1 Year Self-Employed
It’s officially a little over a year since I left my full-time advertising agency job, to dive into self-employment in social media management and content creation.
August was my official anniversary but I was so busy I didn’t get to fully process it nor celebrate.
With the fall season calming down a little now, it was a perfect chance to really reflect and maybe even share some things I’ve learned along the way.
After all, it’s not everyday we get to leave stability, and somehow still survive a year later.
I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t having more money or the highest amount of money that made me happy, it was being able to care for myself, my loved ones, and having more comfortability to make memories. If I’m comfortable now, I don’t have to be in a hurry to make more. Enough, is perfect.
There’s a difference between comfortability, and complacency. I’m comfortable enough to be present, but I am still growing.
The fine line between fear and courage, is the management of your worry for the unknown. That you meet uncertainty with curiosity and are not controlled by it.
Everyone has a different definition of success, and it’s up to you to know yours. Mine is just living a fulfilling life, expanding and utilizing all my talents to leave a little light in the world, and make every moment count with the people I love.
When you monetize everything you love to do, you sometimes steal your own joy. It’s important to save something for yourself. Just do it for you.
There is no race. Calm down, and slow down. Enjoy the process. Read that again.
Learn, but also execute. Don’t get too focused on learning while waiting to be ready. Learn and do as you go.
Take accountability and responsibility for yourself. In business, in relationships and in life. If you aren’t happy, don’t blame others and get stuck in self-pity. Get honest and make a different choice. If you make a mistake, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It just means you didn’t know. As long as you try to do better. If you take on too much, only you know you need a break and how to take care of yourself.
Being busy, no sleep, and overworked is not a badge of honor. There is nothing luxurious, sustainable, rewarding, or healthy about that. I’m happier being balanced. Even if that means I have gaps in my schedule or started my day a little late.
I didn’t need more. More money, things, people, clients, or time. I just needed a new mindset. I’m happy with less, and just enough.
We’re all really talented and unique, and if we worked together, we could be something even better.
Register for that LLC, get educated on S-corp, open those IRA mutual funds, learn about investments, and get serious about life insurance.
Maybe it’s not one stream of income that is the answer, it’s having multiple.
Even when you reach your goals, you will still feel lost, unsure, anxious, and planning for the next. The trick is to stay present, grateful, proud, and trusting of yourself.
Even if there’s a million people in your industry, people will want you for you; for who you are, your personality, your outlook on life and your craft.
There’s enough for all of us to eat.
Make sure you have a hold of your insecurities, so they don’t have a hold of you. Acknowledge them, befriend them and reassure them.
You are your own walking brand, no matter what business you choose to change to. Don’t be afraid to start over.
I’m not sure if my dream was just so simple, or it was just exactly what I needed. But all I ever wanted was to have an income made from something I loved doing, on my own terms, my own schedule and own space, for people I cared about. I didn’t realize at 26 and 4 years after college, I would already be here. I always wondered what that would feel like, when you “finally get there.”
Being on the other side of your dream is surreal. And at the same time, you realize just how normal or the same it is. You’re happy, but yet still worried, still anxious, still stressed. And it’s just a matter of the mind.
It’s been a wonderful year with so many supportive clients and amazing friends and professionals encouraging me. I have learned a lot about myself, what I need to feel alive, and what makes me feel unaligned with myself. I learned what I care about and what lights me up. How much of your experience is just your own mind at times. I learned that you will always have new dreams, and those dreams will grow and evolve, and sometimes just to return back to an old dream. I have learned to better believe in myself and conquer my insecurities, because I’ve already done what I thought was unthinkable for me. I learned that it is both empowering and scary to know that you can really do anything you put your mind to, and now it’s about what you actually want to invest your energy in.
And perhaps the best thing I learned was, that I will always be okay. We all will.