The Price of Freedom

I started writing on Twitter every day in October of 2022.

Last week, I officially dropped out of college to pursue this writing thing full-time.

Now let’s get one thing straight:

This decision was NOT easy.

Of course, the newfound freedom I’m experiencing feels incredible (especially in beautiful Buenos Aires).

But through the process of making this choice, I’ve uncovered an unfortunate truth.

It’s a truth you must be willing to accept if you want to achieve full autonomy over your life.

Let me explain…

Without getting into the details, people in my family think I’m out of my mind for dropping out (and honestly, part of me agrees with them).

All of my siblings, parents, cousins, aunts and uncles are either in college or have college degrees. So, I’m officially the odd one out now.

At Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I’m sure I’ll be looked at as “The Troubled One.”

But guess what?

I’m perfectly willing to embrace this new identity.

Because like Hasan Minhaj says…

And that’s the harsh truth I’ve uncovered in this process of forging my own unique path in life:

You’ll receive less support than you expect. Even from the people who love you the most.

To be completely transparent, it sucks.

It might even make you second-guess the path you’re taking.

But as this one mildly successful entrepreneur once wrote:

Freedom has a price.

But if that’s what it takes to succeed on this road less traveled, then so be it.

I view it as the great filter between those who achieve lifestyle freedom and those who don’t.

When confronted with criticizing second voices, can you persist onward?

Most can’t. And to be honest, you can’t blame them.

It’s human psychology to seek approval from those we love the most.

But I’ll tell you one thing:

It’s the most worthwhile hurdle you can possibly overcome.

Now that I’m on the other side of this filter, I’ve never felt more motivated and empowered in my life.

Every day now feels like Christmas morning.

I wake up thrilled to have complete control over my time and finances, and to design my life and online businesses in the most fulfilling way possible.

So if you zoom out, the sacrifice is really a small price to pay for the happiness, freedom, and possibilities it brings.

Because if you want to make the people around you happy, you have to make yourself happy first. Just like oxygen masks on an airplane.

They might not understand now. But eventually, they will.

This is a new addition to the newsletter this week. I’m thinking it’d be cool to link 3 of my favorite pieces of content I’ve consumed this week at the bottom of each email here. I always love seeing what other creators recommend, so maybe it’ll be useful to some of you. Let me know if I should keep it in moving forward!

Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously by Osho. This book has been incredibly helpful in quelling any self-doubts I’ve had about dropping out and pursuing writing full-time. If you want risk-taking peace of mind, this is your book.

Billy Oppenheimer: The Work is the Win — The Danny Miranda Podcast 327. This was the best podcast I listened to this week. Billy is Ryan Holiday’s research assistant, and he shares some sick insights and anecdotes about the creative process.

Dan Koe & Dickie Bush 3-Hour Chat. This is a behemoth of a conversation between two heavyweights in the Twitter creator space. These guys both inspired me to get started, and they continue to pave this “road less traveled” I’m walking on. I recommend splitting it up into multiple listening sessions.

Thanks for the read, my friend.

Until next week.

P.S. For those of you who want to take this full-time creator thing seriously…

I use Tweet Hunter to schedule all of my tweets and threads in advance. I freaking love this tool. It’s the main hub of my Twitter workflow.

Want personal branding & content strategy advice? Book a 1:1 call with me.

If you’re a founder, coach, or CEO interested in getting 1000s of followers, millions of impressions, and inbound leads all on autopilot, I got you. Let’s talk ghostwriting.