Being self-employed is a leap of faith that is filled with ambiguity, excitement, and learning. It is a path that is truly hard to explain until you experience it yourself. But let’s try! Here is an honest breakdown of what the lifestyle really is like for us here at OHME!.
The Truth Behind Self Employment
Choosing to work for yourself, sacrificing stability for ambiguity is not an easy decision that should be made without deliberation. From personal experience, there will be numerous early struggles, moments of self-doubly, and sometimes, seemingly never-ending fires that need to be put out. However, it can also be the most rewarding decision ever.
Pros of Self-Employment
Working on creating something that you created yourself brings a different kind of joy that can’t be found anywhere else. Furthermore, seeing others enjoy what you created just “feels” different from doing a normal job. Watching your idea prosper, from an idea into reality, is an unparalleled feeling.
Well, there is far more flexibility as a self-employed individual than if you were working in a 9-to-5 job. As you get to set your own hours, you can shape your schedule however you would like. You are free to take a vacation whenever you want to (within reason of course!), and can work on tasks wherever, whenever you feel like. This allows you to blend both your job with your daily life together, without having to force it.
Cons of Being Self-Employed
However, there is a dark side of mixing your job and life into one. The main difficulty is how hard it is to set boundaries for yourself, and follow them. As an entrepreneur, there is never an end to work that needs to be done. Therefore, without an “off” switch, working hours can quickly spiral into 12 hour plus days, everyday of the week. Even when you step away physically, your mind is often lingering in work mode.
With this combination of workload and urgency, entrepreneur burnout is definitely a reality for many. Therefore, a strong setting of boundaries and expectations is definitely needed; this was definitely a hard challenge for us as this is not something we experienced nearly as much in our 9-to-5!
How to Manage
To manage this lifestyle, you must learn to set boundaries. For example, carving out time for myself and my family is something that I have as a non-negotiable.
Sometimes, when I am unwinding late at night and I receive an email, I have to resist responding. It is always difficult, but that is exactly the core skill you need as a self-employed person; resting is as important as working, because without proper rest, you can’t work!
Overall, many people who have tried it say that being your own boss is tough, but worth it. There are rough moments, but with boundaries and learning to say “no” (often to your own brain!), it is definitely possible and a great decision for some.
