WHY IT'S BETTER TO WORK FOR YOURSELF

I knew that I must plan to quit someday when I couldn’t stand the thought of going to work for another day. 

The crazy traffic jam, unpredictable workload, feeling under appreciated, underpaid, etc.

And when that day comes, I didn’t feel that I would regret quitting, and nothing, not even the idea of promotion or a higher salary could change my mind. 

To me, when the time is right, just quit, and when you do, don’t look back.

So, why is it better working for yourself?

Here are the reasons that I have gathered along the way on why it’s better working for yourself than working for others. 

And I’d love to receive your comments on what is your favourite aspect of working for yourself.

#1. You have no one to blame but yourself. Yes, this is a good thing. Looking for other people to blame is a waste of time. You only have your own self to argue with.

#2. You measure your own progress. You control how far you want to go. Only you know what you need to improve on without having to face harsh and impartial appraisal.

#3. You don’t have to worry about getting a bad boss or back stabbing / political colleagues. That is right! You work at the comfort of your home or in a café reporting to yourself.

#4. Vacation time is unlimited. You can still work during your vacation if you need to, but at the same time you chill out too. In corporate, you’ll need to apply your leave in advance and you are assigned to limited days to take every year. And if you don’t utilize it for a certain period of time, your leave will be burnt (for no carry forward policy company). Plus, you’ll need to ensure if your planned leave doesn’t clash with important projects or your boss’s. How many corporate jobs allow you to take three weeks or more off in a row? Heck, you can even continue to be on leave without justifying why.

#5. You decide when you want to work and when you don’t want to. Period.

#6. You choose which projects to work on first. You don’t have to pursue things you aren’t interested in because you know that following your passions is a better way to succeed.

#7. Anywhere is your office. With internet access, power connection and a phone line, you are good to go. No need to beat the jam just to go to office on time.  

#8. Every day is a casual Friday. Or you can even dress in your old tee and Bermuda while you do your work - in bed.

#9. You can actually be yourself. Hence, there is no need to impress anyone in the office just to get along. Flush office politics down in the loo.

#10. Every bit of effort that you put into your business benefits you directly.  It’s your business, you make more, it is yours to keep.

#11. Schedule & Time Flexibility. No more racing through traffic jams tearing your hair out getting worked up, standing up in a long queue at the train station or setting alarm clock and waking up at ungodly hours in the morning.

#12. Getting fired or laid off will never happen. However, running out of business or clients is possible, but at least you won’t lose your job when you least expect it.  

#13. You don’t have to endure endless, pointless meetings. It is a wonder how anyone can get anything done in companies where you spend few hours a day in meetings upon meetings. Imagine what you can do with all that extra time?

#14. If you get tired of your work surroundings, you can change your scenery any time. Go to a coffee shop, book café or anywhere you want.  A change in scenery can do wonders for your creativity.

#15. You don’t have to feel guilty about doing personal things. Want to leave early to fetch your kids? Want to go shopping and run personal errands? How about working out when you never seems to have time when you are working for others? You work for yourself, so there is no guilt!

#16. With whom you want to work with is up to you. You’re in charge of hiring; you get to select the clients; you get to choose the freelancers and consultants. You can choose people who inspire and motivate you or leave out the jerks or boring people.

#17. Your income is limited only by your creativity and willingness to work.

Working for a company (or for someone else) cannot be compared to the satisfaction and fulfilment that you will experience out of being completely self-sufficient.

Knowing that you are completely and solely responsible for contributing enough value to the world and to earn your keep is one of life’s great rewards.

This is something that you have to experience yourself in order to fully understand.

So what else do you like (or look forward to) about working for yourself? Please share your comment.

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