A bidding war erupted, eventually leading to a million-dollar signing bonus being put on the table. It’s here that Jewel made the move that will render her story relevant to our discussion of slow productivity. Overwhelmed by this tumultuous turn in her life—feeling simultaneously ambitious and terrified—she came to an unexpected decision. She would sign a deal, but she didn’t want the money. “I turned down the advance,” she recalled. “I turned down a million-dollar bonus. As a homeless kid.”
