If You Want to Grow, Become a Parent

The ultimate life hack

It was my first week of paternity leave.

We had just gotten home from the hospital after having our first child. It was a rough delivery and we were exhausted, but we were filled with joy at the sight of our daughter.

I received a call from my manager.

He let me know that yet again, despite all my efforts, I was not receiving the promotion I had worked so hard for.

I was a billing supervisor working towards being an Assistant Controller.

I was underpaid, overworked, and didn’t like my job very much. But like many other people, I had no idea what else to do, so I stayed and just tried to work my way up the corporate ladder.

The Realization

In those days, I was dreaming about the person my daughter might someday become.

Then it hit me.

If I wanted her to live her best life and pursue her dreams, then I had to as well.

• No more staying stuck in a job I hated.

• No more saying “maybe later” to my dreams.

• No more playing it safe at every turn.

My greatest ambition became to be an example to my daughter. Showing her how to take risks and that anything is possible.

I wanted her to live life to the full.

I wanted her to be proud of her dad someday. But not just for being a good dad. I wanted her to be proud of the person her dad is, or will someday be.

A desire welled up inside of me to break out of the shackles that were tying me down.

The fear. The complacency. The indecision.

And with a sense of urgency, I began making changes.

The Transformation

There are 2 things I began doing simultaneously during my paternity leave at that time.

1. Learning technical skills to change careers

2. Documenting my journey by creating content on LinkedIn

It wasn’t easy, but over time both yielded incredible results.

With my wife’s blessing, I dedicated hours at a time everyday learning tools like SQL, Tableau, Power BI, and getting better at Excel (something I was already decent at).

At the same time, I was creating content online and was shocked by how much attention it was getting.

I successfully accepted an offer for my first data job as a Business Analyst with a 30% pay increase. That was the start of a career that I’m actually proud of and am still in today (just a very different role now). I’m now making 66% more from my 9-5 job than I was in that previous career just a few years ago.

As my content took off, I began to monetize my personal brand. Eventually, I formed a creator business around it and am still doing that too; my 5-9 job.

It’s led to tons of opportunities. Some good. Some not so much. But what’s different is I know feel confident enough to take the risks to try them out.

• I started a Power BI consultancy (didn’t work out)

• I became a Growth Advisor for a startup (still doing that)

• I accepted a full-time offer at my dream company (still doing that too!)

And many other things related to my business, but I’ll save that for another day.

The point is, having kids changed my life.

I was wandering through life in a bit of a haze before my 1st child.

Having her gave me clarity, confidence, and inspiration to do more.

And the fun only continues with the birth of my 2nd child.

Conclusion

For me, having kids has been the ultimate life hack.

It literally pushed me to be a different person, in the best way possible.

Some people see having kids as “the end.”

I saw it as a “new beginning.”

Sure it looks different.

But it’s beautiful.

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Final note:

Becoming a parent doesn’t have to mean having kids.

• You can adopt

• You can foster

• You can even mentor

I used to work for the Department of Child Safety (one of my many previous jobs), and there are plenty of kids from broken homes who need good people to love them and support them. It’s a huge need.