At one time, radio ads for Workopolis (“Canada’s biggest job site”) featured various people talking about “the job that changed my life.” It was a great series, with both inspiring tales of jobs that led to interesting careers and inspiring tales of bad jobs that led to a change of careers.
I also love the tagline: “Your life awaits.”
Of course the job that changed my life is the one I’m in now. Those wild rides on the rollercoaster aside, I have the balance in my life that lets me be more effective as a writer, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend — and in whichever order happens to be most important at the time.
Are you in the job that lets you live your life or is your life waiting? What are you going to do about it?
What’s so great about self employment is the variety of work that’s possible. I don’t even mind the feast and famine cycle too much, when it gives me time to do my own work in the slow days. It’s such a creative line of work, where you have to keep learning new things and trying new ways to succeed, with time you can use to develop areas that you’d like to improve on. There is definitely no time to wait for your life to start. You’re living your life now, like it or not.
Gloria, you are so right!
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t answer your question today, Sue! It’s been quite a busy week! Ok, MOST days I would say that my job allows me to live my life, because I have choices and freedom. I can schedule my own time and I answer only to myself (well, and my clients, of course). I feel very fortunate to be working with wonderful people. All in all, it’s good.
I think that’s the key — having choices, being able to schedule your own time and having control over your life. Of course meeting client deadlines can mean working long or odd hours, but ultimately you ARE the boss. As seen on a bumper sticker on a car sometimes on my street: “I love my boss! I’m self-employed.”