The story of how I became honest about my 'happiness,' and although my annual income decreased, my life became more relaxed

When I was 40, I quit the company where I had worked in HR for 13 years and changed jobs.

When changing jobs, many people always worry about their 'salary' or 'annual income.' Having worked in HR and now being a recruitment agent, I understand this well. I was the most anxious about that myself.

However, I actually made the decision to 'lower my annual income' when I changed jobs.

It was a job in a field I had no experience in, and the company was small. The head office consisted of just me and the president. I had to do everything, including odd jobs.

But by letting go of my obsession with salary, my life has become free and relaxed.
This is my story of changing jobs.

'I'm going to change jobs!' was something I couldn't easily decide

The company I joined as a founding member went public, and I became a manager. Before changing jobs, I think I had a decent income and was stable. Honestly, I was blessed with the people around me, and there was no need to force a 'change'.

Then why did I think about changing jobs?

To be honest, it's because'I was incredibly exhausted.'

I was well-regarded at the company and was entrusted with a leadership role at a young age. My work was trusted, and my position rose year by year. My main work was recruitment and HR. The company was growing steadily every year.

On the other hand,the more the company grew, the more exhausted I became.


・Acquiring talent was getting tougher every year...
・The skills and knowledge required for HR were definitely becoming more difficult...
・Management was telling me to 'lower costs'...
・Screams were coming from the field saying 'Bring in more people!'...
・As both a player and a manager, I had to train and follow up with various subordinates...

But people around me saw me as the type who could 'handle anything, right, Sasaki-san?' and relied on me. (I've always been like that)

On the other hand, that kind of lifemakes you feel like you are desperately needed, at least temporarily. It's a state where 'dopamine and adrenaline are constantly flooding out.'
This is the scary part.
It was tough, but I was subconsciously self-suggesting that 'that is a kind of happiness in its own way.'

But one day, as I approached 40, I suddenly thought.

Do I really want to do this for another few decades?
Is this really 'happiness'?

Isn't this life pretty harsh? Is this even human?
Besides, if there's a personnel reshuffle, there's a possibility I could be moved to a completely different job, right?
If I were to die tomorrow, would I have any regrets?

Round and round and round and round...

Should I choose stability? Or should I choose a challenge?

The period of going in circles lasted for a whopping five years... (I was overthinking it, right?).

I decided to try asking myself questions

But I want to change my current situation! I want to change myself!
And I don't want to just 'quit because I don't like it.' But to avoid that,I need to think carefully about what I'm feeling uneasy about right now and what I can do to clear that unease,otherwise I won't be able to move forward! I thought.

So I decided to thoroughly listen to my 'inner voice' regarding'Should I really change jobs?'and'What kind of life do I want to lead?'I decided I would listen to it!

To do that, I asked myself many questions.

Question 1: What exactly am I feeling uneasy about in the first place?

I couldn't find an answer even after worrying for years. So I decided to borrow the power of others. And from a professional, at that.

1. To pause and look at my own state, I seriously took a six-month training course to develop my own characteristics and strengths (at my own expense, of course).
2. Have a trusted person provide me with career coaching.

It felt like a detour, but it had an outstanding effect.
What became clear was'I have been living while suppressing myself quite a bit'that fact.

Wow! Is that so! I'm surprised!
There were quite a lot of things I was doing unconsciously. For better or worse, I think the idea of 'this is how I should be' had become deeply ingrained in me.
I realized that the gap between that reality and my own desires was what was creating the unease.

I realized that was my true inner voice. Realizing that was the start.

Question 2: Is it not okay to maintain the status quo?

My previous job allowed remote work. Furthermore, it had flex time and allowed side jobs, so'I could change or take on challenges while remaining in my current job'was also an option, so I thought through that possibility as well. But in conclusion, I didn't make that choice.

There are various reasons, but they are things like this.

I seriously considered the possibility of 'staying in my current job' until the very end, but I concluded that 'it would be difficult here.'

Question 3: Can you make it work with a lower income?

Now, for the important topic of money.

As a premise, I didn't intend to 'lower my salary' from the start. In fact, even considering the numerous job offers I actually received from agents, if I had changed jobs leveraging my previous HR experience, I could likely have increased my annual income by about 1 to 2 million yen.

If I had a passion for becoming an HR professional, I think I could have made that choice. HR work will be needed as labor shortages increase, and with legal revisions, various issues will arise in organizations. If I stayed in HR, I could earn a stable income to some extent.

But in my case, since it's not something I want to do with immense passion, I thought that to continue in HR, I would have to invest a lot of energy, and I would surely end up exhausted again.

Besides, what I like and am good at is only a 'part' of HR work, such as recruitment or directly interacting with and developing people—that's it.

So, I took the plunge and eliminated the option of changing jobs as an HR professional.
I decided that 'even if my annual income drops, prioritizing going to an environment I want to be in is the most important thing.'

Ultimately, I chose to join a venture company started by a friend, where I would be involved in a wide range of business (mainly as a recruitment agent). Although the company is small, the fact that the president is a friend and that I would be given freedom and decision-making authority was significant.

And above all, the deciding factor was that before joining, I talked thoroughly about 'what kind of life I want to live,' and I felt I could be supported in that.

As a result, my annual income dropped by 2.5 million yen for a time. Well, it was scary—no, it was actually quite scary—but I reconsidered that if my income decreases, I should just review my expenses.
Also, I thought I could consider 'side jobs' in addition to my 'main job.'
With more peace of mind, I felt I could try new things.

It is important to have balance in life, such as family, partner, relationships, health, hobbies, learning, money, volunteering, etc. I decided to go and create a state where I can balance those things and truly feel happy.

Above all, I myself want to believe that 'people have various possibilities.' That's why I thought, 'If it comes to this, I'll use my own way of living as an experiment!'

That was the decision I finally made. Ahhh... it was a long road.

So, how is it now?

It has been two years since I changed jobs (as of 2025). I have truly, gradually, become able to live freely and relaxed.

Perhaps because I became stricter about how I spend money since my income decreased, I have started buying things more selectively. Especially clothes and beauty-related items. In terms of being able to spend money freely, it might have become a little inconvenient.

Work has many difficulties precisely because it is a small organization. Of course, there is that kind of responsibility, but I have decision-making authority and the freedom to push things forward myself. I don't have the kind of stress I had when I was in a large corporation. I feel that 'freedom accompanied by responsibility' fits me.

A major change is that by having more space in my time and heart, I have had more opportunities to interact with people in volunteer communities and other settings.I am gaining more and more friends across generations.

Also,activities that challenge my potential. I have been able to make time for my own creative activities, such as writing these notes, started doing pro bono work, and am moderately challenging myself with things like studying money and investing, which are necessary for the life I want to live. Because of my experience in HR, I am sometimes asked by people to do coaching, and I am also doing a side job little by little. I feel like my potential is expanding!

Above all, by changing my environment and getting myself into a good state, one year after changing jobs,I was able to meet a partner with whom I truly want to walk through life, and after dating for a year, we got married.Moreover, my partner is from Mongolia, so it is an international marriage. (What kind of life is this!)
Moving forward, I am making preparations with an eye toward living in two locations, including Mongolia.
It feels like my life is starting to balance out and circulate well.

What is happiness to me? That is what matters

Right now, my life is far more comfortable than it used to be.
That is probably because, even while struggling, I am shifting more and more toward a 'state of happiness for myself.'
I don't know yet if this choice was the right one. It's not that I have no anxiety. The credibility that came with the title of 'manager at a listed company' is definitely gone. But now, I feel like I am living my life as a human being to the fullest. A life lived with my own voice and my own words. I don't know what lies ahead, but even that uncertainty is exciting.

Life will go on. But it is surely short.
Let's savor this moment and live.