In physics, exit velocity is the minimum speed needed to break free of a gravitational field. Too slow, and the system pulls you back. The rocket that almost escapes orbit is still captured. Quitting a job isn’t the same as escaping a career trap. Selling a position isn’t the same as exiting a system. Moving cities isn’t the same as changing your life. The difference is exit velocity. Most people underestimate the pull. They leave without enough momentum and find themselves back in the same orbit: different company, same trap. Different city, same patterns. Exit velocity isn’t built during the exit. It’s built before it. Skills that transfer. Savings that buy time. Relationships outside the current system. This is what opting out actually looks like in practice. Not a dramatic escape. A quiet accumulation of alternatives until the system’s pull no longer reaches you. Are you planning to leave, or are you already building your way out?