Should you ditch your "Peak Earning" years?

I voluntarily slipped out of those sweet golden handcuffs.

I left Wall Street during my “peak earning” years. I wanted to give 100% of myself to fatherhood — the recitals, drop-offs, bedtimes (and tantrums).

The financial sacrifice was massive. But the payoff was even greater.

My daughter is turning 10 this weekend (yikes!), so it feels like the right time to check in on my decision.

This week, on a solo episode of The Examined Life Podcast, Khe asks the question:

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My top 3 takeaways

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​Parenting is hard on a marriage

Shared purpose. Mutual sacrifice. Unconditional love. You’d think kids would strengthen a marriage. But with exhaustion, non-stop trade-offs and resentment, marriage gets way harder.

→ Watch the clip
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Hardship doesn’t teach you everything

How do you raise gritty and resilient kids? These are the hallmark of a “lower middle” upbringing. But what about other virtues like gratitude, kindness and service. And isn’t that what we really want for our kids?

→ Watch the clip​
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What life do you want for your kids?

We raise our kids the way we would have wanted to be raised. Doesn’t that imply that we want our kids to have a version of our life? Rather than give them the destination, give them the map and let them find their own way.

→ Watch the clip​

From our sponsors:

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My favorite quote: The puppy dog approach to parenting

Why this episode matters to me

I’ll be honest with you — for many years, I thought that leaving Wall Street was the wrong decision.

The “peak earnings” thing really is a mind f**k.

But the past 10 years as a dad have been incredible.

There is no amount of money that I would trade for the joy, love and adventures.

It’s been an honor to be a dad. And an honor to share what I’ve learned with you.

"Post-Achievement" featured in the Wall Street Journal

I'm thrilled that Post-Achievement Professionals (a term coined on this podcast) were featured in the WSJ (along with guests Kevin Dahlstrom and Kris Abdelmessih).

Khe Hy @khemaridh Mom, I made it into the @WSJ without a shirt on! With my fellow Post-Achievement Professionals @Camp4 and @KrisAbdelmessih 10:54 PM • Mar 13, 2024 2 Retweets 22 Likes Read 3 replies

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Hope you enjoy the episode,

Khe

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