The Zen Guide to Promotions, Pay Raises, and Purpose-Driven Ambition
Here's a doozy.
You don’t need to get promoted or better paid.
Sure, the ego boost from updating your LinkedIn profile, the dopamine hit of seeing an extra $1,456.23 in your paycheck, or the satisfaction of bumping your savings rate will feel good.
But let’s be honest — that buzz lasts two weeks, a month max.
It won’t erase the headaches that come with new responsibilities.
It won’t cancel macroeconomic uncertainties.
It won’t guarantee lasting job security.
So… why bother?
A photo of sangha at New York Jogye Temple sitting down for lunch in the meditation hall. I'm in the pink hat. Photo credit: Barbara
🪷 Enter Zen (my personal journey)
One of the greatest joys in my life this year is joining a Zen Buddhist sangha — a meditation community.
(Curious about my sangha journey? I’ve written some personal pieces on Substack.)
In our weekly meditation session, we chant the Heart Sutra, a short and enigmatic Buddhist text that dismantles everything we think is solid and important. It teaches that:
“Form is boundless, and boundlessness is form.”
(This is Kazuaki Tanahashi’s more spacious translation of the classic: “Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.”)
💸 Wait, What Does This Have to Do With Career Growth?
With everything going on, it’s tempting to fall into a nihilistic mindset:
Why care about promotions or pay bumps when the world feels like it’s unraveling one man-made disaster at a time?
In my recent nerding out on early Buddhist texts, I stumbled on something that surprised me:
When the Buddha first began teaching about awakening, some of his lay disciples -- including women -- became materially wealthy by applying his teachings.
And this wasn't in some cushy context.
This was ancient India: no antibiotics, no iPhones, no menopause hormone therapy, no safety nets. Life was precarious, and yet, his teachings helped people create prosperity rooted in ethics, generosity, and clarity.
Honestly? Life still feels precarious.
If anything, the contrast between extreme tech advancement and deep uncertainty has only intensified.
Which is why this feels more relevant than ever.
We're not just navigating capitalism -- we're navigating impermanence. All the while, moving ourselves forward one step at a time.
🌱 The Middle Way to Career Growth
I'm no Buddha and no one's guru. Just another coach on the internet who's drawn, like moth to flame, to retracing her ancestral roots in Eastern spirituality.
But here's what I do know about modern ambition:
You don’t need to play a zero-sum game in your career journey.
You don’t need to hustle for external validation or tie your self-worth to a job title.
But you can choose to grow — to negotiate for better pay, to rise into leadership — not because you’re trying to prove your worth…
…but because when you are grounded in integrity, clear in intention, and generous in spirit, you can do even more good than you already are.
Please don't mistake my intentions here. This isn’t about pushing a Buddhist agenda. Zen isn’t about pushing anyone to convert — it’s really about seeing through illusions.
And here are some common illusions worth letting go:
The illusion that getting promoted or better paid makes you a better person.
Or the illusion that ambition means selling out.
Or the illusion that it’s selfish to want more.
You can pursue abundance — not out of ego, but out of clarity.
Like the Buddha’s early disciples who used their wealth to uplift others, support communities, and build spaces of healing and practice, you too can grow — and then share the fruits in any way that best fit your personal values.
You don’t have to do it alone.
If you’re ready to grow in a way that aligns with your integrity and ambition, I can help.
Book a free consultation and let’s talk about your next step.
