yes I have still not found my true friends in this city. I am still with my imported friends mainly from my college days. I have not found any great relationship, the biggest issue being that most people here are really into that one thing they are into and if you don’t share that one passion like them you are basically trash to them. It’s an open minded city, only if you think like everyone else. Not if you have your own opinions. So, this city is far from perfect. But after two full years of living here, I am realizing that you can make anywhere a great place. Enjoy the architecture here, the chopped cheese, the large Jewish community, the history, the different music scenes, the museums, and most importantly the job opportunities. It took me a while to understand and navigate the right place to work at, but I think that I have finally found it
Simply put, if I accept this job I will never have gotten paid this much at any point in my life. It’s a lot of money. Plus there is equity on top. I am OK being a slave to the company. I want the company to succeed. I want to be a part of that startup success. The biggest part that it will teach me is that it will show me what is most important in a rapidly growing startup — what matters and what doesn’t matter. So, many will call this a sacrifice, but it’s a sacrifice that can make the next 5 years much easier once I am ready to start my own venture. So, this makes sense and I will do it.
By choosing life above all, the opportunities came. Not when I wanted, but they did eventually come. So, I don’t believe in the affirmations thing, but I do believe in prayer, and I also believe in putting yourself out there as much as you can. You will never know who will be the person that brings you to the top. It could be the guy you’re playing pingpong with every Thursday, seriously. It could be the guy who sat next to you at a bar. You never know who, where or when that person who changes your life comes from. But you definitely will not find that opportunity if you are at home watching TV or playing videogames (unless of course you are a professional videogame player).
So, if I had to leave you with one lesson from this entire experience, it’s that Hashem, G-d loves each and every one of us. Sometimes we think we are messing up, but in reality we can learn from every missed opportunity and can get better everyday. So, attack everyday with a growth mindset, and be sure to smile even when you are having a bad day. Your energy is felt by all, and bringing good energy to the world will usually bring good energy back to you.
I am looking forward to your development and seeing you become a better person everyday!