Who decides your days
There's something I think is true: the only job that can give you security is the one you build for yourself. More than having your own company, which is the ultimate expression of the idea, it comes down to making yourself fully responsible. Name the extreme case: if they let you go, even for reasons that seem galaxies outside your control, you are the one responsible for where you stand.
That responsibility can earn you a position you would never reach if you let the group you work for decide your future.
It isn't about working longer or even being better, necessarily. It's about shifting who gets to decide what your days look like.