The power of knowing what you want for yourself

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Happy Sunday and thank you so much for opening this week’s #TheLifeofJLOWE newsletter!

In weeks gone by, I’ve written extensively about defining success for yourself, prioritizing what matters most to you and most recently about how my recent trip to Jamaica has influenced my next big move in my life.

Each of those stories has had a common theme, and that is discerning what you want for yourself in life, and going after it with no regrets. That’s what we’re all about over here at The Life of JLOWE.

You alone can feel your heart and know what is right

A few weeks ago, I wrote about “how to free yourself from the opinions of others” and for me, that post meant a lot, because it helped me to unlearn this behaviour of asking others for validation and for advice especially on big decisions in your life, because at the end of the day, only you can feel your heart and know what is right for you.

Only you can and should be in the driver’s seat of your own life, so no matter how others have defined success for themselves, or how society has defined success for people, you have to be willing to do what is right for you at the moment that is right for you.

After graduating college, as I embarked on the journey of defining what success is for me, and what it means to be fulfilled in life, I quickly came to realize that climbing a hierarchy through promotions within a system was not and will never be my definition of success.

My success has to come from myself. I do not need praise for my work, a promotion for a job well done nor a bonus or any incentive compensation. Fulfilment for me comes from doing what I want to do and what I love to do, being successful at it and inspiring others to do the same.

Why I quit my corporate job at 23

This past Monday, I submitted my resignation to JPMorgan Chase & Co. after interning there in 2022 and spending a year working full-time as an analyst in Wealth Management. Friday was my last day at the firm.

I will go much deeper into this question of “why I quit” in the future, perhaps on Youtube or on a podcast, as I continue on the journey of discerning what it is that I want to accomplish with my life, but the primary reason for my resignation was knowing that this isn’t what I want to do long term, and recognising that I don’t have the time to waste devoting energy to something that I’m sure doesn’t represent a future for me.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, “if you could be sure that you’d be successful at whatever you did, would you be doing what you’re doing right now?”

I know myself, and I know my work ethic, my passion, my ability to problem-solve and deliver results, and I know that anything that I put my mind to, I can be successful at.

Start living your second life as soon as possible

A quote that I’ve been reminiscing on over the past few weeks with a friend of mine is:

In my life I’ve had the unfortunate luck of having lost a friend in college. It was freshman year, and we had just started classes about a month and a half before. We sat beside each other in our freshman year writing seminar, and would study together and grab dinner together too. We had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays together.

In the week of my birthday (October 22), I skipped class on my birthday (the Tuesday) and when I went back to class on Thursday (October 24), he gave me a big hug and told me he missed me in class and that he had no clue it was even my birthday (because I was off celebrating on my own, skipping class) and we laughed it off expecting to grab dinner later anyways. That big hug was the last time I saw him.

He went missing the night of October 24 and they found his body in a gorge a few days later. Antonio, I love you. Rest in power my friend.

Ever since then, it’s been hard to see life as the long journey to retirement and the long journey to growing old. Of course, as an optimist, I think about that possibility and the happiness it would bring me to have a family of my own, grandchildren and grow old with someone I love, but I’ve experienced the pain of knowing that life can be cut short. I know that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, and so I know that I have to live my second life as quickly as I can, because I’m acutely aware that I only have one.

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The power of knowing what you want for yourself

As I submitted my resignation on Monday, I felt doors open for me in my life. I felt the weight of being on the wrong path lifted off my shoulders and a feeling of excitement for new opportunities surge in me. I felt like I had been born again, and like my second life was finally starting.

As I told my manager and people in the office, I was met with an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement. There was even a sendoff happy hour planned for another co-worker that turned into a joint goodbye happy hour for me as well. People were surprised, of course, but they shared my excitement for life and my newfound verve for what’s coming next.

It’s in those very moments that I found complete peace and happiness with my decision to resign, because I knew that this is what I want for myself. And it’s amazing to see how the world rallies behind you once you’re able to choose for yourself what it is that you want for your own life. It felt like stars aligned in this past week, and the outpouring of love and support from the people around me really encouraged me to continue to take my life into my own hands, and the world will follow suit.

Conclusion

I know the question everyone has for me is “so what next?” and to answer you I will say to just stay tuned. By reading the newsletter this far, you’re in the right place to be in the loop for what’s next.

I’m not concerned with answering that question for anyone now. I’ve freed myself from anyone’s expectations of me, and if we have the pleasure of speaking in the near future, let your question be “how can I support you on this journey” rather than baseless inquiries into “what’s next”.

There’s no looking back now. I finally have the time to pursue my own personal goals, build a business for myself, chase after my dreams whole-heartedly and to start living my second life.

One thing I will promise you as an answer to your question of “what’s next?” - “better”. Better is coming. Better is next.

Thanks for being a part of this journey with me so far, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, now’s your chance to hop on board for more of #TheLifeofJLOWE.

Until next Sunday,

Justin