The last time i put up a post in this blog was more than a year ago and at that juncture i had formally made up my mind to risk the waters of self employment. I was awaiting my December 31st, 2012 deadline to say "adios" and Goodbye to the employment sector.
Between that time and now - a lot of water has passed under the bridge and it has been an adventure - one with mixed feelings and if honestly asked if i would do it again - I would probably hesitate before i gave my answer.
On one hand, questions like "are you mad?" and "what the hell do you think you're doing?" rang through my mind like a bell tolling in the silence of the early morning. It shatters peace and often brings the battle of ideals to the forefront. The core aspect that really scared me was the loss of financial certainty (that dependency on a fixed income salary that would keep coming so far i "met" my employment obligations and while of course the company was still "solvent")
I was repeatedly question by former colleagues about my plans and if i had gotten "employment" else where - the answer was very much "No" but they couldn't as of yet understand why I would take such a seemingly foolish of stupid decision.
Fast forward to the present day - By this time I have survived more than my first year in the jungle of self employment and moving into the second and i will tell you a plain and honest truth - it isn't exactly like the movies.
There are those lingering moments of doubt and self re-cremation, there are those conversations that can now take place without the the undue influence of frustration and anger or even despair. Sometimes when i start to have money worries - just at the verge of lashing out at myself - I remember the ideals of why i started out this journey.
When I talk with any of my former colleagues - they still ask the same questions; as if they want confirmation that it isn't as frightening and vicious as they feared. Alas our values in life and our fears or aspirations takes us in different paths.
I have one fundamental objective and that is to give life to my ideas and mental aspirations in one form or another either independently or part of a collective that shares the same aspirations.
I was tired of burying them or passing them over to meet conformance in the "work-place".
The more i stayed, the more i saw, the more frustrated i became and one of my key realisations was that the organisation does not have the employees best interests at heart.
The core requirement is to generate and sustain profit levels through any legal means possible.
While I have no illusions or misgivings of how i was used or how i used elements of the system; i soon came to realise that there is no real long term plan for people who chose to remain in such a system.
The current economic trend does not even guarantee a long career or the associated benefits that used to be part of the retirement benefits of our fathers and their fathers before them.
My choice was to strike out on my own while there was still time and youthful vigour to actively pursue my aspirations. The result is an involvement in various companies and initiatives in one capacity or another over the last two years. There will always be new things that catch my fancy and i will always pursue what i consider to be parallel interests so far a chance of intersecting might occur.
I am a strong advocate of a service platform - this addresses the various needs of people, clients and businesses and once such a need exists; the opportunity to earn an income by bridging or meeting that need is also available.
I saw the future and i believed in it well enough to take a chance or risk in pursuing it. I abandoned safety of paid employment and staked the part of myself in need of security. Learning is paramount and I will continue to update myself with new facts and details.
The future rewards foresight and courage and while it is easy and SAFE to stay with the majority; when an upheaval comes - you will still be forced to learn the lessons you denied yourself.
The Future begins from the simple seeds of a dream and the exciting journey that unfolds with equal parts of the good, bad and ugly will shape us into who we become and what gifts we offer to the world now and in the near future.
Between that time and now - a lot of water has passed under the bridge and it has been an adventure - one with mixed feelings and if honestly asked if i would do it again - I would probably hesitate before i gave my answer.
On one hand, questions like "are you mad?" and "what the hell do you think you're doing?" rang through my mind like a bell tolling in the silence of the early morning. It shatters peace and often brings the battle of ideals to the forefront. The core aspect that really scared me was the loss of financial certainty (that dependency on a fixed income salary that would keep coming so far i "met" my employment obligations and while of course the company was still "solvent")
I was repeatedly question by former colleagues about my plans and if i had gotten "employment" else where - the answer was very much "No" but they couldn't as of yet understand why I would take such a seemingly foolish of stupid decision.
Fast forward to the present day - By this time I have survived more than my first year in the jungle of self employment and moving into the second and i will tell you a plain and honest truth - it isn't exactly like the movies.
There are those lingering moments of doubt and self re-cremation, there are those conversations that can now take place without the the undue influence of frustration and anger or even despair. Sometimes when i start to have money worries - just at the verge of lashing out at myself - I remember the ideals of why i started out this journey.
When I talk with any of my former colleagues - they still ask the same questions; as if they want confirmation that it isn't as frightening and vicious as they feared. Alas our values in life and our fears or aspirations takes us in different paths.
I have one fundamental objective and that is to give life to my ideas and mental aspirations in one form or another either independently or part of a collective that shares the same aspirations.
I was tired of burying them or passing them over to meet conformance in the "work-place".
The more i stayed, the more i saw, the more frustrated i became and one of my key realisations was that the organisation does not have the employees best interests at heart.
The core requirement is to generate and sustain profit levels through any legal means possible.
While I have no illusions or misgivings of how i was used or how i used elements of the system; i soon came to realise that there is no real long term plan for people who chose to remain in such a system.
The current economic trend does not even guarantee a long career or the associated benefits that used to be part of the retirement benefits of our fathers and their fathers before them.
My choice was to strike out on my own while there was still time and youthful vigour to actively pursue my aspirations. The result is an involvement in various companies and initiatives in one capacity or another over the last two years. There will always be new things that catch my fancy and i will always pursue what i consider to be parallel interests so far a chance of intersecting might occur.
I am a strong advocate of a service platform - this addresses the various needs of people, clients and businesses and once such a need exists; the opportunity to earn an income by bridging or meeting that need is also available.
I saw the future and i believed in it well enough to take a chance or risk in pursuing it. I abandoned safety of paid employment and staked the part of myself in need of security. Learning is paramount and I will continue to update myself with new facts and details.
The future rewards foresight and courage and while it is easy and SAFE to stay with the majority; when an upheaval comes - you will still be forced to learn the lessons you denied yourself.
The Future begins from the simple seeds of a dream and the exciting journey that unfolds with equal parts of the good, bad and ugly will shape us into who we become and what gifts we offer to the world now and in the near future.
