Building The Life You Want

A long time ago, I decided that spending thirty years at the same job wasn’t for me. I don’t enjoy stagnation. I like continuous movement and challenge. And like most people, I don’t enjoy being told what to do.

Not that long-term, full-time employment is a bad thing, especially in this economy. Having a steady paycheck in the covid age can be a blessing. Plus, there’s someone to blame when things go wrong. If your paycheck is short, blame your boss. Hours aren’t what they should be, blame your boss. Staggeringly incompetent co-worker promoted? Blame your boss.

When you work for yourself, everything is on you. Something goes wrong, you only need to face the mirror.

Self-employment isn’t for everyone. The work is overwhelming, ceaseless, demanding, and often thankless. Make no mistake; you will work harder for yourself than you ever will for someone else.

When you work for yourself, everything is on you. Something goes wrong, you only need to face the mirror.

It took fifteen years (let me say that again, fifteen years of consistent failure and reinvention) before I saw any real traction on my endeavor. I thought things would get easier. I was stupid. Don’t be like me. They didn’t get easier. They got exponentially more difficult.

There are steps you can take that can lessen the impact of what you’re about to get into. Here are the most important lessons I’ve learned:

• Change Your Network.
  Most people have a psychological tick: despite all the well-wishing you’ll see in the beginning, they don’t want to see you succeed beyond them. Don’t expect all of your friends to buy into what you’re doing. You’re forging your own path in a world where everyone is begrudgingly settling. Instead, surround yourself with people with similar mentalities. They’ll educate you, support you, and drive you when you need it.
• Get Really Smart With Your Money.
  This is where many people fail, myself included. Everything is just so shiny and new and easy and we want to own all the things. I have had coffee makers in every room in my house: I understand the compulsion to spend-spend- spend.

I’m still navigating the entrepreneurial life, and I still have a lot to learn, but I’ve also set a goal for no longer needing outside employment of any kind. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and this is after a lifetime of abuse and violence.

It’s also been the most rewarding.

Thanks for reading.

Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author, is a SciFi/fantasy artist currently roaming around the Western United States. A left-learning progressive “rogue” Christian, he advocates for victims of domestic violence and homelessness. He’s also a strong proponent of marriage equality and takes himself a little too seriously sometimes. Connect here. He’s blocked off most of May for the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition release so by the time you read this, he’ll probably be on the Normandy.

Originally published at http://averyktingle.art.blog on May 12, 2021.