Every once in a while, I stumble across a blog post that resonates with me. Freelance Switch has a post titled “What’s Your Inner Voice Telling You?” I can say that I really identify with what Ian MacKenzie wrote. It resonated with others as well, make sure to read the comments.
Prior to my previous job, I had that same voice telling me that I had to break free. I asked my boss at the time to allow me to work part-time so that I could pursue other interests while still maintaining some steady income. We did this for a while until another job offer came up. I don’t know what possessed me to accept it. Going from part-time to full-time was not going to placate the voice. I fought that voice in all the months that I worked there until a family emergency made me realize that I was not doing what I was put on Earth to do. I resigned that same day and have been freelancing since then.
Yes, it is scary. The money isn’t as much as I was earning at the steady job yet. It will probably take me a while to make up my previous salary, but there are other benefits that bring me satisfaction. For example, writing this blog post would have been outside of the scope of my job. Keeping up with social media and marketing trends would simply be a waste of time. With freelancing, there is the benefit that I can pick and choose my clients rather than have them handed to me. I can devote time to doing things for my family rather than try to have a family life in the evenings and weekends. I don’t have to drive anywhere or buy lunch if there is no work. That alone drove me really crazy; if there is no work, I’d rather go home than have to “find” something to do or have to be present to put in my hours. There is plenty for me to do that often does not relate to what I am employed to do. As a freelancer, I have the freedom to do those things that bring value to my life and enrich it in ways that I cannot explain. I can focus on doing the task and then going on my merry way.
I felt set free when I went part-time, and it made me happy. Going against that freedom made me unhappy again. Even during these economic hard times, I feel some satisfaction in knowing that I don’t ever have to worry about losing my job because I have multiple jobs. Even when I worry that maybe there won’t be work, the voice tells me that I am doing the right thing. And then I get another job that pays a bill. When my logic tells me I’m nuts, the inner voice soothes those worries. Ever since then, opportunities to be what I was meant to be have cropped up. All I have to do is carry them to their conclusion to create the career of my dreams. Some of these are paid and some are not. What freedom to be able to choose.
Shaine 