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Why don't we, at the very least, give ourselves 100%? And then, how do we get to a point of giving ourselves MORE than we would give someone else?
I went through that for a hot minute.
I didn't always have the right mindset as it relates to being self-employed or being an entrepreneur.
Think about it: We work 8 to 10 hours per day, we maintain a solid schedule, we wake up at the same time each morning and commute (no matter how exhausted we might be), we take scheduled breaks, and we maintain a high level of productivity.
We do all of that for an employer. We give 100%.
For some reason we fail to believe we can do that for ourselves. When we finally muster up the courage to become self-employed, we fail to give ourselves even the same level of commitment and productivity that we give someone we probably have never even seen.
Sure, we do it for a paycheck. That’s the motivation.
I guess I shouldn’t even call it motivation. It’s more like a force of will. You either do it or you don’t eat.
People view having freedom as some form of rebellion or laziness. It’s quite odd, isn’t it?
For a lot of people, it might seem foolish. It might not seem practical. They see people working 4 hours per day as irresponsible. What a brainwashed way of thinking!
I suppose that point of view is what scares some of us from embracing it. We’ve been conditioned to believe that we have to work so many hours in a day to be worthy of a vacation, fun, and rest.
I guess that makes me (and you?) a rebel.
I prefer to have lots of time to do things I enjoy. I believe it’s my birthright!
It’s true: Having that kind of freedom can either make you super lazy, or it can propel you forward.
For me, freedom included waking up when I wanted (and it still does), but I figured out how to give more to myself without losing the freedom I did all of this for.
Have you ever noticed this? When you are waking up in the morning to go to work, you dread it. You feel exhausted like you can’t get out of bed. But when you’re off work or on vacation, you rise easily. That’s all mindset.
Freedom removed the burden of feeling like I had no choice. I could choose to either sleep until 9 am or rise with the sun. It was my choice, and eventually I was waking up at 5:45 am, not for the reasons you think. Not because I was following some early morning cult of the top 10% of successful people. Mine are spiritual and personal and positively impact my work.
Even though I worked less hours per day, I gave more to myself spiritually and physically than I ever had.
That made me more focused and productive.
When I finally did self-employment the right way, my life turned around.
Give yourself permission to want more for yourself. You don’t have to deprive yourself the freedom you crave.
You just have to know when to stop and rest, how to balance all areas of your life, and when to keep climbing that mountain.
I won’t claim that I’m exactly where I want to be, but I have peace. And that means more to me than anything.
You say you want to be free and do work you love, but why are you afraid to go after it? I challenge you to consider how much effort and productivity you give to your employer, and consider giving that same energy in a more balanced way to yourself.
All the best,
Wanauma
