I have, on occasion, been chided for my choice of careers. Not for being a writer, but for being a freelance writer; for working solo, without the benefits or “stability” of a larger company. When things have gotten slow, I’ve had people close to me say, "you probably need to think about getting a real job." (Many freelancers have heard that one!) I’ve heard, "don’t you want more than this?" And once, when I mildly suggested self-employment to a friend of a friend who was suffering badly from job-related stress, I received a rather brusque: "Yeah Lloyd, that’s fine for you, but not just anyone can have their own business ya’ know!" (Hmmm, I beg to differ.)
I once had a self-employed friend who was doing rather well at the time, say to me:
“I don’t’ consider what I do a real business. I could never consider it a real business until I make enough money to have an office, a good health insurance policy, at least three weeks paid vacation every year, an assistant to do the menial tasks, and a company car.”
I laughed, and expected her to laugh with me. She didn’t. She was serious. And today, she no longer has her productive microBusiness -- she works in a cube farm dodging downsizing bullets, accompanied by a number of other paranoid cube farmers with bad attitudes. (No thank you, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.) Which leads me to...
Four precepts of the self-employed.
1. Get your head right! By that I mean: Know who you are, and what you want to do. Believe in yourself. Be committed enough that you won’t let the naysayers break you down and undermine your confidence. If you don’t possess a large measure of fortitude, you’ll have a tough time making it in a microBusiness. That’s rule one—the BIG one. Here are rules 2, 3, and 4 for an even brighter future.
2. Define success on your own terms. Will your success be measured by wealth? Prestige? Freedom? Quality of life? Being able to watch your children grow? Or... something else. You need a mental picture of where your business will take you. Just be sure you’re in business for the right reasons.
3. Realize your weaknesses. We all have weaknesses -- but don’t dwell on them. It’s better to exploit your strengths. In other words: Do well, that which you do best. Find experts in other areas to handle the jobs that you’re not very good at. Marilyn Vos Savant once said, “Success is achieved by development of our strengths, not by elimination of our weaknesses.”
4. Surrender to failure. Back in the day, you would frequently hear speakers and other gurus (there's a term I don't hear much these days.), preach that failure is not an option. Today, we’re a little more enlightened. Failure is often a component of success. Be a realist and admit to yourself that failure can happen. Surrender to failure—don’t fear it. Fear of failure is a powerful emotion that can stop you dead in your tracks. It can keep you from completing projects, starting new ones, and moving forward. If you surrender to failure, you won’t fear it. If you don’t fear failure, you’ll be courageous enough to innovate and to push your ideas forward. And without forward movement, there can be no progress, no personal growth, no success--of any kind. Failure sometimes happens (I’ve failed many times), but I subscribe to the Japanese proverb: Fall down seven times, get up eight.
For an interesting read on failure, quitting, and discovering success, read Seth Godin's little book, The Dip.
