The One Career Move that will Change Your Life

Everyone can have a life and career they want if they are willing to do just one thing and literally one thing only. Sales people and sales leaders this is for you in particular. 

Once you get your s$&t together after your first 2-6 years out of college, never take a role for more money especially during the first real 10 years of your career. Only focus on roles, new adventures, or working for leaders that will level you up. The more you hop for more money early in your career the more you cripple your long term potential.

Caveat: It is awesome when you do what you have to do to help those around you when they need you. You may need the money and that is completely different from what I am talking about. In those cases, you just have to double down on your growth outside of work even if you had to take the “more money” job. You might have kids or choose to take a step back or laterally for a period for family/health reasons and I get that, love it and respect it. 

I’m talking about the people who could keep living on 20K less but choose to hop jobs for no other reason than making more money. The people that don’t take a role with more responsibility because they will make less. Those are the people tanking their long term career without knowing it. 

For example: 

Your professional development each year is like dollars, professional development credits, that you bank over time. 

• Person One has invested One million in professional development credits in themselves by age 30
• Person Two only invested 850K because they put their personal development on hold for a period to make more money
• Let’s say both of you up your game by 8% a year and do nothing else. 

That delta from your first 10 years, 30 years later? Person one has 1.64 million more in their professional development bank on just a 150K delta when you both started. You take out now, you lose later. 

That’s real. If you keep taking time out to be comfortable or make a little more money here or there, stunting your growth on purpose vs circumstances, you will end up exponentially more knowledge/growth poor than the person who doesn’t years later. They will beat you over the long game. 

For executives & leaders - please read: 

You are a bad leader if you ever, and I mean ever, tell an employee or manager or director “why would you want to leave that role? You will make more money now than if you leave.” It’s manipulative and self serving. Years down the road, that person will never say, “thanks for ensuring I made 30k more that one year” but the person’s life you change by leveling them up or out to the right growth opportunity will tie them to you forever. Never stunt someone’s growth because you need to hit a number. You aren’t just injuring them now, you are hurting their career and it’s just sh$&ty. 

Do you want to end up with a successful career? Be smart about all of your moves and remove money from the equation when possible. Invest in your growth every day/week/month/year - you will win. Who cares about 150k now when you can have 1.64 million down the road?

This is not just for the 22 year olds but for the 32, 42, & 52s as well. The more you put in today, the more you get out tomorrow. If you got a late start, it's all good, it is rarely as late as you think. Sam Walton started Walmart at 44 in Rogers, AR. Gary Vaynerchuck didn't start his real hustle until 32.

I know it is tempting to see your friends & peers making more money, buying a big house or new Range Rover, vacationing in exotic places, and you are chilling with your family taking budget vacations and getting pissed at their Instagram posts because you think it should be you. Forget that guy/woman, they are getting soft while you are getting better. Learn to love to see other people spending time on things that aren’t the grind. In 10 years, the two-three steps ups you've taken will be worth x and in 30 years, you won't even be in the same league.  

Jake Dunlap