You’ve heard the advice a thousand times. Stay in your lane. Follow the corporate ladder. Be a team player until it hurts. But honestly? That’s how people burn out by thirty-five. There is a growing movement of professionals and creatives who have decided to do what I want, and it isn’t about being a jerk or ignoring responsibilities. It is about radical intentionality.
It's about autonomy.
Most people mistake "doing what I want" for laziness. They think it means sitting on a beach while the bills pile up. It’s actually the opposite. It’s the grueling work of aligning your daily actions with your internal compass rather than external pressure. If you look at high-performers like Naval Ravikant or even the late Steve Jobs, they didn't just follow a script. They pivoted when things felt "off." They prioritized their own curiosity over someone else's quarterly goals.
The Psychology of the Do What I Want Mindset
We are wired to please. From the time we’re in kindergarten, we’re taught that the "right" way to live is to fulfill the expectations of authority figures. Teachers. Bosses. Partners. Society. When you finally say, "I'm going to do what I want," you’re essentially deprogramming years of social conditioning. This isn't just "vibes." It’s supported by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan.
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SDT suggests that for humans to be truly motivated and mentally healthy, they need three things: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy is the big one here. If you feel like a puppet, your productivity drops. Your creativity dies. You become a shell.
I’ve seen this happen to friends in high-stakes legal jobs. They make half a million a year but they hate every second of it because they have zero control over their time. They can’t do what I want because their lives are owned by the firm. Eventually, the body rebels. Chronic stress, insomnia, and that "gray" feeling of apathy set in.
Contrast that with the "solopreneur" or the specialized freelancer. They might make less money initially, but their "happiness ROI" is through the roof. They choose the projects. They choose the hours. They choose the people.
Why Curiosity is More Stable Than a Career Path
A traditional career path is a gamble on the future staying the same. It rarely does. When you focus on your own interests—truly doing what you want—you end up building a "talent stack" that is unique to you.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, popularized this idea. He wasn't the best artist. He wasn't the best writer. He wasn't the best businessman. But he was pretty good at all three, and he wanted to combine them. That combination created a global empire. If he had followed a traditional path, he’d just be another frustrated mid-level manager.
Doing what you want allows you to follow "rabbit holes."
Maybe you're an accountant who loves 19th-century architecture.
Most would say that’s a waste of time.
But maybe that interest leads you to specialize in tax credits for historic preservation.
Suddenly, you’re the only person in the world who knows how to do that specific thing.
You’ve created a niche because you didn't ignore your own desires.
The Economic Reality of Personal Agency
Let’s get real for a second. We live in an era where "job security" is a myth. Layoffs happen via Zoom with thirty seconds' notice. If you aren't building a life based on what you actually want to do, you're building a house on someone else's rented land.
The internet has fundamentally changed the cost of being yourself. In 1985, if you wanted to do what I want and it involved a niche hobby, you were lucky if you found three people in your town who cared. Today, you have a global audience.
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- You can monetize a newsletter about obscure gardening.
- You can consult for startups on your own terms.
- You can sell digital assets while you sleep.
It’s not easy. It’s actually much harder than having a boss tell you what to do. When you’re in charge, the buck stops with you. But the psychological payoff of knowing that your day-to-day existence is a reflection of your own choices? That’s priceless.
Dealing with the Guilt of Choice
One thing nobody tells you is how much people will hate it when you start doing what you want. Your friends might get weird. Your family might call you "unstable" or "selfish."
Why?
Because your freedom acts as a mirror to their own lack of it. When you break the script, it reminds them that they could break theirs, but they haven't. It’s uncomfortable. You have to be okay with being the "weird one" for a while.
How to Actually Start Doing What You Want Without Ruining Your Life
You can't just quit your job tomorrow and hope for the best. That’s not "doing what you want"; that’s "being impulsive." Real autonomy requires a foundation.
First, look at your "F-You Fund." This is a real financial term used by people in the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) community. It’s a stash of cash—usually 6 to 12 months of living expenses—that gives you the power to say "no." Without this, you can't truly do what I want because you're a slave to the next paycheck.
Second, start auditing your "yeses." We say yes to things out of habit.
"Hey, can you jump on this call?"
"Sure."
"Can you help me move?"
"Of course."
Stop.
Every time you say yes to something you don't actually want to do, you are literally stealing time from your future self. Start using the "Hell Yeah or No" rule popularized by Derek Sivers. If you don’t feel an immediate, visceral "Hell yeah!" about an opportunity, the answer is a polite no.
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The Difference Between Discipline and Compliance
People often think doing what you want means no discipline. It’s the opposite. It takes more discipline to follow your own internal schedule than to follow a boss's clock.
If I want to write a book, I have to wake up and do it. No one is going to fire me if I don't. The "do what I want" lifestyle is actually a test of character. Can you handle the weight of your own freedom? Most people can't. They crumble under the lack of structure and go back to a 9-to-5 because they need someone else to tell them they're valuable.
Moving Toward a Life of Genuine Intention
The goal of this mindset isn't to become a hermit. It’s to become a person who contributes to the world from a place of abundance rather than obligation. When you do what I want, the work you produce is better. The relationships you keep are more honest. You aren't resentful because you aren't doing things you hate.
We see this in the "Creator Economy" every day. The most successful people aren't the ones copying trends. They’re the ones who are so authentically themselves that they create their own weather. They’re doing what they want, and the world is paying them for the privilege of watching.
It starts small.
Maybe this weekend you don't go to that brunch you're dreading.
Maybe you spend four hours learning that software you've been curious about.
Maybe you finally start the blog, even if only ten people read it.
The path to autonomy is paved with small, "selfish" decisions that eventually add up to a life that actually belongs to you.
Actionable Steps for the Next 48 Hours
Don't just read this and go back to your routine. If you want to shift your life toward doing what you want, you need to take physical action.
- The Time Audit: Look at your calendar for the last week. Mark every event with a plus (+) if you wanted to do it and a minus (-) if you did it out of obligation. If your minus signs outweigh your plus signs, you have an autonomy crisis.
- Define Your "Non-Negotiables": What is one thing you would do every day if money wasn't an issue? Is it walking the dog at 10 AM? Is it reading for two hours? Write it down. Now, find a way to fit 15 minutes of that into your current schedule.
- The "No" Practice: Find one small request this week and say no to it. Don't over-explain. Don't make up a fake excuse. Just say, "I can't make that work right now, but thanks for thinking of me." Feel the power of that boundary.
- Assess Your Runway: Calculate exactly how much money you need to survive for six months. Knowing this number takes away the "monster under the bed" fear of making a change. It makes your freedom a math problem, not an emotional one.
Ultimately, choosing to do what I want is the only way to ensure that when you look back in twenty years, you recognize the person in the mirror. It isn't about being perfect; it's about being yours. Stop waiting for permission. No one is coming to give it to you. You have to take it.