Joanne and I had a funny conversation on the way home from lunch on Sunday. She said sometimes she sees the clerks in Macy’s and is kinda jealous. I asked whatever she could mean by that and here’s the essence of her explanation.
If she just had a job to go to every day her life would be so much simpler. She wouldn’t be available for long 
lunches with hurting people, last minute babysitting, shopping for those whose schedules don’t allow it, committee meetings, board memberships, coordinating special events for her art classes, committing to major projects like her soon-to-be-released book, helping people move and decorate, daytime funerals, meal preparation for Dan’s mastermind group, speaking at women’s conferences, gardening projects and house cleaning. (My list, not hers, but you get the idea.)
Whoa – talk about the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. And I thought her life was full of leisure time and no pressure. I sometimes joke at the end of the day and ask her if she watched TV and ate bonbons all day.
I often tell people about the time and income freedom they will have in creating their own work. No boss looking over your shoulder, no time clock to punch, and no ceiling to your income. But perhaps with that freedom come new pressures and responsibilities.
So which is easier – to create your own life and work, or to just have a regular job where much of your time is pre-planned? Are you thankful that your job makes your life easier, or are you longing for the “freedom” of being on your own? If you’re on your own already do you have thoughts of going back to the simplicity of just clocking in every morning?
Should I encourage Joanne to go get that job at Macy’s?
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“If you’re on your own already do you have thoughts of going back to the simplicity of just clocking in every morning?”
I did once. About two years ago, early on. Lasted about 18 seconds before I slapped myself, spent a few hours earning more money than I’d ever earned in a day, and left in the middle of the day to chill with my family.
No, it’s not all cupcakes and lollipops. But it’s always better than working for someone else.
Great article. I have had the same idea before. Went back to a nine to five. That lasted about six weeks. Realized wasting my time at the job wasn’t working for me. It sounds(ed) like a good idea right up until the first week of the idea’s fruition.
Just this week I have thought about giving up. Thanks for the post. I have been on the other side of the fence and hated it. Nope. No more jobs I hate. I love my job now and I am not going back…. and eventually I will be my own boss. Thanks Dan.
Another stellar post Dan. Since my wife and I are both self employed we enjoy the freedom we have. There are times (usually in between landing clients) that I have lamented that I should go get a j-o-b again. But it doesn’t take long to realize that the “safety” of a corporate job means less freedom.
Regarding Joanne, if she’d like the employee discount, go ahead and work at Macy’s. But I’m sure she’ll soon discover she’d like her old life of “TV and bonbons”.
There is a lot to be said about having a job you love, and if I worked at Macy’s I would only barely cover my addiction to buying there…..so not going to happen on many levels……I love my life as it is…most of the time. But I am a firm believer that not EVERYONE should be an entrepreneur. Also a firm believer that even if you AREN’T, you should perform with the same quality work as you would if you were the boss. If I actually did go to work at a department store, I would find so many things I’d want to do to make it better that I’d probably get fired.
One of the things that I like about my job is that I have a little bit of both camps. I work as a professor at a community college. I have 25 defined hours where I must be on campus (20 teaching hours plus 5 office hours), but the rest of my job is flexible. On most weeks, I’m only on campus for four days and I work in the rest of my work as needed during the week. It’s helpful, as we have three small children. I can give my wife a break from the kids on Wednesdays, as long as I devote some time on the weekend or early morning/late night to catching up with my work. It’s also provided me several chances at extra income on the side when I can fit it in.