Declaration, follow up

[qos]

It was only after I'd posted that declaration yesterday that I started to understand its power.

My former MyCo colleagues and my family are thinking of me as "unemployed."

I am thinking of myself as "self employed." There is such a profound difference in the implications of those two labels.

If I were "unemployed" the power to shape my future would lie very much in the hands of the companies I applied to. I'd have some responsibility, of course, but ultimately it would be the company/hiring manager which decided whether or not I would have a job again.

"Self employed" puts the power and responsibility entirely in my own hands. Yes, I need to find more clients who want to do business with me, but no one person or organization will hold the lion's share of the power over my destiny. That lies squarely with me.

"Unemployed" means that I don't have a job.

"Self Employed" means that I do have a job and that I have the responsibility to work at it consistently.

Comments

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I flip-flop between the two words, but the "self-employed" one is MOST true. Thanks for the reminder!

[qos.livejournal.com]

Glad it resonanted with you!

The more I thought about it, the more powerless "unemployed" felt to me.

And the last thing I need right now is to feel disempowered or dependent on someone else's decisions!

[qos.livejournal.com]

Mr. Man is brilliant at this. He and I used to talk about it back in the RV and PS-version 1 days. According to him, he has utter conviction in the his vision of the future. To him it's not a risk, it's a fact -- and he talks to others with that assurance. Add his charimsa to his conviction, and he becomes a force to be reckoned with.

What he also has is a vision that's fueled by a passionate dream for the future, one that's far larger than himself. He's not in it for the money, he's in it for the dream.

Plus he's quite simply one of the most stubborn and determined people I've ever known. ;-)

[qos.livejournal.com]

Mr. Man is also fortunate enough to have Mrs. Man bringing in a steady professional income so he has had the freedom to focus on his entrepreneurial efforts, even when they have been slow to develop.

[athenian-abroad.livejournal.com]

"Unemployed" means that you can collect unemployment insurance. "Self Employed" means that you get to file stacks of tax forms literally six inches thick. (OK, there was folding involved...laid flat, the forms wouldn't be so thick.)

Just my observations. Welcome to the life! :-)