Why I Stopped Chasing Promotions and Focused on Building Passive Incomes?

 

For most of my working life, I played the game.

I worked hard, stayed late, hit my KPIs, and said “yes” more times than I should have. Like many in Singapore’s fast-paced corporate world, I believed in the promise: climb the ladder, get the promotion, earn more, live better.

But somewhere along the way, the climb stopped feeling like progress — and started feeling like a trap.

This is the story of why I stopped chasing promotions (lie flat) and focused on building passive income instead.

The Corporate Climb: Respectable, But Not Sustainable

Let me be clear — I’m not anti-career. I’m proud of the roles I’ve held, the teams I’ve led, and the skills I’ve built. Promotions brought validation. More money. Fancier titles. But with every new step up, came a heavier load.

More meetings. More politics. More responsibility — not always matched with more fulfillment.

And here's what hit me the hardest: every promotion made me more essential… but also less free.

I was trading time for money — at higher rates, yes — but still stuck in the same cycle. If I stopped working, the income stopped too. I realised I wasn't building wealth. I was just earning a salary.

The Wake-Up Call

The turning point came when I started asking myself hard questions:

• Am I working for growth or just for survival?

• If I stopped working tomorrow, how long could I last?

• Will I still be doing this when I’m 60? 70?

• What does "enough" even look like for me?

These weren’t easy to answer. But the clarity that came was undeniable: I didn’t want to be stuck in meetings forever. I didn’t want my income tied 100% to my energy and availability. I didn’t want to work harder just to earn slightly more, only to be taxed higher, spend more, and start again.

I wanted a system that worked with me — even when I wasn’t working.

Discovering Passive Income: A New Way to Think

Enter: Passive income.

The idea was simple, yet radical to my conditioned mind — build income streams that don’t rely entirely on your time or presence. Let your money, your skills, and your assets do some of the work for you.

At first, I was skeptical. It sounded like a fantasy. But as I explored deeper, I found real, accessible paths:

• Investing in REITs and stocks that paid dividends

• Creating digital products like blog articles

• Selling and declutter old stuffs on Carousell for extra cash

• Selling cash secured put options to collect extra cash from great company stocks

• High-yield cash funds, which quietly compound over the years

None of these made me rich overnight. But together, they created momentum. Every dollar earned passively felt like freedom earned. And that, to me, was far more exciting than another job title.

The Freedom Shift: Redefining Success

The biggest change wasn’t financial — it was mental.

I stopped obsessing over performance reviews and started thinking about net worth, cash flow, and flexibility. I shifted from a mindset of earning more to needing less and keeping more.

I started asking: “How can I design a life where I don’t need to retire from burnout, but can transition into what I love, on my own terms?”

This shift also helped me:

• Say no more easily, because I wasn’t desperate for approval.

• Spend more time with family, without guilt or urgency.

• Explore creative projects I’d shelved for years.

• Sleep better, knowing I wasn’t one bad boss or layoff away from panic.

Isn’t Passive Income Just a Buzzword?

Yes and no.

Yes — it’s overused, and often misrepresented as “do nothing and get rich.”
But no — it’s not a myth. Passive income is real. But it’s earned the hard way: through effort, planning, and consistency.

You work hard once, and then the system keeps giving — whether it's a dividend payout, a recurring sale, or rent arriving on the 1st of every month.

It’s not instant. But it’s powerful. And the best part? You don’t need to quit your job to start. I began mine while still working full-time — 10 minutes a day, one step at a time.

What I Gained by Letting Go

By stepping off the promotion treadmill, I didn’t lose ambition. I gained autonomy.

I stopped trying to prove my worth through job titles. I started proving it to myself — through how wisely I used my time, energy, and money.

I don’t need to be a millionaire. I just need enough to live meaningfully, with options. And now, every dollar of passive income buys me time — the most valuable asset of all.

Final Thoughts: Your Worth Isn’t in Your Title

If you love your job and the climb excites you — keep going. But if you feel stuck, tired, or constantly chasing a moving goalpost, maybe it’s time to ask:

What would it look like if I worked for freedom instead of just a promotion?

You don’t need to quit everything today. Just start building your Plan B. Or better yet — your “Plan Free.”

Because at the end of the day, real wealth isn’t just about money. It’s about choice.

And for the first time in my life, I feel like I truly have one.

Thanks for reading.

With love & peace, 

Qiongster