I’ll just stay for a year to sort myself out 

Sound familiar?

That was the plan. Temporary. Practical. Just until something better came along.

But the year became two. Two became five. And somewhere along the way the side hustle never got started, the business idea stayed in the notes app, and the dream quietly got filed under “maybe one day.”

Not because you weren’t capable. Not because the timing was never right.

Because the system is designed to keep you just comfortable enough to stay and just exhausted enough to not build your way out.

The golden handcuffs don’t always look golden. Sometimes they just look like a steady paycheque and the fear of starting over.

I’ve watched brilliant people spend decades in rooms that were never meant for them. Talented, capable, full of ideas – running on empty by Friday.

If that temporary stay has turned into a life sentence – it might be time to plan your escape.

*Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash