Get Off the Train

After I had my first kid, I sat in a small meeting room one day for my annual performance review.

Across the desk were my boss and the director who had the final say on pay.

For the first time in my career, I had worked up the courage to ask for a raise. A thirty percent raise.

I tried to stay calm and hide how nervous I was. I had prepared. I’d printed out a page explaining why I believed I deserved it, listing everything I had accomplished for the company over the previous few years.

Then I watched their faces across the table.

One didn’t say much.

The other smiled and said it wasn’t possible.

One year later, I changed careers and doubled my salary.

When a train isn’t taking you where you want to go, running backward inside it won’t change its destination.

You just need to get off and take another train.