All in all, self-ownership is critical – you’re absolutely spot on. I’ve been called all sorts of things through the years – actually same stuff.
Once I drove a large blue van, back when I was 22 or so. I went for a job in a crappy town, about 5 towns away from my hometown.
At the time, I wore a leather jacket and had very long hair and a beard..
The job was crap, in a crappy part of a crappy town so I said, “forget this”.
As I drove through that town, the next town, the town after that, on my way back home, police followed me closely behind.
One cop car from the 1st town followed me to the border of the town.
Next town, two cop cars from the new town.
The town after that ,three cop cars from THAT town.
Fourth town, three cop cops from that town.
Then when I got to my home town, one cop car.
He trailed me for a few blocks, pulled up aside, glanced in my window, and kept driving past me.
He knew it was “just Kenny”.