So this is my first week as a dedicated freelance writer since 2000. I have to say it is exciting yet terrifying at the same time. Why the sudden change? Well, let’s just say that my body doesn’t respond to a time-clock very well. .. As I have hinted in previous posts, my health is, well, interesting. I knew that I might have challenges going into my full time job, and for years I balanced the rigors of a 9-5; 6-3 and 2-11 shift… It actually came as no surprise that my body won in the end. I was tired and I wasn’t having fun- not that work needs to always be fun- but c’mon why spend your life doing something that makes you unhappy if you don’t have to.
So when my health came into question, and I started to show more and more signs of fatigue. I started to wonder if my day job was doing more harm than help. Could I possibly better manage my health by going into business for myself?
When human resources told me that my inability to hide my discomfort was costing them money, and they couldn’t afford to wait for me to get better, I knew I had my answer. It was time to move on and take the step that I had known for so long I would need to take. I needed to go into business for myself.
I am sure other people have their reasons for going into business. For me it has always been health. There is something about corporate America that I seem to be allergic to. Perhaps its my upbringing. Being the daughter of a small business consultant, I grew up learning the basics of entrepreneurship and had real life successful business owners to judge success by. Sure, I knew a few successful corporate professionals- my grandfather retired from IBM- but that list was significantly shorter than those with their own businesses. Working for myself was written into my DNA, and every time I tried to do otherwise, my body would flare up in retaliation like I had drank poison.
So was I surprised when climbing the corporate ladder sent me down a rapid free fall faster than my daughter in a room full of dog hair…
(She has allergies.)
I was not.
So while I pick myself up and reorganize my work schedule to fit the needs of my business, I am encouraged by the possibilities in front of me. Much of what is needed for a successful business is time- and I now have a lot of that to go around.
Writing My Way Up 