I left a high-paying job as a senior .NET developer at a company in LA. I was unhappy with the town and the situation I had put myself in, so I planned to take

I left a high-paying job as a senior .NET developer at a company in LA. I was unhappy with the town and the situation I had put myself in, so I planned to take a year off to travel and develop my fledgling startup. I got rid of nearly all of my possessions, put a few boxes of keepsakes in storage, and left with only a small backpack. Now almost three years later, my startup is profitable enough to pay my rent and for the occasional beer, and I'm typing this from a country house in southern Belgium. Leaving the high-paying job was the best decision I ever made. I make far less money now than I used to, and even less than almost all of my friends; but I work on what I want, when I want, and at my own pace, and I can take as many days off as I want. (Yesterday I spent the entire day exploring Waterloo in the sunshine, because I felt like it. Next week I go to Oktoberfest in Munich). Basically, I went from rich and dangerously depressed to comparatively poor yet happier and more satisfied with my life. As long as you have enough cash flow to keep a roof over your head and some healthy food on the table, that's all you need.