Today is the last time a company will ever decide what I’m worth... And I’m not sad about it
My final pay cheque landed today. And I sat with that for a minute. Not because I’m sad. Because I’m not. Because somewhere between the exhaustion and the hard days and the moments I almost talked myself out of all of it, something shifted. I built something. Not perfectly. Not without fear. Not without days where I questioned every single decision I’d made. But I built it anyway. And today that building means I don’t need someone else to decide my value anymore. I don’t need a salary review or a promotion or a manager’s approval to determine what this month looks like for my family. Or if I can leave early for my kids or when to eat my lunch. I decide that now. I want to be honest though. Getting here wasn’t the highlight reel version. It was nursery drop offs and mum maths and posting when I had nothing left. It was showing up messy on the days everything felt impossible. It was choosing to keep going when staying stuck would have been so much easier. But this feeling right now? Worth every single one of those days. If you’re still waiting for someone else to decide what you’re worth, I want you to know this feeling is available to you too. It starts with one decision. Drop READY in the comments or message the person who introduced you and really talk about what that looks like for you.