Going freelance, being an entrepeneur, can be really hard for most people. It was for me.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve worked for someone else most of your life. It’s weird and scary to not have the certainty of a paycheck.
For me, quitting my job wasn’t easy at all and it wasn’t anything that happened overnight. It took me many years to come to the realization that I didn’t want to work for someone else, that the job I wanted simply didn’t exist in the world; I had to create it!
But there are many of us who have that spirit, who just don’t feel alive unless they’re out there creating their own thing. You might be feeling twinges of that yourself.
In my case, I even had a great job. I was surrounded by cool people that I genuinely loved to work with. My bosses (2 partners who are lifelong best friends) were super cool, my own age, and we share so many of the same likes. We even partied and drank together many times. My job was flexible and I could work on projects the way I wanted to without anyone telling me how and when to do stuff.
Why would anyone in their right mind quit a job like that!??
Answer:
I wasn’t happy.
I wasn’t happy building someone else’s dream.
I wasn’t working towards my own dreams and goals.
Do it!!!! Overthinking will kill you.
I had built hundreds upon hundreds of websites, and yet I had to keep building more, for projects that, quite frankly, I just didn’t care for. It felt like I was on an endless treadmill.
I’d tried to shift the company in other directions and the owners were open to it. However, I never had time for my own projects and they weren’t a priority for anyone else in the company – we had too many other things going on. In the end I realized that it didn’t make sense to get angry about this – it’s THEIR company, not mine and they simple have different ideas about what they want to do. I would need to strike out on my own if I wanted to do something different.
I am much happier now, as I’m doing all sorts of interesting things. I’m my own boss, working on the projects I want to work on. I seriously have no idea how it’s all going to shake out, or how long I’ll be able to fund my venture. (Edit – this was written some time ago, and I know I’ll be able to keep doing cool things. It may be in different ways, in different ventures, but there will ALWAYS be a way to make a living on your own terms!)
But right now, it’s awesome, and I’m going to keep going, keep trying new things.
If you’re not happy with your work, I strongly encourage you to do the same thing. Adam Carolla has a quote I like: “If it’s not making you rich and it’s not making you happy, then why are you doing it?” (paraphrasing his quote)
Will you be happy with the life you’ve led at the end of everything? Will you be able to look at your life’s work and say, “That was awesome!“?
If not, maybe you should think about changing tracks. 🙂
“Leap and the net will appear” – You have no idea until you try just how much support people will give you and the amazing things that will come your way!
