My best year at Amazon, I earned over $2M. My target comp was $900k. After this,
By Ethanevansvp · October 13, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
My best year at Amazon, I earned over $2M. My target comp was $900k. After this, I decided to leave Amazon. Why on earth did I leave so much money on the table?
The answer may be a bit of a cliche, but it is real:
Money isn’t everything.
A massive salary wasn’t enough to stop me from feeling that it was time to focus on something different. Something more fulfilling.
So I walked away, and now I wake up smiling and happy every day. I no longer work 60-hour weeks and constantly worry about work. Now I work as much as my passion drives me to and spend much of my time traveling and enjoying the outdoors.
Let me tell you how you can achieve this too.
First, I had saved enough money to retire. So, though leaving can feel risky, I would have survived even if I never worked again.
Second, I left with a mission. Not just to enjoy more free time, but also to change lives for the better and to pay forward my good fortune by helping others achieve career success and satisfaction.
The “how” I left (having enough money) and the “why” (to pursue my heart’s desire) are what drove me to walk away from big salaries and a prestigious role.
But it still wasn’t an easy choice. I feared that I had not saved enough. I invented “worst cases” in my mind that would lead me to run out of money.
I also struggled with identity loss. Our jobs are so much of our identity. Usually, people ask us, "What do you do?" right after they ask us our names. I struggled to either say “I am retired” or “I am an executive coach who teaches online.”
It was so much easier on my ego to say, "I'm an executive at Amazon.”
So how can you get what I have found?
1) You have to know or figure out what would give you such deep satisfaction. I had my mission clear in my head and heart before I left Amazon.
2) You need either enough money or a good idea to make money with your mission. I was lucky enough to start with one and figure out the other, but you only need one.
3) Working towards #1 and #2 takes time, but once you have them, cut the excuses and commit.
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