Doing what I want, and not being made to do things I don’t want to do, has been one of my main priorities in adulthood, the principle around which I’ve structured my life.
I would define power as the ability to make other people do what you want; freedom is the ability to do what you want.
Tim Kreider, “Power? No thanks, I’m good.”, NY Times 5/21/19
Kreider goes on to say that his greatest desire is to be left alone to do his work and pursue simple pleasures – like writing what he wants, hanging out with people he likes and controlling his own time.
During a subsequent interview on the solo podcast, he said:
The freedom to say what I think and command my own time is
enough for me.
Kreider purposely designed a life of freedom by having “no collaborators, no subordinates & no team”.
But, as with everything, there’s a price to be paid for this freedom. In Tim’s case, the price includes financial success.
He doesn’t have a fancy apartment.
He doesn’t have a big retirement account.
He doesn’t have fame.
At times, he wondered how he would pay his bills, but he always found a way.
He avoided the pitfalls of power by refusing to succumb to a life of traditional employment. As a result, he’s living the life he wants.
I admire Tim. I wish I’d chosen freedom over a conventional path a long time ago. But I can’t change my past.
Instead, I spent 30+ years working for others in pursuit of money, power and “success”. I moved into management as soon as I could because I believed I could do a better job than other managers (which proved to be true) and because management was a way to make more money.
I enjoyed some of the perks of management. I liked being semi-autonomous. I liked making decisions, hiring, mentoring and rewarding my employees.
I despised the corporate BS, the stress of managing people, and the ever-increasing, unrealistic sales quotas.
At the peak of my career, after being laid off from a particularly unsatisfying VP role, I walked away and never returned. I had finally decided the costs were not worth it anymore.
Today I am retired. I have no partners, no subordinates and no team. I have absolute freedom to spend my time as I see fit.
I can live how I want, where I want, doing what I want – as long as I am willing to pay the price. My price includes living frugally, forgoing health insurance, giving up a measure of financial security and being out of sync with people my age.
For me, like Kreider, it’s worth the price.