Why Playing at the Pool at 11 a.m. Feels Like Freedom
Last week at 11 a.m., I was in the pool with my 2.5-year-old daughter at the beach club in Próspera. The Caribbean Sea shimmered in the background, sunlight bouncing off the water as she splashed and laughed in my arms.
And in that exact moment, it hit me: this is what freedom really feels like.
Not standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Not closing a massive consulting deal. Not chasing some mythical “someday” when everything finally clicks.
Just me, my daughter, and the Caribbean Sea on a random Tuesday morning—because I chose it.
The Freedom Myth
We’ve all been told a story about freedom:
Quit your job. Build a seven-figure business. Move to paradise.
It looks glamorous in Instagram reels, but it creates a dangerous illusion—that freedom is far away, something reserved for the future, something that only arrives with enough money or recognition.
But freedom isn’t Bali. Freedom isn’t waiting for “one day.”
Freedom is playing in a pool with your daughter at 11 a.m. while the rest of the world is stuck in meetings.
Micro-Freedoms
I call these micro-freedoms—the everyday choices that prove you own your time.
Swimming with your kids in the middle of the week.
Saying “I’ll answer that email tomorrow” without guilt.
Taking a call barefoot, with the sound of the waves behind you.
Deciding Fridays are for family and actually sticking to it.
Every time you take one of these, you’re unlearning years of corporate conditioning that said your time belongs to someone else.
The Ghosts of Corporate Life
Even now, I sometimes feel that old anxiety:
“What if I miss something?”
“What if a client needs me right now?”
“What if it all falls apart?”
But nothing falls apart. The business doesn’t crumble. In fact, it grows stronger—because I return to it with more creativity, energy, and perspective.
The truth is, micro-freedoms don’t just make you happier. They make you better at what you do.
Don’t Recreate the Cage
If you’ve left corporate life, don’t rebuild it around yourself.
Write this down:
Don’t recreate corporate life in your own business.
That means:
No rigid 9-5 schedule.
No guilt for resting.
No asking permission to enjoy your own life.
“Freedom is not about a new location with the same old rules. It’s about rewriting the rules entirely.”
A Small Experiment
Try this:
Tomorrow at 2 p.m., close your laptop and don’t open it again.
This week, spend one morning completely offline—no agenda, no excuses.
Next Friday, end early and take yourself (and maybe your family) somewhere you actually want to be.
At first, it feels uncomfortable. Then you realize—nothing bad happens.
The Real Freedom
The big exits and seven-figure milestones make the headlines. But the small freedoms are what make life actually feel free.
And one day, you’ll catch yourself in a moment like I did—floating in a pool, your child’s laughter echoing against the sound of the waves—and you’ll know:
This is the freedom you’ve been chasing all along.
Building Freedom at Scale
What I felt in that pool isn’t just personal—it’s a glimpse of what we’re trying to build for thousands of others.
Through NomadX, Nomad Nation, and projects like Próspera, we’re designing ecosystems where micro-freedoms are not exceptions, but the default.
And if you want to experience this for yourself, the upcoming Próspera Retreat is exactly that—a test for freedom. A week where you can live differently, connect with others who are rewriting the rules, and feel what it’s like to choose your own 11 a.m.
Because freedom isn’t a dream for the future. It’s a choice you can make right now.