Question Everything
Questioning everything is a big job. I’m not always sure I’m up to the task. But at a minimum, I have to question any facets of my life that are preventing me from moving toward my vision.
Time is short.
To leap forward, you have to cut that anchor to the past. I want to treat the past like a foreign country. Even though I used to live there, all of those residents do things differently.
Know that the critics are waiting for you to fail. Friends and family will populate the critics. You will be criticized as being unpatriotic, screwing over your family, and ignoring your religion. Especially if you look for a new bride abroad who is younger, taller, prettier, sexier, smarter, and better educated than you can find at home.
You will now be a good kind of hacker. You will hack your life from among the ashes of your past.
You decide what rules you will follow. The great text for living your life the way you want and getting out of boxes was the late Harry Browne’s How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. The pdf is free here: https://charleslamm.com/foundfreedom.pdf
You will need courage to demand freedom. But with most of Browne’s advice, he recommends action and staying under the radar.
If you hate paying taxes, find a way to organize your affairs so you have no legal tax obligations. If you want a trophy wife from Russia, don’t talk about it. Show up at your class reunion with Svetlana on your arm.
People who try to make you feel guilty for taking your own path have their own agendas or pathologies. Don’t give in to the dark side. Maybe they are just jealous that they don’t have the courage to break their own chains.
The days we have left on Earth are too precious not to live true to yourself. As Harry Browne would advise, determine the cost to break the chains, and pay it.
Believe in making your own rules for your own reasons, and walk the walk.