Many in my circle feel trapped by the "golden handcuffs" - unable to leave unsatisfying jobs because they'd have to take a pay cut. For these individuals, this barrier is more psychological than monetary. The notion of taking less money feels like backtracking, something we instinctively resist as humans.
My dog exemplifies this mindset. On walks, she stubbornly refuses to turn back, stopping dead in her tracks until we keep moving forward. To get her to turn around, I walk her into a cul-de-sac, stealthily getting her to head home. To her, it's just continuing ahead, despite ultimately returning to our starting point.
Ideally, I hope my friends can find fulfilling work that pays more than their current roles, easily justifying a change. If not, I hope they can turn into their own cul-de-sac by reframing backtracking into course correction towards greater satisfaction.
These individuals are intelligent and hardworking; they can provide immense value elsewhere and subsequently capture some of that value for themselves. If they find work they truly enjoy, I'm confident they would quickly surpass their previous earnings. This is because doing fulfilling work is a superpower - you'll outwork others because to you, it's play, not toil. However, in order to play, you have to first be willing to change direction.
