April 5, 2023
“You always seem so relaxed, Matt.”
That was my signal.
My master plan was working.
I no longer worked for corporate; corporate worked for me.
After a decade of giving everything to ladder-climbing (and losing everything I held dear), I had to reinvent my relationship at work.
I could no longer tolerate:
The paycheck and benefits were vital with kids and a lifestyle to maintain.
So I had to create a new strategy — capturing the “goods” from corporate while minimizing the “bads.”
In retrospect, I call it doing corporate detached.
Psychologists show that our upbringing influences our “attachment style,” which has a massive influence on our experience at work.
If you’re like the old me (anxious attachment style), you’re worried about what others think, and you’re ripe for burnout.
Fixing this problem comes down to tuning your “attachment” dial.
In short, here’s what to build towards: be physically attached, while emotionally detached.
Physically attached:
Emotionally detached:
This doesn’t mean you’re an unemotional robot at work.
It just means you’re in control — no longer tossed around like a rag doll due to external circumstances.
You’ve developed perspective and discipline.
We can also frame this another way.
In Stoicism, the aim is to cultivate indifference to nearly everything .
This is a place of strength where you no longer judge everything as “good” or “bad.”
Instead, you’re living in a healthy (unemotional) state of indifference — a place of peace and balance.
Do you see how this works? Can you imagine the immense value?
It was everything to me: learning to be physically attached, while emotionally detached.
Results:
The job no longer dominated my life. Instead, it became a tool in service of my dream life.
This is doing corporate detached.
PS - whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:
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