Freedom sounds good. Control feels better.
Everyone says they want or they are working towards some sort of freedom. Financial freedom, time freedom, location freedom, freedom from the 9–5, freedom from the rat race, and any other freedom that you can think of or fathom.
The blueprint to achieve said freedom is quite familiar also. It's simply:
Make money.
Increase your resource base.
Invest wisely.
Avoid lifestyle creep.
Stack smart decisions.
Catch a little luck.
Then one day, you’re “free.” At least that’s the plan.
That begs a question though…What then?
The Fantasy of Freedom
We approach freedom like it’s a final destination. As if once you hit a certain net worth, your problems dissolve. As if autonomy automatically creates peace. Something worthy of note about freedom is that it isn’t just the absence of obligation. With that absence of obligation also comes the absence of structure.
The absence of that structure is where things get uncomfortable and a little dicey.
Structure, deadlines, bosses, schedules, and expectations, those things give us something subtle that isn’t immediately recognized but it’s there.
It gives us control.
You may not control your income, you may not control your hours, but you control your role inside the system. And systems feel tend to feel safe.
Freedom vs. Control
Freedom means:
No one tells you what to do.
No guaranteed paycheck.
No external accountability.
No clearly defined path.
That sounds empowering. It actually is.
As long as you know that it also means:
You must create the structure.
You must define the goals.
You must generate the income.
You must regulate your emotions.
You must decide what matters.
Freedom requires self-governance, and self governance isn’t something that is achieved overnight. Especially when the habit of being governed (i.e. the structure created by the systems you are part of and from which you're trying to break out) has already been created and cultivated for a long time.
Control, on the other hand, is predictable. You know the rules. You know the tradeoffs. You know the boundaries. And there’s comfort in that.
The Illusion Most People Prefer
In reality many people don’t actually want freedom.
They want the aesthetic of freedom. The Instagram version. The beach laptop. The “I work when I want” caption.
Behind the glitz and glamor of freedom lies:
Discipline when no one is watching.
Restraint when there’s no boss.
Mental toughness when income fluctuates.
Clarity when no roadmap exists.
Not everyone wants to dig that deep.
It’s easier to say,
“I just need more money.”
It’s harder to ask,
“Am I built for autonomy?”
Food For Thought
This isn’t about telling you what you should want. It’s simply about encouraging you to think clearly about what you actually want.
Why do you want freedom?
How do you plan to handle it when you get it?
Do you even want it in the first place?
And do the steps required to achieve it align with the lifestyle you truly desire, or just the one that looks good from the outside?
Freedom isn’t just something you reach.
It’s something you must be prepared to sustain.
Think about it.
And then move accordingly.
Join the OGM Community
If this sparked something for you — if it challenged the way you think about money, autonomy, and control — then you’ll feel at home here.
The OG Millennial Newsletter is where we unpack ideas like this every week.
Not just how to build freedom, but how to build the discipline, clarity, and internal structure to sustain it.
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