Things I’ve discovered since becoming fully self employed…
My body was never meant to be sat at a desk for 8+ hours a day.
Going for a wee when I need one rather than when there’s a break in the meeting is liberating. It makes me wonder when, exactly, we were taught to ignore our bodies and basic needs. (I know the answer - school!)
I often don’t know what day it is.
As a result, I don’t get ‘the fear’ on Sundays and I don’t dread Monday mornings.
I can go on holiday or take time off whenever I want.
I don’t earn money when I’m on holiday or taking time off.
It doesn’t take me three days to settle into my holiday because my nervous system is well regulated a lot of the time - it’s easy for me to switch off.
I work with my natural rhythms - sometimes I get up early, sometimes I work late, sometimes I rest during the day. I can do what I want and/or what I need.
I eat when I’m hungry, not when someone tells me that it’s time for me to take lunch.
Family and friends (some of them anyway) aren’t as supportive as I thought they’d be.
Leaving my job was a huge transition for me, but because it’s not the norm, many don’t celebrate it like they would other people’s transitions. So… I’m learning to celebrate myself.
I don’t celebrate myself or my achievements anywhere near as much as I should.
Getting my tax return done early saves a lot of hassle.
Keeping up with my accounts saves a lot of hassle.
Other people copy - A LOT!
Relying on my own judgement and validation has been, and continues to be, a challenge at times.
Working in a way that aligns with my values and integrity is priceless - worth so much more than a pay check and pension.
Being self employed in the wellness industry will bring up shadow like nothing else.
I’m better than I thought at tech stuff… but only if I deal with it early in the day.
I didn’t realise how long it would take me and my body to readjust from doing the job I was doing.
I’m surprised by how little I miss my old job.
I’m surprised by how easily I slipped back into my old job when I freelanced for a few days.
Going for a walk at various times throughout the day feels like true freedom.
I struggle with deadlines.
My time is my time and I get to choose what to do with it. I’m not owned by anyone - I am my own master.
I’m way more present than I ever was - and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of that kind of thing.
Life and work are intertwined - I don’t have to switch from one to the other and my life is not consumed by ‘work’
Work no longer feels like work.
I simultaneously have way more time, AND way less time.
I know myself better than I ever have.
I take care of myself better than I ever have.
I have less money than I used to have, but the things I’ve gained are priceless.
I need to spend more time alone.
I don’t have to ask permission for anything that I want to do - I just need to check in with myself, and my intuition. No meetings, no permission, just playing, trying things out and seeing what happens.
I get lonely sometimes.
Other people don’t get to tell me that what I’m doing is not good enough - I’m the judge of that (and believe me, I judge myself!)
My love of reading fiction has returned.
I don’t know where next month's pay check is coming from, but I have faith that it will come.
I’m more authentically me than I ever was before.
I’ve realised how much of my life has been spent masking.
I can’t mask as well as I used to be able to.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder what I’ve done.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with overwhelming gratitude for what I’ve done.
I dance to the beat of my own drum (of which I have a few!)
If everything fails and I have to go back into more regular employment, I get to say that I tried 💜