For many, working that nine-to-five traditional job is an adequate way to earn a living. But for others, an entrepreneurial spirit calls them to take the path to self-employment and often the creation of their own business. The freedom that comes with being your own boss is often a big influence.
I was one of those that getting up at the same time every day, fighting rush hour traffic on the drive to and from work, doing the same job at the same place day after day and having little time to spend with family become a massive frustration. I felt a prisoner to my business. Yet I admit if my eye operation hadn’t rescued me I probably would never have made the change.
By being an entrepreneur, not only have I been able to work around my true passions, doing things I love, I have also had the fortune of creating a flexible working schedule that allows me to see my kids when I want, visit my parents, or just get away for a long weekend here and there.
I was reading an old blog post on Lifehacker by Glen Allsopp titled Living Self Employed Online – The Manual They Forgot To Give You where he talks about leaving the rat race and entering the world of working for yourself.
He made a crucial point to any entrepreneur, one that you need to heed. He reminds us that the whole point of being our own boss is that we’re meant to be in control of how we spend our time, and what we do with it.
That’s right, owning our own business has put us in control, we make the decisions, choosing what we’re going to do and when we’re going to do it. Yet to many entrepreneurs I meet seem to have forgotten that. They are so immersed in their business, particularly those online, they spend more time tapping away at the keyboard and looking at a screen than they would be spending hours working for somebody else. They’ve lost their way!
You’re trying to do everything possible. You keep researching what others in your position are doing and you’re adding more jobs to your already massive list of things to do. I know that’s what you think you have to do. I read frequently, and am told by others that I need to harness Twitter and Facebook far more than I do, and that I should create lots more videos and get them out there, and that would be great, I’d love to do it, but I simply don’t have the time.
I know where my best pay off activities are. And that’s where I spend my time. Because I remember one thing, and that is I have a life and I want to live it. So spending the most of my time doing stuff that I know gets me the best results works for me, and doesn’t leave me stressed out working every minute god gave me.
So my suggestion to you is by all means try a little bit of everything and then focus on the ones that are getting you the results you are after.
Don’t forget the beauty of being an entrepreneur. It is making the most of your talents, your choices and your freedom. It is chasing your own entrepreneurial dreams and combining them with your personal goals, so you’re achieving the best that life has to offer in all departments.
Never ever forget that freedom is the number one reason to be an entrepreneur, and as an entrepreneur, you can take action the moment an idea comes to you and alternatively you can go play with the kids whenever you want.
That to me was the lure and the reason I now love running my online business it enables me to enjoy a lifestyle of freedom.
