Total Personal Ownership: The Only Way for a Good Life

I really wonder what’s happening with people these days. Victimhood, blaming others or circumstances when stuff goes wrong. I was kind of like this in 2020, when the pandemic lockdown hell happened. 

I got screwed out of some money by tenants, angry with some business partners who owed me money and ghosted me. I was angry, enraged. My anger erupted and it pretty much wrecked my family life. It’s easy to blame the incompetent SF government, my tenants, my business partners, but the blame rests with me.

I got myself in that position. I was not stoic or in control of my emotions. I did not prepare enough cash reserves. I trusted people who were not to be trusted. Yes, the 2020 pandemic was an extraordinary event. Still, I was absolutely not prepared and I paid for it severely. 

What I learned from that situation and from listening to Jocko Willink, Justin Waller and Andrew Tate is that everything is your fault. 

If you go outside in the rain and you didn’t prepare a jacket or umbrella, it's your fault for not checking the weather and being ready for anything. Bad tenants, I did not vet them enough. Bad business partners, I was not good enough of a judge of character. Bad policies (especially during the pandemic lockdowns) by the local or federal government? I was not engaged enough in politics. Plus, I was not financially strong enough to be completely independent from these impacts, to be able to fly somewhere else earlier like Ukraine, Sweden, Miami or Taiwan. There is no one to blame except for yourself. Everything becomes a lesson to get better and grow. 

Life is supposed to be hard, something I remind myself of and get reminded too when I am flying too high. But life is also easier with this mindset of total ownership. You know that you are the only person responsible for your destiny. It’s freeing. I act like I am an army of one. 

And the benefit of having total ownership of your life, if anything good comes out of it, this is also due to yourself (obviously with some help & luck too). That’s why I feel ZERO guilt for enjoying the fruits of my hard work from the last few years. Good or bad, everything is your own fault. This way you have control over your life. I can tell you, this is a great place to be.