How to Find High‑Paying Roles That Don’t Leave You Fried

5 Strategic Shifts To Consider

There’s a difference between being good at something — and it being good for you.

But when you’re rewarded for endurance, it’s easy to confuse stamina with fit.
You push harder, take on more, keep your head down — until “success” starts to feel like a trap.

This isn’t about being ungrateful.
It’s about realizing that compensation can’t keep covering the cost of misalignment.

What mid-career pros are craving right now isn’t just balance. They want to feel competent and calm. Useful and energized.

They want to keep earning — just not at the expense of themselves.

😖 The Problem

You’ve hit a wall that looks like this:

• You’re great at what you do, but the work drains you more than it fuels you.

• You make good money, but you’re managing the symptoms of stress, not the source.

• You’re tired of grinding — but nervous that stepping back means giving up too much.

And the kicker?

When you try to imagine a better-fit role, your mind goes blank.
Or worse — you only see “low pay, low impact” options.

So you stay.
Or scroll job boards.
Or fantasize about quitting — without a next move in sight.

Help a Sam out: If this helpful, tap the ❤️ to let me know!

💡 What Changed for Me

I spent a year studying and exploring with topic of happiness with my friend Denise in our podcast collaboration What's on Your Bookshelf. One of the big topics that came up repeatedly was hedonic adaptation, which is where you get used to more and bigger and then it no longer feels like more or bigger… like buying a TV that feels huge, then after a few months it feels just normal.

You adapt. And that thing that used to make you happy levels out again.

We humans are so adaptable and because of that we often forget to take a step back and assess what we really want — what would make us happier, what's draining or giving us energy.

People often say you should follow your passion, but I think the smarter move is to follow your energy.

Your career doesn't have to be your passion, but it can't be the thing that sucks all the energy out of your life.

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📋 The Play to Run:

You don’t need to leave your career behind.
But you do need to start making decisions from a different lens — one built around energy, boundaries, and strategic value.

Here’s how high performers I coach start finding roles that pay well and feel good:

1. Focus on Roles Where You’re Hired to Solve — Not to Stay On Call
   Think fractional leadership, internal ops, or scoped consulting. These roles prioritize progress, not presence. They pay for what you bring, not how many hours you sit in meetings.

2. Reframe Your Skill Set Into Business Value
   Odd are you don’t need new skills — you need new positioning. What outcome do you repeatedly drive? That’s what makes you high-value across industries. Learn to pitch the result, not the résumé.

3. Autonomy > “Flexibility”
   A remote job without autonomy is just a digital leash. Look for roles with clear goals, async structure, and decision-making power — not just a laptop on your couch.

4. Become a Multiplier with a High-Leverage Tool
   Master a tool that 10x’s your effectiveness (Notion, Airtable, Loom, etc.). It makes you the person who solves the mess — which puts you in control of the calendar, not buried by it.

5. Negotiate for Energy — Not Just Earnings
   Want to earn well and live well? That starts in the offer stage. Set boundaries up front: no weekend Slack, defined meeting blocks, performance metrics that don’t penalize rest. Ask the right questions and understand where you can set boundaries vs where a company or team might not be a fit.

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🏅 Get In the Game This Week

Don’t overthink it. Start simple:

1. Write down three things that regularly drain your energy at work.

2. Write down three things that replenish it.

3. Now look at your current or ideal job — how many of those energy-drainers are baked into it?

That’s your starting line. That’s where the shift begins.

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⚡ Ready to Dive Deeper?

🎯 Take my 1-minute Career Clarity quiz and download my G.A.M.E. Plan Workbook so you can start asking the right questions to find a role that fits how you actually work best.

🧠 Uncover how you’re wired to communicate, work, and make decisions: Grab Your Maxwell DISC Assessment + Report to really understand you and career that fits.

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🔐 For Paid Subscribers:

✅ I’m sharing my negotiation language I teach to help you build boundaries into your next offer — before the burnout ever begins in this Friday's Monthly Career Huddle.

🔑 Link at the bottom of this post - scroll down to sign up.

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🗨️ What in this post resonated with you? I read every comment - would love to know what you think! 💡 You never know who else your insight might help!

💌 Know someone stuck in the same loop? Send this their way.

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🔓 The Starting Lineup’s Exclusive Play: