Become Dangerously Autonomous
Level up your financial autonomy
Everyone knows this, and yet by default most people trade their entire life for a paycheck, while simultaneously complaining about the cost of living in today’s society.
And it’s totally valid.
We’ve been told since we popped out of the womb that a successful life means going to school, getting a job, and retiring with a few measly years left.
But now, most people on this path are stuck in survival mode. 37% of Americans aren’t able to handle a $400 emergency expense without taking on additional debt. This is bigger than a personal savings problem. This is a financial autonomy problem on a societal scale.
I define financial autonomy as having the financial means to do the things you want to do without being tied to things you don’t want to do. It’s not a specific number, but rather a scale with 3 levels: survival, participation, and freedom. Because survival mechanisms cost money (rent, food, water, etc.) a certain level of income is required just in order to exist.
I believe basic financial autonomy is a fundamental human right because it’s tied to survival. Not only is it a basic human right, but I also argue that it’s in the best interest of humanity to increase it as much as possible, for as many people as possible.
When you maximize your financial autonomy, you don’t have to stress about survival expenses, you don’t have to stress about emergencies, and you don’t have to spend 40+ hours a week at a job you hate. You have more time, energy, and money to make your life even better still, and improve the lives of other people as a byproduct. At a societal scale, this would massively improve life for all of humanity.
So it’s in humanity’s best interest to increase financial autonomy for each individual. This makes it the individual’s responsibility to increase their own financial autonomy. But if you try to do it by following the default path (birth, school, work, death) you’re going to have a bad time.
The world is much different 130 years later, and so are the paths to cultivating financial autonomy. I’m going to share a new framework for thinking about financial autonomy with the goal of illuminating a more positive path forward than the default. And it all starts with understanding what money really is, and how it enables life on 3 levels.
What Is Money Really?
Money is a resource required in order to participate in society.
At the most practical level, money is a societal participation resource that enables life on 3 levels. This is important to understand because many people have a twisted conception of money that says accumulating wealth is immoral and all rich people are evil. Or maybe the opposite. For some, money has been glorified beyond measure, making it the be-all and the end-all.
The truth is that money is neither good nor bad, it is neutral. It’s a resource that allows the players of the game of life (us) to do things in the game. Yes you can do bad things with money. You can do good things too. That doesn’t make money good or bad, only the person wielding it, and the decisions they make.
It follows from this that money, or wealth, is a determining factor of personal agency, and the more money you have access to, generally, the more personal agency you have. Of course that’s not the only factor, but it’s a big one, and I refer to this specifically as financial autonomy.
This isn’t a number. It’s not synonymous with financial freedom or financial independence or ‘FU money’. Financial autonomy is a scale, or spectrum, and financial freedom is a point on that scale. Its location on the scale is different for everyone.
In fact, everyone’s scale is slightly different depending on where you live, how you live, and who you live with. The scale is going to look different for someone with 3 kids living in Los Angeles versus a single person living in Vietnam. Additionally, everyone also has a different starting point on their scale. However, as we’ll see, that does not provide as many advantages (or disadvantages) as we might think.
But first, let’s talk about the levels of the scale.
The financial autonomy scale is essentially a measure of “what kind of life does my income allow me to live.” The more income you have, generally the higher you are on the scale. As you move up the scale, you unlock new levels of personal agency in your life.
The scale has 3 main levels: Survival, Participation, and Freedom. Remember, money is a resource, and the biggest thing that that resource is useful for is survival. For the most part, all our food, clothing, water and shelter come into our possession in exchange for money. When you have just enough to cover the bare essentials (let alone less than that) you don’t have enough “financial bandwidth” to even consider a luxury purchase. At this level, just one emergency expense is enough to cause checking account chaos.
Once you start to build a bit of a surplus, whether by increasing your income or reducing your expenses or both, you’re able to absorb those emergencies better. And, you can start to make non-essential purchases for your own personal enjoyment. This is the participation level where you can actually breathe, and not every dollar needs to go toward survival. Now you have some disposable income left over to feed hobbies, outings or even some minor travel.
Beyond this is Level 3: Freedom. At this level, your survival expenses make up a small percentage of your income, any and all emergencies become non-issues, and you have lots of disposable income for leisure, investing, or entrepreneurial ventures. People with level 3 financial autonomy have the means to solve meaningful problems and improve society, so I’ll also make the case that it’s in the best interest of humanity to get as many people to level 3 as possible.
If you’re conflicted about the morality of wealth creation, this is your sign to delete the “money is bad” or “rich people are evil” beliefs. Because financial autonomy is directly tied to survival, it is not only in your best interest to move up the scale, it’s your fundamental human right.
Level 1 - Survival
It’s hard to demonize money once you realize it’s required for survival
Once you recognize money is a resource, everything makes a little more sense. Before money and society, the one thing that everyone was focused on was surviving. And survival is still the number one priority today because without survival everything else is meaningless.
But survival is more of an invisible priority in the modern world, because technology and global society has made survival relatively easy... but not free. You still need some level of income to afford basic human needs like food, water, shelter, etc. Maybe someday we’ll have a society that can just give the basics to everyone for free, but that’s a thought experiment for another day.
Because money is required for societal participation, and even more-so because it’s required for basic survival, I am of the opinion that this makes Financial Autonomy a fundamental human right. I’m of the opinion that it’s inhumane to make a person choose between the right prescription medication and a week of groceries. Or to choose between a second job and the kids’ soccer game. Or between paying for a medical emergency and paying rent to keep a roof over your family. Once you understand this you become much less willing to forfeit that right and stay in survival mode.
The survival level is like treading water. You have just enough income to keep your head above water, but barely. And if you stop working, you go under. All you can think about is oxygen and getting more and more so you can continue to breathe. You’re so focused on moving your hands and feet that you couldn’t possibly comprehend a yawn, something that you need a lot of oxygen for. But that’s exactly what Level 2 will do.
Level 2 - Participation
Level 2 is where your ambition goes to die.
This might seem counterintuitive, but let me explain. When your net income is greater than all your expenses, you progress to level 2 of the scale. Now you have some surplus resource (disposable income) you can use to participate in society beyond just basic survival.
This unlocks things like going out to eat and supporting a local business, investing in a hobby or interest, or planning a trip to visit family. This is a crucial level for a number of reasons.
First and foremost is it enables participation, which is why Level 2 is called Participation. The distinction is “participation beyond basic survival” which is important because now the person actually has some agency. Before they HAD to decide based on survival, now they have more opportunities to decide based on preference.
Unfortunately, a lot of people bring the survival mentality with them to level 2. They continue making survival decisions because they’re afraid of falling back into the survival scenario, which is totally valid. But without exercising your agency, that is, without making personal decisions not based on survival, you’re cutting yourself off from the third level. But this isn’t what kills ambition.
Most people have the opposite problem. They worked their butt off to level up from survival to participation, and now things are comparatively much better. They don’t have to worry so much about making ends meet because they have plenty of income to cover it. They don’t have to worry so much about emergency expenses because their savings are growing. And it’s not a monotonous existence because they can use money for the things they actually want to do.
This is where Level 2 can be dangerous. Level 2 creates stability and comfort, which is the perfect recipe for complacency. Especially when combined with the physical and/or mental exhaustion of whatever work you do to earn that income, willpower tends to tank. And along with it go the motivation and ambition to progress to level 3.
In our water treading analogy, (oxygen=money) level 2 is equivalent to a life raft. You can climb up out of the water and give yourself a rest. You can breathe all the air you could ever want, you can lie on your back and close your eyes and yawn—a use of oxygen that is baffling to people on the survival level, just like spending lots of money on something like a car makes a lot more sense at level 2 than at level 1.
So this is where a lot of people get stuck. They get into the wakeup-commute-work-commute-eat-sleep-repeat routine and before they know it they’ve blinked away decades of their life. Or they suddenly lose the job, and now have to figure out how to make ends meet until a new job comes around (scarce these days).
And even if the job is enjoyable and stable, and you make enough to participate, you still don’t have nearly as much financial autonomy as you could. Your job could very easily be replaced (by AI, humans, or a combination) or even be eliminated, often with no warning. So even if you love your job, I encourage you to pursue some avenue of independent income so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. This is your choice to become automated or autonomous.
Level 3 - Freedom
Level 3 of the scale is when life really starts to feel like a video game.
At this point, less than half of your income is going to survival expenses. A lot is going to participation, which is important for personal fulfillment and a healthy economy. But most importantly, you can dedicate a significant portion of your income to investment or entrepreneurial ventures.
Level 3 is important because you now have the means to solve large, meaningful problems. This is why it’s in humanity’s best interest to get as many people to level 3 as possible. The more problems we’re able to solve collectively, the more life as a whole will improve.
At its core, that’s all business and entrepreneurship is—solving problems. And solving problems is almost always a good thing. You don’t have to wait until you get to level 3 to start solving problems (in fact, solving problems is usually the best way to get to level 3 in the first place) but at this level of financial autonomy, you are better equipped to take on larger challenges.
Problem solving is one of the best and most fundamental ways of contributing to society. This might sound daunting but you don’t have to solve a big problem like curing cancer. You can solve problems on a personal/individual level, on a local/community level, or on a cultural/societal/civilizational level.
Whichever bucket you choose from, you’re starting a positive feedback loop. When you solve a problem for yourself you improve your life. And subsequently, the lives of the people around you improve, and the ripple effect spreads and improves society as a whole. And when life improves on the societal level, your life improves on the individual level and the cycle continues. So whether you’re building space stations or space-saving tupperware, you are contributing to human progress.
The beautiful thing about life is that we all have an opportunity to participate in this cycle, creating a civilizational flywheel that just keeps accelerating. This is why it’s so important to get as many people as possible to level 3. Increasing the quantity of contributors and the magnitude of their contribution can only improve life for humanity.
Now I’m sure the thought has crossed your mind: “Do I really need to contribute once I’ve reached level 3? Now that I have ultimate freedom, isn’t the whole point to stop working?” And it’s a valid question.
We typically refer to this concept as “Margarita Island,” the hypothetical forever-vacation that requires nothing from you aside from sitting on the beach sipping frozen cocktails. And at level 3 autonomy you have the means to make it happen.
The problem is that usually, for almost everyone, Margarita Island is nice for a few weeks and then becomes incredibly boring and unfulfilling. Humans were made to work, to make progress, to solve problems. So typically, what’s more enjoyable than week 4 on margarita island is picking a problem, no matter how small, and solving that problem.
There’s a degree of satisfaction that comes from solving a problem, even just for yourself. Most of us have experienced the phenomenon of home-baked goods. For some reason, a cookie that you put your time and effort into making tastes way better than a cookie bought at a store. This is similar.
And when someone else can benefit as a result of the effort you gave to solve a problem, that adds to the fulfillment. This becomes the driving force behind your business ventures. Now that money is not an object, this is all the motivation you need.
One final note on contribution and working in level 3. “Problem solving” doesn’t necessarily mean work. Your contribution could be leveraging your financial autonomy to invest in companies that are already solving the problems you care about. Direct investment and contribution to these organizations is much more meaningful than a forever-vacation, even if you’re still not doing any actual work.
Calculating Your Scale
Before I get into the actual scale and the mechanisms you can leverage to level-up your financial autonomy, I want to make an important note. As mentioned earlier, everyone’s scale is slightly different depending on their living and income situation. The survival threshold may be lower for some, so participation or freedom may be more attainable.
Additionally, not everyone starts off in the same spot. When we “spawn into the game” (are born) we usually get to jump in wherever our parents are. Most people start off on level 1 or 2, and some people do get to start on level 3. But they’re not as lucky as you might think.
No matter where you start, most people who end up on level 3 had to experience all 3 levels at some point in their life, even if they started on level 3. That’s not to say there’s never been anyone to start and stay on level 3 forever, just that it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Finally, the numbers question. The reason I haven’t included any numbers with these levels is because everyone’s scale is different. For the purpose of giving you a reference point I will use the example of an average American (single, no dependents). But I really encourage you to calculate your own scale.
For the average American, the survival window is ~$40K-80K per year. Anything under $40k and you are likely getting some kind of assistance (unemployment, social security, student housing, etc.). The participation window is roughly $80K-150K. The boundary between level 2 and 3 is a bit fuzzier, but I generally draw the line when your survival expenses account for 50% or less of your income. Level 3 is anything above ~$150K per year.
The tragedy is that the median American income (per person) in 2025 was just $49,000. Most people in this country are living in survival mode. This means the population collectively does not have much agency, and it’s in our best interest to increase that by moving as many people up to level 3 as possible. And it starts with knowing your scale.
Calculating your scale doesn’t have to be complicated, and understanding your current position on the scale is the first step to leveling up. Follow the steps below to see where you’re starting from.
The Bare Minimum (X) - Calculate all your expenses. Only the ones that are absolutely essential to your survival. Food, rent, medicine, insurance, school, etc. Your Netflix subscription does not count here. Tally your monthly expenses and multiply by 12. Then add any annual expenses not included in your monthly calculation. This is your minimum survival threshold. If you earned less than that per year, you’d likely need some kind of assistance.
The Comfort Minimum (Y) - This is the number that begins to allow you the creature comforts. You could ask “How much do I need to make per month/year to feel comfortable spending money on <basic comfort>?” This <basic comfort> could be a Netflix subscription. It could be a weekend trip to Toledo to visit Grandma. It could be moving your family out of an overcrowded apartment to a small house in the suburbs. Remember this scale is specific to you and your unique situation.
The Autonomy Minimum (Z) - This is essentially the comfort minimum times 2. The level at which you no longer need to ask your bank account for permission for anything (within reason). Anything above this number compounds your autonomy, giving you the freedom to do the things you want to do without being tied to things you don’t want to do.
So your scale looks like this - Survival: X-Y; Participation: Y-Z; Freedom: Z+
Now the question is, how do you level up?
Moving Up The Scale
There are a few ways to move up the scale. You can increase your income, decrease your survival expenses, or find work more to your liking. Remember financial autonomy is having the financial means to do the things you want to do without being tied to things you don’t want to do. Someone making 60K at a job they enjoy has more financial autonomy than someone making 100K at a job they despise.
To keep it simple, we’ll focus on increasing income. You can only reduce your survival expenses so much before hitting a limit, and I don’t know you personally, so I don’t know what kind of work would make you happier than your current job. Either way, both are limited. But you can always increase your income, and I’ll give you a few mechanisms that will help you do that while prioritizing work that you specifically enjoy.
Typically, the simplest mechanism you can use to level up is a steady job. But, as we already mentioned, that puts all your eggs in one basket. Plus there is usually a limit to how much you can earn by climbing the corporate ladder. The more you want to earn, the more time you have to give the company, and often when you reach your desired income level you’re at the beck and call of the employer. This takes away from your financial autonomy.
A more efficient mechanism is building a business. But while this can take less time and have a higher earning potential than a salary, it often requires a large investment of both money and risk, as well as time. Historically, entrepreneurs needed tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in venture capital, big teams of employees, and expensive office spaces, not to mention material costs, manufacturing costs, shipping and distribution costs, plus the costs for refunds and returns.
Luckily, none of this is necessary to build a business in 2026. Building a business is still the best way to increase your autonomy, but now you can get all the earning potential with only a tiny fraction of the costs.
The key mechanism to focus on is acquiring high value skills. This could be web design, or video editing, or copywriting, or sales, or content creation, or anything else. Once you have some surplus income you can start investing in attaining one or more of these skills. (Because this directly impacts your financial autonomy, you can consider this a survival expense.)
There are so many skills to consider learning, but in my opinion, these four are the highest leverage skills you can learn in 2026: digital products, affiliate marketing, writing, and online community. I’ll go into each of these in more depth in the next newsletter, and go over exactly how to combine them for maximum efficiency. For now, if you’re interested in building a community, come join us for a free community building workshop.
Register for the Mission 1000 live event for free here: sign-up
Action Steps
Pick a Problem - Like I said, all business is problem solving. Pick a problem you’re passionate about, whether you’ve already solved it or you’re still dying to find a solution.
Pick a Skill - Choose a high value skill to focus on learning. Look at your current strengths and weaknesses and learn something adjacent to your current skills. Don’t pick a skill just because it has high earning potential. Pick something that excites you.
Learn & Solve - Learn your skill and solve your problem in tandem. Use your skill to share the solution to the problem. One of the best ways to do this is to build in public.
Monetize - Once you have a solution, it’s time to productize so you can actually earn money. This will look different depending on your solution. It may be a product that solves the problem for the customer; it might be a software that solves the problem; it might be a course or info product that teaches the customer how to solve the problem; or maybe you are doing the solving directly, and what you’re selling is a service. It’s up to you.
Purge - Get rid of everything you don’t want. The crappy job, the crappy apartment, the crappy habits, the crappy body, the crappy people. All of it. Use your agency to fill your life with things you want, and get rid of things you don’t want.
Don’t overthink this. Be intentional but don’t be paralyzed. The most important thing is to pick something you care about making progress on, and then learn a high value skill to monetize. I already mentioned the 4 highest leverage skills I recommend, but if you’re still not sure which one to start with, I suggest starting with community. Community is the future of value-delivery and authenticity, and it can be combined with the other skills I mentioned to grow your revenue exponentially and sustainably.
I’ll talk more about combining community with other high leverage skills in the next newsletter, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, start formulating a plan: Calculate your scale, pick a problem, pick a skill, and start solving the problem and learning the skill in tandem. If you want to learn how to turn an online community into a future-proof independent online income source, you can jumpstart your journey by attending the Mission 1000 live event. Register for the free event here: register
See you there,
Tim