Why did you become self employed in the first place?

I don’t know about you, but one of the first items on my list of reasons why I should start my own business was “freedom.”

I wanted the freedom to be my own boss. I wanted the freedom to get to work at 9am if I had to drop my kids at school without depending on before school care or extended family. I wanted the freedom to be available to go to the reading group or art class to participate in my child’s education. I wanted the freedom to be able to be out of the office on a Monday that was my husbands RDO so that we might be able to pack up the fishing gear and nick down to the Gold Coast to throw in a line together.

Freedom to do ALL those things that you can’t when you are an employee, without skiving off from work on a sicky (which I have never done, lying is not my gig) or applying for holidays or carers leave etc.

Guess what happened?

After two and a half years in business I had it pointed out to me today working with a valued friend in the United States that I had just put myself back in jail. Albeit slowly, but none-the-less …jail.

I left to have my first afternoon off in months recently and I felt guilty! Can you believe it? If you knew me personally you will know that I have no allowance in my life for guilt after doing a mega-mammoth amount of work on that horrible emotion, yet the jail has allowed it back in. Naturally, taking full ownership and responsibility for myself and my actions, that jail is just another name for Amanda Foy.

Having said that though, can I just say now, that the couple of glasses of champagne and the brilliant company of a new friend dispelled that guilt quick enough. Garf snort!

So come Monday, I am just going to BE. I am going to remember why I agreed to be a business owner, I am going to remember that part of the deal was meant to be freedom–freedom to know that being self employed allows you to be the master of your destiny through dedication, not blind myopic devotion to everyone else but yourself.

I am going to remember that I am a communications expert, and with that, I can and will communicate time frames which are fair to me and my family as well as my clients.

If it doesn’t get done today, there is always tomorrow….and if that doesn’t suit a client…then there is always Acme Communications with a 99 cent special just up on Dodgy Street that are looking for new clients. Big wink