Edition #9

With almost everything you do in life, there are tradeoffs.

Eat whatever processed food you want, whenever you want it... you're setting yourself up for health problems down the line.

Exercise religiously to stay in peak shape... that's hours every week you're not spending with your loved ones.

Take a very high-paying job you hate... welcome to burnout city, population: you.

Give your kids everything they ask for because you want to give them the world... congratulations, you've raised entitled little shit-bags who can't handle disappointment.

Tradeoffs are everywhere. The question is: are you making them consciously, or are they making you?

A lot of people reach out to me saying they're deeply unhappy with their lives.

Unhappy, despite "having it all." A respectable job title. A six-figure salary. A nice house in a good neighbourhood. The whole package that society told them would make them happy.

But they feel stuck.

And they are stuck. They're locked inside a golden cage they built themselves, one promotion and one mortgage payment at a time.

But something that most people don’t realize is… they have the key. It just doesn't feel like it's within reach.

But it is. They just can't see it.

I see this pattern constantly with senior professionals earning $150K+:

They've worked their asses off to get to that salary level. Sacrificed weekends. Missed their kids' games. Sat in traffic for thousands of hours. Dealt with incompetent managers and office politics and all the other corporate bullshit that comes with climbing the ladder.

So when they consider taking a remote role might pay less, they have this visceral reaction:

"If I take less money, doesn't that mean I'm worth... less?"

They think they're selling themselves short by taking a pay ‘cut’.

But they're ALREADY selling themselves short - because they're miserable.

They dream about a different life. A place in the countryside. A house by the beach. More time doing what they love with the people they love.

But instead, they stay trapped. Trading their life, their relationships, and their happiness for money and status.

That's the real tradeoff happening here.

Here’s what staying stuck in a golden cage costs you:

Your time: Two hours a day commuting adds up to 500 hours a year spent sitting in traffic or on public transport.

Your energy: You're giving your best hours to performative office nonsense - meetings that could've been emails, forced "collaboration," pretending to look busy when you've finished your work.

Your relationships: You’re missing meals with your partner and moments with your family. Your friends are making memories, and your poor pets miss you! Instead you're... at the office, earning money to support a lifestyle you barely have time to enjoy.

Your freedom: You can't move to the place you've always dreamed of living. You can't take that midweek trip. You can't be there when it matters because you've got to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday, for "culture."

Your potential: You've got skills, experience, and value that could translate into remote work, but you're too scared to make the move because of what people might think.

Remote work is one key to unlock that cage.

Not the only key, but a damn powerful one.

Here's what it actually gives you:

An extra 5-10 hours every single week for the things that matter. Hobbies. Fitness. Side projects. Just being present with your family without your mind being halfway back at the office.

Geographic freedom: Live where you actually want to live, not where your company happens to have an office. Mountains. Beach. Small town. Different country. Your call.

Control over your time: Structure your day around your life, not the other way around. Take that meeting from the coffee shop. Work deep focus hours when you're actually productive. Be there for the moments that matter.

Reduced bullshit: No performative "face time." No commute. No forced fun happy hours. No pretending to be busy because your manager walked by.

The tradeoff?

You might not get the biggest salary with the corner office and the fancy title.

And you may have to let go of the status symbol that impresses people who don't actually matter to you.

🎯 Fully Remote Jobs (No "Fake Remote" Here):

I can't answer that for you.

Only you know what tradeoff you're willing to make.

But here's what I do know:

Nobody lying on their deathbed wishes they'd spent more time in the office.

Nobody looks back on their life and thinks, "Thank God I stayed in that job I hated for that extra money”

Nobody regrets spending more time with their kids, living in a place they love, or building a life with actual freedom and flexibility.

The golden cage is comfortable, and that’s what makes it so dangerous.

It's just comfortable enough to keep you from leaving, but not fulfilling enough to make you happy.

You have the key.

So the question is: what the hell are you waiting for?

If you are reading this and realizing the cage is getting tighter... we can help you find the key. We’re currently auditing the strategies of senior professionals who want to ditch the confines of the office and work remotely

Stay Rebellious,

Michelle and the RR Team

P.S. Wanna see what’s holding you back? Stop guessing. Get data. Make the decision from a place of clarity instead of fear.