Are You Stuck? The Power of Letting Go and Screaming "FREEDOM!"
By Michael Laba, The Unstuck CEO of Retirement Is Us (2026) Inc. Article today was Inspired from my friend in the group Peter (Yes Freakin Peter lol) and listening to all our private chats. Ever feel like you're just keeping your head down, doing the work, but quietly absorbing everyone else's chaos? I see it all the time. People holding onto speculative, non-dividend-paying stocks, hoping for a miracle, all while burning out in toxic jobs. When is enough yes enough??? It’s the ultimate trap. You become a slave to another man's chaos or peoples expectations of you. Let me tell you from the other side of the fence; when you finally let go, it is incredibly powerful. It feels exactly like William Wallace at the end of Braveheart screaming: FREEDOM!!! So stop being gutted !!! Okay, I let go and give you a flashback to 2024 and I was a little stuck. I don't normally share my 10 portfolios well except one soon coming up from our channel and I learned something yesterday about getting shut down, another article brewing. Let's face it and come on they teach you how to get a job or hold onto a career, BUT NOT when to leave. My goal was $86k to retire. Here was my picture thinking to get to $168k a year and that became the addiction every month as I sold, trimmed and played, not seeing my body at 439 pounds and using a chair to sit as I walk working in workplace. The Turning Point (When it Started) Back in July 2021-22, I faced this exact crossroad. I had been cut or rebuilt for the 17th time in my career. I remember sitting at the ball diamond on a beautiful sunny day, listening to the noise of the workplace and someone else's dreams and name on the building and expectations of me. Making 23k a year holding onto speculation growth stocks I was scared shittless knowing my end is nearing and I did not want to learn new systems or work for a 4th sales company after 2 decades of success. That was the moment. I fired them emotionally on the spot. The writing was on the wall, and I got to work. Wow letting go was powerful and still is today. At the time, my portfolio was heavily weighted in stocks like Air Canada, Blue Chips like TD, RY, ENB, and all the stuff your FA teach you should buy and 4% rules of the past. Much of my stuff wasn't paying me a dime so I asked myself what is the opportunity cost of holding on to this stuff. I cracked open my spreadsheets, calculated how long it would take to get my capital back, and looked hard at Class A shares and the newer income ETFs coming out as I was evolving from Class A share guy to CC Call Leveraged ETF guy as products came out.