Your breakdown of the 'More Trap' and the societal push to view leisure as a reason to work harder is exactly what I experienced firsthand.
At 20, I was a minimalist backpacker traveling through Southeast Asia and Europe, totally content with just my freedom.
But when I moved to Hong Kong—a hyper-competitive entrepreneurial hub—I got completely sucked into the toxic comparison loop you described.
I worked like crazy trying to hit a 'big number' to match my peers, but the spreadsheets never grew fast enough to outpace my frustration.
My math was growing, but my emotions were failing.
The turning point for me was exactly what you suggested:
turning comparison into observation.
I stopped letting a hyper-consumerist city grade my scorecard.
I studied what worked for others, adapted it to my own rules, and figured out my 'enough.'
Today at 38, I’ve achieved what you and Brian Portnoy call 'funded contentment.'
I bought a property entirely in cash—not as a status symbol to live in, but as a business infrastructure to pay for my life—and paired it with a dual-mandate investment portfolio.
I will never be as wealthy as my hyper-rich Hong Kong peers, but by stopping their race, I won my absolute time and geographic freedom.
My wife, our cat, and I are leaving HK soon to treat life as an adventure again.
Thank you for putting into words the exact emotional shift required to actually break free.
Your article resonated with me so deeply that I just bought a copy of your book, Wealth Your Way, to study your full roadmap. 🙌☺️
Anthony, you summed up the trap beautifully ("My math was growing, but my emotions were failing"). Congratulations on wrestling it to the ground. And thank you, genuinely, for picking up Wealth Your Way!🙏
I'd love to hear what resonates with you once you've had a chance to dig into the book. You've clearly already done the hardest part, so I'm curious how the book lines up with the roadmap you've built for yourself. Safe travels.
Your breakdown of the 'More Trap' and the societal push to view leisure as a reason to work harder is exactly what I experienced firsthand.
At 20, I was a minimalist backpacker traveling through Southeast Asia and Europe, totally content with just my freedom.
But when I moved to Hong Kong—a hyper-competitive entrepreneurial hub—I got completely sucked into the toxic comparison loop you described.
I worked like crazy trying to hit a 'big number' to match my peers, but the spreadsheets never grew fast enough to outpace my frustration.
My math was growing, but my emotions were failing.
The turning point for me was exactly what you suggested:
turning comparison into observation.
I stopped letting a hyper-consumerist city grade my scorecard.
I studied what worked for others, adapted it to my own rules, and figured out my 'enough.'
Today at 38, I’ve achieved what you and Brian Portnoy call 'funded contentment.'
I bought a property entirely in cash—not as a status symbol to live in, but as a business infrastructure to pay for my life—and paired it with a dual-mandate investment portfolio.
I will never be as wealthy as my hyper-rich Hong Kong peers, but by stopping their race, I won my absolute time and geographic freedom.
My wife, our cat, and I are leaving HK soon to treat life as an adventure again.
Thank you for putting into words the exact emotional shift required to actually break free.
Your article resonated with me so deeply that I just bought a copy of your book, Wealth Your Way, to study your full roadmap. 🙌☺️
Anthony, you summed up the trap beautifully ("My math was growing, but my emotions were failing"). Congratulations on wrestling it to the ground. And thank you, genuinely, for picking up Wealth Your Way!🙏
I'd love to hear what resonates with you once you've had a chance to dig into the book. You've clearly already done the hardest part, so I'm curious how the book lines up with the roadmap you've built for yourself. Safe travels.
Thank you for sharing your writing. I look forward to reading it and will follow up with my feedback shortly.