Being pedantic in nature, I vividly remember those rare, unprecedented instances when this attribute empowered me to discern a meaningful pattern in plain sight, which others might glean over as being banal. All of this, fueled by keen observations, made chillingly close to the bones.

Free to leave the office to enjoy dinner with my family before tucking my kids into bed…

Free to pursue my definition of success…

This also always helps me to weigh opportunities properly. Does this give me more autonomy or less?

Screw whether it’s fancy.

Screw whether it’s what everyone else is doing, whether it gets me a few more followers or a couple extra dollars. What matters is freedom.

Because without freedom, what good is success? As Seneca said, “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”