So week one of working for myself is complete, and I could’t be more thrilled, relieved and content—which are pretty amazing adjectives compared to how I would describe my thoughts on previous work history.
Let me back it up a little, since work isn’t really something that I’ve been known to write about…
After leaving a pretty well-paying, well-respected job back in Columbus to move home a couple of years ago, it wasn’t long before I realized that the grass on the other side of the career world in Northeast Ohio was no where near as green as I thought it would be. Nope, not even close.
In a two-year span, I had three work experiences that would leave me motivated to finally take the leap of faith to work for myself. The first was with an pompous boss and his entitled apprentice that I swore were sleeping together (I mean, why else wouldn’t he fire her?), the second had me driving 3 hours a day to Cleveland and back (which took its toll, literally), and the third was, well, my biggest motivator.
They say to make the leap into Freelance, one should have 6 months salary saved for a rainy day (like who can afford to do that), and/or to have enough steady work to be able to leave your full time job. So basically, when you’re working 40 on top of 40 consistently, and you are confident and reassured that the momentum will continue, that’s when you can make the switch. Neither of which is easy to do.
But, as a very wise person (ahem, my brother) recently told me, “if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.” And so I did.
I worked my ass off, said yes to every project that came my way, and begin getting referrals that led to some bigger clients. And once I went down to part time at my current job and still felt there weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish my goals, I knew it was time to take the leap, whether or not I was completely ready for it.
I figured that the worst that could happen was that I could try, and maybe find out that I would rather go back to a company gig. Or, things could slow down, and I would find myself looking for a full time job again. Either risk I was willing to take, and I still am.
I know there will be times that it won’t be easy. Not like it is now, when I’m at the computer 7 days a week at odd hours of day and night to meet client deadlines. But in the moments that I’ve been able to take a little nap with my cat for a break, take a nice long shower in the afternoon for a refresh, run errands whenever I need to, and work in the peace and quite of my own home, has proved to be life-changing for me. For the first time in so incredibly long, I don’t feel stressed. I’m sure I will at some point as there will be obstacles I’l need to face as a solo-preneur small business owner. But, so far I don’t feel the stress like I have in the past working for someone else, which is proving to be the biggest blessing.
There was a time that I felt I wasn’t good enough quite honestly, told by employers in the bigger agency world that I needed to be bolder and more confident, more all-knowing to all answers, faster, more this, more that, less this, less that… and now I can look at how far I’ve come and be proud of myself that I’m just being me, I’m succeeding, and that’s a wonderful feeling. I’m not afraid to meet with and speak to clients (after all, they’re human, too), am confident and competent, am quicker-like-lightening-ish and I’m more, well, myself—not someone else’s version of what I should be like, act like or design like. It took over a decade to get here after entering the “real world” in 2004, but I’m finally here—and I’m finally free.
Free to be my own boss, free to make my own schedule or take an afternoon off whenever I please, free to be selective with whom I choose to work with, free to live a life without the 9-5, Monday-Friday, desk-bound, must-do-what-my-boss-says-or-else restrictions, free to incorporate arts and crafts into my everyday design world by expanding my resources and talents (and finally putting handmade goodies into my Etsy shop), and finally—being free to have some flexibility with my time and where I choose to put in my hours (my desk, my couch, my patio or Starbucks). It’s a pretty awesome feeling, I must say!
And so I also must say, to anyone wanting to take a leap into something new, I encourage you all to have the confidence in yourselves that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Plan ahead, weigh your pros and cons, don’t make any rash decisions but really think through what you want, and then take the steps towards making your dreams a reality. You can do it, the first step is just taking one, however so small it may seem.
I started with a logo and a hope three years ago, and now I’m my own boss-lady!
It’s certainly worth a shot, because if you never try—if you’re too afraid of failure—then you’ll never know what could have been—or who YOU could’ve become.
Song of the Blog:
Roar by Katy Perry | circa 2013
