Dear Reader,

Last week, we talked about Disrupting the Default—the moment you stop saying “yes” to a path that no longer fits. (If you missed it, you can catch up on the D.R.E.A.M. Ladder framework).

But once you say “No” to the old path, you are faced with a terrifying question:

How do I afford the transition?

Most people never make their move because they are trapped by what I call Golden Handcuffs. It’s the lifestyle you’ve built that is just good enough to keep you from ever taking a risk.

Today, we dive into the second step of the ladder: R — Reduce to Regain Freedom.

From Ascot to a Two-Bed Flat

In 2019, I was living the corporate dream. The company had relocated us from Aberdeen to a beautiful property in Ascot, England. It was a massive 4-bedroom house with a big garden and more wood than a forest (my wife loved it).

Then, COVID-19 hit.

The company sent a message: Assignment cancelled. Move back to Aberdeen immediately.

On paper, the 'default' option of returning to our 4-bed house in Aberdeen made perfect sense. It was stable. It was cost-effective. It protected my existing assets.

But Aberdeen was an operational center. Sunbury was a decision center.

You see, different seasons of a career require different environments. Aberdeen had given me my operational foundation, while Sunbury was giving me a strategic lens, visibility, and access to the decision-makers.

I recognized that my future identity as a global leader required proximity, in that season, to where the strategy was being architected. To stay in the room, I had to make a choice that looked like a retreat to the outside world: I had to downsize.

So, we made a choice that looked like a retreat to everyone else: We decided to stay in London and downsize.

We moved from that expansive 4-bed house into a cramped 2-bed flat. I had the difficult job of explaining to my son why his world was suddenly smaller, why we no longer had a garden and why our kitchen and living room now shared the same space.

It looked like we were getting smaller, but we were actually getting free.

The Insight: You must reduce to regain options.

By lowering our cost of living and moving into that flat, we bought back our choices. We were no longer beholden to the company’s “default” relocation plan. We had the margin to stay where the opportunities were.

Golden handcuffs look good, but they are designed to keep you stationary. Sometimes, the next level of your calling requires you to simplify your current reality. Whether it’s reducing your expenses, your commitments, or your ego, you have to create space for the new season to grow.

Your Week 2 Architecture Task

You only have a certain amount of time, energy, and capital. If your life is currently “full” of your past, there is no room for your future.

Open your journal and answer this:

Think in three categories:

1. Expenses: What “Golden Handcuff” (car, subscription, house) is keeping you from saying “No” to a bad job?
2. Time: What “good” commitment is preventing you from doing “great” work?
3. Expectations: Whose opinion are you “paying for” by staying in a lifestyle you’ve outgrown?

The Architect’s Tool:

To help you make this decision, I’ve built a “Golden Handcuff Calculator.”

This Google Sheet will help you audit your expenses and calculate your “Freedom Number”—the exact amount of runway you gain by simplifying your life.

Once you’ve run your numbers, Reply to this email and tell me: What is one thing you are willing to “shrink” this month to make room for your 10X dream?

I’m standing in the 2-bed flat with you, and your future is worth it.

Jonathan Edet | The Faceless Coach | A movement for leaders rising from faceless to Architects of purpose.

P.S. In the "Dream Again" Masterclass, I walk through the exact D.R.E.A.M. framework I used to navigate these "Golden Handcuff" decisions in real-time. You can catch the full breakdown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56B5jjW1gNo​

Next week: We move from the flat to the corridors. I'll share how Entering a Bigger Room—even from a smaller home—put me in front of the VPs who eventually changed the trajectory of my career.

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