Many of us came to (unexpected) success through Salesforce.
I’m doing amazing projects, large and small, and making more money than ever I expected.
But it comes with a catch, especially as an independent contractor.
There’s always the possibility to do more, to earn more, to do more, to make the next career step.
Chatting with a wise friend, he asked, Define rich.
Can’t you buy anything you want?
Can’t you eat anything you want?
Do you have to work Mondays?
“As long as we have to work Mondays we are never truly rich.”
And he’s right, what means rich for me personally is more and more money on the bank account but so much more.
Sure I need enough to live comfortably, but that’s something I reached quite a while ago. My lifestyle is quite cheap.
Having “more” is not the same for everyone. Some people want to lead huge teams, some people want to be amazing Admins and others want to spend as much time as possible with their family.
I have to be careful to confuse other people’s goals for my own.
Circling back, I didn’t become an independent contractor to become rich or be particularly successful. I wanted the freedom to pick my clients, work on interesting projects work on interesting projects, for the amount of time I choose.
Logging times and writing invoices, it’s easy for me to lose track of my goals. Why shouldn’t I work a few extra hours, easy cash?
That’s why I need an ask myself regularly: What means success to me?
Baseline: Enough money to sustain my current lifestyle, have some back-up for sabbaticals and save for retirement.
Success:
1) Not work on Mondays
2) Having tasty lunch and dinner every day
3) Taking multi-week vacations during the summer
4) Go on long bike trips whenever I feel like it
5) Not be in more than 5h of meetings per week !important
6) Learning something new every day
7) Having friendly colleagues
8) Working in part-time
9) Have time for the Salesforce community (You are all just so lovely)
Disclaimer: I know that I’m in a privileged position and others can’t choose that freely what makes them happy. Your goals might differ completely.
PS: These goals might change in the future. I have to re-evaluate them again and again.
Thanks, Ankit Taneja for always being inspiring, and thanks Paul Ginsberg for making that article a reality.