The Challenges of Self-Employment
One of the conversations that I have privately with people quite often has to do with the rewards and difficulties of working for oneself.
Alternatively, I also have many more conversations with people who work for others about their career dissatisfaction.
So here is the dirty little secret…working for yourself/entrepreneurship/owning a business is challenging. Dare I say it is hard. Here are some common challenges in business:
- cash flow issues;
- knowledge gaps;
- inadequate human resources;
- indecisiveness;
- self-doubt;
- overconfidence;
- being spread too thin;
- continuous marketing efforts;
- building new skills; and
- finding customers/clients etc…to name a few.
The Challenges of Working for Others
Of course, working for other people or organizations is also challenging. I think the nature of the complaints I hear include (but are not limited too) feeling:
- undervalued,
- underappreciated;
- overworked;
- underpaid;
- and even bored.
These are some of the reasons that people decide to leave the relative “safety” of their employment for the “unknown” of entrepreneurship. I use the term “safety” to describe what some perceive as the predictable nature of their employment.
Of course, employment and income are not guaranteed but there is a somewhat predictable element to compensation when one is employed. And contract work is quite different from employment…it more closely resembles being self-employed. However, some people do not recognize that they are actually entrepreneurs when they work as contractors.
A “Soul Contract”
One result of the various challenges of working for others is that some people will make the leap and launch their own business. This is when they begin the “soul contract” that is entrepreneurship. This is when they can really struggle with staying committed to the journey. It is common to wish to either go backward or to push really hard for results very early in the cycle of business/personal/professional development.
Often those who are self-employed can begin to feel like they were unprepared: As if they are not getting it right, and perhaps even that they are not doing enough.
The truth is that business growth and development take time. Some things may unfold quickly and there may be some early and periodic success. However, much of the work is unseen by others and is definitely unpaid.
People who work for themselves sometimes think about packing it in and going out and getting a job.
There is really no “easy” path. I think that we – that means all of us, the “collective we” – need to stop waiting for life to get easier. We need to stop waiting for “work” to get easier.
Even work that we love and enjoy requires effort and energy output. There will be times of ease…but mostly there will be effort.
We need to stop telling the story of “when _________ happens”…
- all will be well; or
- then I’ll be happy; or
- then I’ll feel accomplished; or
- then I will be redeemed for all of the difficult things I’ve been through.
We are not owed a period of time without hardship simply because of all of the difficulties we have already been through.
Instead, we need to come to terms with what can be the chaotic or messy nature of life.
We must recognize that what occurs is happening “for us” and not “to us.” Neither you nor I are victims of the difficulties that have happened in our lives.
About Victimization
I recognize that in the truest sense of the word, there are incidents of being victimized. However, what I am suggesting is that it is not only okay but necessary to shift one’s paradigm and redefine oneself and one’s relationship to the challenges that are part of the natural seasons of life and work.
Life is filled with various challenges. Some of them are predictable because they happen during times of transition.
Transitions afford us an opportunity to leave things behind and to start anew. Sometimes transitions happen because of unexpected events like:
- a family illness;
- accidents;
- the death of a friend or loved one;
- infidelity;
- layoffs;
- a dip in the economy;
- being the victim of a crime or other trauma, and so on…
I am not classifying “bad things” that happen as being good. However, I am suggesting that the result of their occurrence is that we have an opportunity to grow. That growth may be mental, physical, emotional or spiritual.
We will continue to be confronted with the same challenges in the work place or in our relationships or in our business until we actually do the deep work behind the question “What will I learn by this showing up in my life?”
Changing of the Seasons
Just like the changing of the seasons from summer to fall and from fall to winter and from winter to spring…there is a time for everything and there are unique challenges to each season.
If you have not given a full year (and therefore each of the evolving seasons) to a career change that you have made, then you really cannot be in a good place to make a decision about walking away.
Before leaving a practice or an employer behind, it is vital to explore what you learned from the challenges you experienced.
What have you been avoiding?
- Assertive communication?
- Developing leadership skills?
- Learning money management?
- Developing the ability to speak to groups of people?
Has the path you chose shown you traits that you don’t like about yourself?
Have you learned to embrace all of who you are? The good, the not so good, the bad, etc? You are not a victim of your imperfection or your challenges…after all like everyone else…you are only human.
Copyright © 2016 Ruby Blow. All rights reserved.
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