The goal was never to work for myself. The goal was to not have to work in the way that trades hours for money — where the second you stop, the income stops. That distinction matters. Freelancing gets you out of a job and puts you in a different kind of cage.
What I wanted — what most people who talk about freedom actually want — is income that persists. That earns while I'm thinking, while I'm training, while I'm sleeping. That compounds rather than resets every month.