The Salary Trap

You wake up at 6:47 a.m., seven minutes before your alarm goes off.

You didn’t plan it. Your body just knows. It has learned this rhythm over years—4,847

mornings to be exact. Nearly thirteen years at the same company. Same routine.

Same ceiling. Same quiet moment where your mind wakes up before your motivation

does. You tell yourself the same things every morning. It’s security.

It’s a good salary. There are benefits. There’s stability. And all of that is technically true.

But as you lie there staring at the ceiling, there’s a feeling you can’t quite explain.

You’re earning more money than your parents ever imagined making at your age. On paper,