If you are working as a suit with golden handcuffs, I feel for you:

I. GOLDEN HANDCUFFS (aka 2 ROLEX’S)

In ancient times, slavery was seen as the worst thing that could happen to you.

In today’s time, I think we all want freedom. We think money is the key to happiness– because we think if we have enough money (called ‘fuck you money’) we can say ‘fuck you’ to our boss, and finally do what we really want to do in life — to create art.

The problem is a lot of us who have a lot of money are still slaves. We have the golden hand cuffs.

We don’t leave our shitty (high-paying jobs) because we have become slaves to a certain lifestyle.

For example, if I quit my $200,000 a year programming job at Google/Facebook/Uber I cannot afford $$$ Yelp restaurants. I can no longer afford my BMW lease. I can no longer afford to travel, and I can no longer pay off my student loans.

If I quit my job, I cannot pay my mortgage on my 3-bedroom home. How can my kids still afford private school? God forbid– they might have to go to a (gasp) public school!

If I quit my job, no more new iPhones every version. No more trips to Hawaii.

II. Are you a rich slave?

It don’t matter if you earn $1 billion a year, if you cannot take a nap on your own schedule you are still a slave (albeit a very rich slave).

Trust me, I love money. My only simple goal in life is to drive a black matted-out Lamborghini Huracan. I’m not asking for much. And I also want 10 blacked-out Rolex’s (5 on each of my arms). Then I will be really happy.

III. Fuck owning expensive shit

This is why I say fuck this concept of ‘lifestyle’. This concept of lifestyle is essentially — buy our shit and then you will be happy. If you want to be really happy, you need to buy all Louis Vuitton everything. You need to buy all Apple products to be sexy, modern, and creative. You need to buy a Leica camera to have a bigger cock than other (lowly) Fujifilm shooters.

And trust me, I am the biggest hypocrite. Because I own a Leica camera, and have inherited a Rolex watch from my grandfather. I like to show off. I like to peacock, because I have a low-self esteem, and externalize my self-worth through my exterior.

IV. What do you value more?

I’m not telling you to quit your job and try to make a living out of your passion. Rather, I just want to challenge you to think to yourself:

Am I a prisoner with golden hand cuffs?

You can own your own company and earn $10 million a year, but do you really have freedom?

And ask yourself the question:

Do I value my freedom and time more than money? Or do I value money more than my freedom and time?

I don’t have the answers. It is just a question you gotta ask yourself.

For me, I value my time, attention, energy, and freedom more than my money.

And whenever I get tempted to buy shit (I don’t need), I always remind myself::: MEMENTO MORI (Remember, you will and must die).

Be strong,
Eric

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