Updated: April 28, 2023
I have a question that I’d like for you to think about. Which is…
Would you take an emotionally demanding job that requires 12 hours of work every day, at minimum wage; but after 5 years, you’ll be paid a bonus salary of USD 1,000,000?
What’s your answer? And why?
I would say YES.
Taking the question as is, my answer would be YES – I would accept the job.
My primary reason is because that much money could change my life forever.
I can already live comfortably, secure my retirement, and acquire assets that can serve as my legacy to the next generation of my family.
Isn’t all that worth the five years of sacrifice?
A similar experience
You might be wondering what was the inspiration for this question, and I must admit that it’s based on personal experience.
When I quit my job to focus on being an entrepreneur, it truly felt like that. I was working for almost that many hours every day (sometimes more), I had no time to go out with friends, and I’d go to bed exhausted and emotionally drained.
To be honest, that kind of life went on for me for almost three years. It was only by then that I started to feel my hard work paying off. And when I finally saw seven digits on my bank account, I felt all that sacrifice was truly worth it.
But of course, I continued and persevered until I was able to leverage my time and money to create more sources of income, which helped me become financially secure and independent today.
I admit that the scenario and the question above do not exactly reflect my experience. And given that we all live under different circumstances and have different priorities in life – it would be unfair to say that declining the job is wrong.
Words from my mother
Aanhin mo pa ang pera mo, kung sa pagpapa-gamot at pagpapa-ospital mo naman magagastos?
Those are the exact words of my mother several years back when I was working my a$$ off on running my business.
And I agree… indeed, what use is my money if it will just be used to pay for my medical and hospital bills.
But call me stubborn and hard-headed – because I actually ignored her advice to take things slow.
It’s just fortunate that within all those years, I never once had to go to the doctor for anything serious. I guess I had to thank my youth for that.
However, if you were to ask me if I’d be willing to work as hard again as before, I’d say NO – because I know that this time, I’ll really end up in the hospital. I know myself that much to say that I can’t survive the same lifestyle today.
Taking the lesson
As with all hypothetical questions, there are no right nor wrong answers – only lessons to be learned.
And with this one, it is the importance of knowing and challenging your limits.
It is only you who knows what you can and cannot handle. It is only you who knows what you can and cannot sacrifice in your life, in exchange for your dreams.
It is also only you who can truly test your limits. It is only you who can push yourself to go beyond your comfort zone.
But, it’s always good to try new things, to face your fears, and have something important at stake – because most of the time, that is the only way to grow and achieve your biggest goals in life.
Always give yourself the opportunity to become a better version of yourself.
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i can relate this, it happens to me several years back. now i’m ready anytime to end my job and already out of the rat race.
Yep, ganon na nga Fitz. Me either, i think di ko na kaya yung ginawa ko mga 5-6 yrs ago. I pushed my self to the limit. Suerte ka at di ka nagkasakit, ako ilang beses ata natakbo sa ospital. Hindi sa pagod eh, but more on the stress and pressure I’m getting all over (environment, family, work). ayun. hehehehe. Kaya now, hinay na lang din.
hi fitz! you never fail to inspire me everyday..and i can say that you’ve change my life through your posts..keep it up okay..
[…] Ready to be Rich – About that million dollar job […]
IF, I were young, I would jump at this opportunity. The downside: in my youth I did not know what to do with the million dollar bonus after five years. There were a lot of things I did not know when I was starting out and one was how to generate a good income from my capital. I did not know that I would be married, raise a family and lose my first bride to cancer at a young age. I did not know that I would eventually move to the Philippines and have a second chance at love. Over the years, I thank God for the experiences and all the learning! I was privileged to be a member of a Yahoo investing group, now disbanded. The leader of the group was a West Point graduate, became a Doctor (of medicine) and even went back to school to earn an MBA. His passion was creating retirement income strategies and he shared several of his real money portfolios with the group. If I had known in my youth how to use two ETFs as the underlying and with the use of option selling, earn an average 10% / year with NO loss of my capital from my million dollars, I would have been all over it! Think about this: the exchange rate is now going against me. BUT, IF I had the 1M USD working to yield an average of $100,000 USD / year from my new home here in the Philippines, I think we could all agree that you would be ALL SET !!! Now, I agree, maybe you would have trouble paying the staff on a mega-yacht, maybe not even afford fuel for world-wide cruising? BUT YES, an average $100,000.00 USD ( P5,078,373.57) per year would be an AWESOME retirement. All I can say is THANK YOU Dr. Joe, if you are still out there, for sharing all that you did. I do not have the amount capital saved that you do but you have made my retirement in the Philippine Islands so much better than it may otherwise have been!