“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,” John A. Shedd
I can’t believe that it has already been a month of working for myself. To be perfectly honest, this past month just flew by. I have been BUSY. One of the most common fears (and should I say, widespread myths?) of an employee is that if they leave the employer and work for themselves, there is a chance that that steady flow of income will be gone. I was not an exception to this type of fear. After one month of working for myself I can say that this is not entirely untrue, but it is mostly blown out of proportion. As a matter of fact, in the past month, one of the most challenging aspects of working for myself has been to schedule clients and make time for office hours. I simply feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do.
The biggest question though, as I was preparing to leave my life as an employee and preparing for my life as an entrepreneur was, how will it feel? I envisioned feeling nervous, anxious about having taken this huge responsibility on my own and leaving the comfort of a secure paycheck. Will I have enough clients? Will my income decrease? I am happy to say that those fears were unfounded. My income revenue is strong, and I have been expanding on a daily basis. Life is pretty good on this end.
As I revisit my decision every day, I can say that I have NO REGRETS. I am the owner of my time. My income is directly affected by my own efforts and capacity. I have the immediate possibility of growth. I dictate the rules and regulations of my business. And most importantly, I PUT MY CLIENTS FIRST. I was raised by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you,” and my previous employer did not live by this rule. I could no longer bear the agony of having to put my own judgement aside to deliver policies that were not conducive to the principles I live for: Social Justice and Equity.
Today, I live the life I want to lead. I am a true professional, a true educator, an advocate and coach for families of special needs. I no longer feel like a highly paid pencil-pusher. All I can say is: I wish I had made this decision earlier!
