05/28/2026
Most people don’t realize they’re being ruled…
until they start trying to take control of their life.
One idea I’ve been thinking about from We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan B. Peterson is this progression:
The tyrant.
The desert.
The promised land.
At first, life is structured for you.
A job you don’t fully control.
A schedule you didn’t design.
Expectations you didn’t question.
Nothing is necessarily “wrong.”
But you’re not fully free either.
That’s the tyrant.
Not always a person.
Sometimes just a system you’ve been living inside for so long that it feels normal.
Eventually, some people decide to leave.
They take a step toward something different.
More ownership.
More control.
More responsibility.
That’s where things get misunderstood.
Because leaving the tyrant doesn’t immediately lead to freedom.
It leads to the desert.
Uncertainty.
Risk.
Doubt.
Long stretches where nothing feels settled.
This is where most people turn back.
Not because they can’t make it.
Because the discomfort feels like a sign they made the wrong decision.
But it’s not.
It’s part of the process.
The people who keep going eventually reach something different.
Not perfection.
But stability that they actually designed.
A life where:
Their time is more aligned.
Their work has meaning.
Their financial decisions feel intentional.
That’s the “land of milk and honey.”
Not easy.
But earned.
And in my experience, this shows up just as much in people’s financial lives as it does anywhere else.
Most people aren’t stuck because they lack opportunity.
They’re stuck because they haven’t decided to leave what’s comfortable.
And the ones who do…
have to be willing to walk through a season where nothing feels certain.
That’s the tradeoff.
And it’s also the path.
*This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, tax, or financial advice.
