I Left the 9-to-5, Now I Work All the Time — So Why Am I Happier?
Reflections on my first official six weeks as an “entrepreneur”
When the opportunity came to build my career 2.0 I was excited at first. But everything I learned about freelancing 20 years ago is painfully out of date. Instead of simply looking up names and contacts of various editors, it’s all about building a brand and digital marketing.
I’m learning what I can. Asking colleagues for advice. But mainly I’m just coming up with an idea, mapping out how to make it a reality and hitting send (or, more often, publish). Which means I’m working all the time.
If I’m not putting in a shift at my part-time news writing gig, I’m developing an online course. Or I’m tweaking my website. Or I’m posting content to my work Instagram. Or I’m learning about brand building (and seriously rethinking my business name).
The work is constant, but it’s my work. In my “corporate” job the mental work was also constant. The ideas and solutions I came up with were supposed to further the objectives of the network and the show. Sure, I was paid to care about this. And sometimes my interests would overlap, which helped keep me motivated — but not always.
In the before times I felt a strong pull for a work-life balance and to set boundaries for when I would be available to my job. The longer I worked there, the more protective I felt of my time. Especially during those first few months working from home.
But now I work for myself. With the exception of one gig I can make my own hours. Sure, there’s flexibility in that. I can choose to work every day or I can choose to go on a hike with my dog and take endless photos of her in front of sunflowers until we get one that looks like she’s looking at the camera.
Truth is, I work all the time. But instead of farming out my skills for someone else’s objective, the objectives are all mine. Every shift, every post, every client meeting brings me closer to the goals I set for myself.
I’m using skills I haven’t used for a long time and in new ways. I’m also learning new skills, which is something I find very rewarding.
When I came into this venture I was drawn by promises of the 4-hour work week and having multiple income streams do the work while you enjoy life. Well now I have three income streams with a fourth and fifth on the horizon. I can’t even begin to measure how much work I put in to make these happen, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.
I used to work hard at having a work/life balance, where I experienced “joy” in different ways depending on what side of the line I was in. Now I’ve blurred the line and don’t have to work at finding happiness anymore. It’s just there, while I work. Constantly.
