---
title: "Birth of My Self Sovereignty"
description: "In January 2002 I quit and was fired at the same time. From then on, I would be responsible for my wins and losses."
author: "Rahim Rasul"
type: "Article"
published: "2026-10-15"
thread: "The Field"
url: "https://iloveprocess.com/articles/birth-of-my-self-sovereignty/"
site: "I Love Process"
---

# Birth of My Self Sovereignty

_In January 2002 I quit and was fired at the same time. From then on, I would be responsible for my wins and losses._

[Cover image: Illustration in red and black: a man standing on a heap of rubble, seen from below, with debris flying past him]

On January 13th, 2002, I unwittingly began on a journey that would change everything. Joseph Campbell would say that in some adventures the hero is thrust into action. My first professional job after college had come to a dramatic conclusion. So much so that I quit and was fired all at the same time. Either way, it was a necessary change. The jolt burned the possibility of returning to an incompatible environment.

[Figure: On January 13, 2002, thrust across the threshold out of an incompatible environment into a widening field: responsible for my wins and losses, with no going back]

All of the training done after hours and in college gave me more confidence to make a go at becoming self-employed. The events surrounding my employment activated a firm desire to take control of my life. On the heels of the 2002 New Years, I attended a forum of grounded individuals. We sat in a circle and had a beautiful conversation. I formed a clear vision for how I wanted to proceed in the new year. It brought me to the conclusion that I was not the victim of my circumstance. I had actually been as responsible for what was happening to me as those taking advantage of me. I resolved that at the next indiscretion I would walk away. Little did I know that the very next interaction would challenge my resolve. I then chose myself.

At the conclusion of the shock and emotional flailing I found a sublime state of clarity. The clarity of knowing that from here on out I would be responsible for me. If I was going to go without, it would be the result of my own shortcomings and inequities. Filled or empty bank accounts would be my responsibility. I could put my present and future dreams in the hands of another to provide for me. I couldn’t resolve to hoping things would break in my favor. I would be responsible for my wins and losses.

[Figure: The same events read two ways: as the victim, with circumstance pointing in at me; as responsible, with everything pointing out from me]

I’ve come to appreciate the situation which had thrust me into the adventure. At the age of 24, who really has all the tools that can sustain them? Little did I know how little I knew. Ignorance and arrogance took me places and opened doors that otherwise may have taken much longer for me to dare enter.

I have found a dimension of empowering sovereignty. This journey has transformed me in ways that uniquely orients me to the world. There is no going back. It’s hard to put into words how the constraints, the challenges, the risks, and the calculations have shaped me. Being totally responsible allows me to totally commit to the process of developing myself into a more flexible and adaptable mind. The rigidity wouldn’t last. As I increase my technical abilities, business acumen, and my state of being, my confidence rose. As my confidence rose, I was able to stand in the light of who I had become without any jitters.

[Figure: Technical abilities, business acumen and state of being join into one line of confidence that rises, jittery at first and then without any jitters]

Each January I put my glass in the air and honor the courage of that young man. He couldn’t know what future he set in motion. I once was so engrossed in how I found myself here and failed to see the freedom of where I stood. I look at who I have become and know that this has always been within me, but could it have been so readily realized along a more traditional path? Let’s also be honest. I have never represented the traditional path.

> Regardless, I am here. Here I am.

Acknowledging that we are all unique voices with distinct purposes to fulfill in this life, it makes me wonder why we all go out of our way seeking mutuality with others. Why is our voice important enough to listen to? Regardless, I am here. Here I am. What now matters is that with all of the life before and after that incident, how do I utilize these powerful experiences to proceed on the route toward my now held vision?