?? Controlling Your Own Ego to Personal Freedom (of Choice)
Jonathan Horn
Experienced logistics executive and people leader | Non-executive Director
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Without clarity on your non-negotiable values (what a good friend of mine calls “personal truths”), every choice becomes a compromise between:
? ?What truly matters to YOU
? ?What you think should matter (ego/society’s voice)
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Being crystal clear of your own personal truths gives you the power to overwhelm your own ego in the moments of critical choices.
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This is a short personal reflection on how I moved from a corporate treadmill into what truly mattered to me ?? and some thoughts as to how you can design your freedom to choose too.
To be clear, this is not a judgement on any means of making a living, merely a push to evaluate where you find yourself now and why - is it a means to an end by design (working to live) ?? or an end in itself by choice (living to work) ?? or indeed a combination !
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The unanticipated pandemic was a wake-up call?. Like many, I suddenly had time to ask: “What’s my end game? Why does ‘success’ feel like running on a hamster wheel ?”
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Turns out, I’d spent decades making several decisions somewhat by default ?? — not overt design. That said, on reflection, maybe I’ve been fortunate, as there are very few choices I would have made differently.
The point however, is this was possibly due to a lot of luck or good fortune vs deliberate decision making.
Sound familiar?
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My 5-Step Framework to Escape Autopilot Living:
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(Examples: Health ??, Family ??????, Friends, Curiosity ??, Legacy ??, Adventure ???)
?? Pro Tips:?Write these down ?? – this forces clarity of thinking ! If “career” makes your list, dig deeper—is it status, impact, making a difference or freedom you crave?
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Examples:
“Health” = Living an active life without assistance for as long as possible. Hike the Camino de?Santiago at the age of 70 ???.
“Legacy” = Working, not because I need the money but, because I want to add value and make a real difference to others or society. Funding 100 student scholarships ?? .
There could be a few elements to your own definition of each Forever Value.
?? Get specific, write these down ?? !
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Define what you need to do, plus the specific activities required to enable winning – again, write these down? ???!
That Camino de?Santiago dream ? It may demand an ongoing minimum of 3 weekly strength and cardio sessions ???♂? as part of your routine.
Sustained good health ? Comprehensive medicals ?? ?annually from the age of 40 could be one.
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The important thing here is not only intent but action, hold yourself accountable !
?? Calendar these like CEO meetings - be somewhat selfish, this is investment !!
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Crunch numbers for:
All activities you have specified,
Day to day living,
Known large lump sum future costs ?? (education, weddings)
Non-negotiable habits (fitness trainers, therapy, courses),
Lifestyle inflation buffers (that Tesla maintenance ??),
“Oh Sh*t” funds (because life loves plot twists ??).
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Track:
Current savings vs. freedom number ??,
“Soul Tax” of staying in misaligned roles ??,
Progress on habit investments ??.
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?? The Pivot Moment:
When my dashboard showed I could fund my ideal life NOW, I walked away early from endeavouring to continue pursuing a corporate life into what I wanted to do ??.
If you do not make this leap, your reasoning around your personal truths could be flawed ! This takes courage at that point, as nothing is 100% certain but the personal opportunity is immense.
?? Pro Tip:? a trusted financial advisor ??? ?is critical throughout the process to validate cash flows and assumptions around spend and investment growth ??.
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?? Your Turn:
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?? Hard Truth:?
?? This isn’t about quitting your job or retiring. It’s about quitting the version of success that isn’t yours ?.
?? Being clear on your own personal truths helps you to overpower your own ego at important crossroads with your personal logical frame of reference.
?? The earlier you do this in your life, the greater the opportunity to get to the position of personal freedom (whatever that means for YOU !) at as earlier an age as possible??.
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That position is the most liberating feeling ever?? ?!
Great advice
Global Safety Development Director @ CHEP | MBA
2 周Great insights shared Jonathan Horn your way of thinking has always been admirable. I still remember the juggling glass and rubber balls speech you once shared with me when I was faced with an imbalance of family vs career. I took your advice and the rubber ball ?? bounced back ????
Global HSSE Manager
3 周So inspiring, thank you Jonathan ??
Operational Excellence | Strategy Deployment | Commercial Excellence | Customer Experience Management | Lean Management | Process Standardization | Transformation & Change Management
3 周Inspiring thoughts Jonathan Horn and a lot of the reflections resonated, especially the parts around digging deeper to find your true values and purpose and making it actionable, rather than keeping it at the “dream” state. Too many people never achieve their dreams because of failure to plan and execute them, even when they manage to define what matters most. In my mentoring sessions I often see that people are unable to go beyond the superficial career aspirations - often struggling to define the “why” - and even those that succeed in reflecting a bit deeper struggle to put that into a concrete plan and create habits that allow them to follow through when the daily grind gets in the way! But when people have the discipline and perseverance to stick with it, it is always liberating and life changing! There is nothing more inspiring than to see someone grow as a result of finding their true purpose(s) in life ??
Director, Area Head Customer Experience - Southern Africa and Islands at A.P. Moller - Maersk
3 周Thanks for sharing Jonathan. Good points for reflection (as always ????)