WE ARE ALL SELF-EMPLOYED
I think I got that thought from the book Making A Living Without A Job by Barbara Winter. It is true that we choose where we will be employed on what terms and what we will or won't do for money, benefits, security, and meaningful work. Yet there is a bit of a conundrum as most of us who want to work on our own terms also like to eat. Which is why so many of our parents tried to redirect us if we said we wanted to be an artist, writer or musician. Sometimes they discouraged us to aspire to greater things and settle for safer things. Oh yes, youth does lend itself to dreaming, but age and experience to settling- to compromise or...resignation.
It use to be in this country most people were self-employed. Around the Industrial Revolution came the switch that more people were working for someone else. The change was from making a life to making a living. Instead of working on our own American Dream now we could work on someone else's dream and still get enough for ourselves to be comfortable. It was safer this way- let someone else take the risk.
Things have changed. Employers and companies are looking to increase their profit margins, they don't regard employees as helping them to build their dream. Employees are not as loyal to their companies either and they don't believe the boss is looking for a win/win, risk is everywhere. Lower wages, less opportunity to move up the ladder, an emphasis on profits over pride in what is produced- all these things are contributing to more people using their skills to create a job rather than waiting for some HR department to look at their resume and call them back.
My father in law worked at one company from age 19 to retirement at 65. My Dad worked for a company for 26 years and they closed the doors one day in the late 70's. He never recovered from that loss. In contrast, I have worked in 3 very different fields (real estate, ministry and education) and held numerous other short term jobs in between. They both thought it shameful that I had to collect unemployment. Neither of them had a college education. What was wrong with me? Things have changed.
What do you want from a job? Do you want greater earning potential? The ability to travel while you work? Freedom to work from home? Flexible hours? Creative freedom? A desire to do more meaningful work? These all come at a price. Comfort and risk ar in opposition in this equation. There are opportunities but anyone who takes them needs to leave laziness and self-doubt at the door.
How does one design a career around a dream? I believe that I got this idea from Chris Guillebeau (Must read: his books The Art of Non-Conformity and The $100 Start Up)- he said that you should imagine the Perfect Day- waking up in the perfect place, working the perfect work on the perfect schedule, having the perfect life- even describing the house you are in, the clothes you have in your closet, who is around you and what you have for breakfast. Write all this down- the whole day. The purpose is to slowly begin to move in the direction of that Perfect Day.
If you can't see it, you will be it.
I will leave you with one thought, I got this off Pinterest:
Making a life change is pretty scarey.
Know what is even scarier?
Regret.
