Same Number, Different Meaning

Read time: 6 minutes

Welcome to The Ascend Archives, a weekly newsletter where I share a story about a transformation, revelation, or change in thinking that has improved an aspect of my life.

Earlier this year, I wrote about the accordion of life and needing to prioritize different parts of life at different times. Recently, I had to put that into action focusing on work and relationships. So my writing has been infrequent, but those areas are in a good spot and I’m ready to dial back up the newsletters. Let’s get into it!

I was updating my net worth tracker when I noticed something strange.

The total came out to a familiar number.

I scrolled up to double-check.

Sure enough, this month, I hit the same net worth I had at my financial peak 18 months ago.

While the numbers might match, the paths to get there couldn’t be more different.

For five years, I was grinding. I took on the projects that were handed to me. I kissed up to partners at my firm to position myself for promotions and bonuses. I dumped my extra savings into real estate and the stock market. And it was working.

My arbitrary goal of becoming a millionaire by 30 was on track.

But then I walked away.

I turned down a $50,000 bonus.
I said goodbye to a bi-weekly paycheck.
I hit pause on my career to take time to think about what came next.

I knew that decision would set me back financially. 

And while I told myself I had faith, I still had moments where I’d do the math in my head, thinking about that $50K bonus, my old salary, and how much further ahead I’d be if I had stayed. I could have had so much more safety and security.

But then I’d bounce back, reminding myself: wealth isn’t just numbers on a screen. It’s health, freedom, relationships. And I’d remember why I left.

The first five months were heavy on my wallet. A ten-day trip to Italy and Spain. First class flights and six weeks in Australia and New Zealand. The college football national championship in Houston. A move to Austin. All with no income coming in.

When I got to Austin, I was ready to work. My adventure cup was full. But I was starting from zero. And I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do for work.

A few more months passed where my expenses were lower, but I wasn’t making more than a few thousand bucks a month on one-off projects. The bleeding had slowed, but I was still leaking cash.

Each month, I’d update the net worth spreadsheet and watch my cash number drop. My investments were holding steady, sometimes even going up. But I couldn’t ignore the slow drip from my savings account.

Eventually, I got momentum in my ghostwriting business. I signed a few clients on monthly retainers and was bringing in enough income to just about covered my baseline expenses. But it wasn’t perfect, I was still pulling from savings to fund investments. car payments, and ad hoc purchases.

Then came the moment that made it real.

At the start of this year, I paused my monthly auto-deposits into my investment accounts.

I didn’t want to. But I wasn’t making enough cash to pay my bills and invest, let alone build a cushion. Stopping those deposits was tough. It was a small admission that I wasn’t as far along in my entrepreneurial journey as I’d hoped.

But I knew it was the right move to keep my runway alive. 

And then in April of this year (15 months after I quit) I finally crossed the line.

The leaky bucket was sealed.

For the first time since quitting my job, I paid off my credit cards, my rent, car payment, and health insurance… And still had money left over from what I earned that month.

That quiet shift felt massive. The feeling of transferring money into my savings account and not out of my savings account was one I had taken for granted in my consulting days.

But it wasn’t until I saw that net worth number last week, the one I hadn’t seen in 18 months, that it all hit me.

I shared the news with my GoBundance accountability pod. They encouraged me to celebrate, so I did. That night, I took my girlfriend out to a new spot in Austin. We toasted to that spreadsheet number. It’s not a massive number, but it felt meaningful.

Because that number, while the same as it was 18 months ago, meant something completely different now.

Back then, I was trading my time for a job I didn’t love. Chasing approval for bonuses. Climbing the corporate ladder because I thought I was supposed to.

Now, I’m building something of my own. I’m working with people I admire, on projects I care about. Over that same stretch, I’ve gotten into the best shape of my life, traveled more, built a real community in Austin, and deepened relationships that matter most to me.

The money may have dipped, but everything else has gone up.

And the foundation I’ve built over the past 18 months feels way stronger than the one I left behind.

My happiness doesn’t hinge on one income stream. Or one corporation. Or one person.

I’ve been to zero. I’ve come back. And I know I’ll need to do it again.

There will be more valleys. Clients will churn. Deals will fall through. Maybe AI replaces my writing (I’m betting it won’t, but that’s for a different newsletter).

But I know now that I can handle it.

In the moment, a year and a half to get back to where I was felt like forever. But when I zoom out, 18 months is nothing. Over the course of my lifetime, it’s just a blip.

A necessary detour that got me on the right path. This time, in the driver’s seat.

Thank you for reading! As always please reply and let me know what resonated, what didn’t, or what you question. I love chatting about this stuff!

Cheers,

Andrew