11 Lessons in 11 Weeks

As many of you know, I began this blog around January 1st of this year, the same time that my husband and I began a new home-based business. The weeks have been flying by, and we're about to close out our third full month of being on our own. The journey that we've been traveling has been exhilarating yet quite stressful at times. There have been moments along the way where I've had to sit quietly and ponder both where we've been and where we're headed. So, I decided to drag some stuff out of my head tonight and do what my type-A self does best... make a list.
 

Here are 11 things I've learned in the past 11 weeks about being self-employed:
 

11- By eliminating my husband's commute to his former job, we've added 1 full extra month to our year, not to mention the money saved from using less gas.

10- Insurance options are much better than I had imagined, even though we've yet to finalize a policy for our family.

9- Thus far, self-paying at physician's offices isn't half bad. It seems like they're incredibly willing to give you a break when they find out you are paying out of pocket. Almost seems like a better deal at times, especially if you have a hefty co-pay attached to your policy.

8- Living without a steady income can be downright frightful.

7- Working from home is pretty difficult with a 3 year old and 1 year old. Hoping it gets a bit easier as they continue to get older.

6- The hours in a day fly by incredibly fast when you're involved in a vocation that you love.

5- "Stuff" is just that... stuff. In our effort to run our business debt-free, there is a lot of "stuff" that we've been having to bypass or give up. New spring clothes aren't hanging in our closets and several things that are meaningful to us are currently listed on Craigslist.

4- Time management can make or break your progress each day.

3- Getting your hopes up over every client that "promises" to use your services only leads to much frustration. Truth is, the majority never follow through.

2- Lesson learned in #3 is normal and nothing to take personally.
 

1- The freedom to be your own boss and experience success is addictive. No turning back!

Trading Salary for Snow Cream : )

After my last post, someone might be thinking... wow, lots of challenges to overcome.  But I continue to mentally list each day some incredible blessings from self-employment.  A few of them are:

1. FLEXIBILITY-  Working for yourself means saying goodbye to the old model of working 9-5.  Think about a somewhat normal day for you.  Are there certain times in the day when you're more alert, more energetic, and not zombie-like?  How awesome would it be to choose to work at THOSE times of the day... not just 9-5, because those are the hours an old fogey decided decades ago that people should work. Not only does the quantity of your accomplishments increase, but so does the quality of your work. 

2. FREEDOM-  I remember feeling like such a victim to our past work situation.  Like we were its slave, just doing what we needed to do to get our weekly check and pay for our monthly expenses.  We've since realized that yes, we were a slave to work.  But not work of our own.  Choosing to work from home to do a job that we love is a definite new found freedom.  We call the shots... of course, with that comes much responsibility.  But it's OUR responsibility.  No one else's. 

3. FELLOWSHIP-  This one is huge for us. Up until this point, we were isolated by our previous work.  It allowed little to no time for relationships outside of our family. We've actually been able to choose a church community and casually hang out with friends.  Both seem so normal for most people... but they have been an unrealized longing for us.  Until now!

4. FUN!!!  Can't tell you how many milestones or events that "Daddy" has had to miss because of work.  This week, Daddy and and his sweet daughter were able to enjoy their first snow day together.  So priceless!  Here are a few snow pics that I quickly snapped with my Blackberry-

Then the best part of all- SNOW CREAM!

I told a friend just yesterday that we've lived more in the past week than we have in almost five years.  No impressive insurance policy or 401k match... just investing in LIFE!

And the Learning Begins...

Yesterday was our first official day "on the job."  I have to admit that when the week began, we were excited.  The dread that we have always felt on Monday morning was gone.  We woke up in charge and ready to take on our dreams.  Such a different feeling that is already quite addicting!

 

Even though we've been on this journey for only two days, we are learning so much already.  Of course, first and foremost, we're learning to trust Almighty God like never before.  Secondly, as far as our actual business goes, there are several things that have jumped out at me already.  We are finding that the simplest things can really be hard to reign in.  A few of those are:

1. FOCUS-  As we begin our business from the ground up, there are so many "rabbits" to be chased, T's to be crossed, and I's to be dotted.  The ability to discern and prioritize wisely has proven to be quite a challenge. 

2. FINANCES-  We committed to living a debt free lifestyle several years back and have been successful for the most part.  BOY, is it tempting to go back on our commitments now!  So many items, gadgets, supplies, etc. that we "need" rear their ugly heads on a daily basis.  And what makes the situation more complicated is that THIS is our income now.  We're not going to be receiving a paycheck anymore.  So, the pressure to make money quickly sits on our shoulders, as well. 

3. FAMILY-  That's right... if the adjustment of self-employment wasn't mind-consuming enough, there are still two little ones pulling at my legs all day, every day.  Two that are still helpless for the most part, still relying on their Daddy and Mommy for most things. 

The great part about all of this is, even with the challenges, we are exhilarated.  We are getting to express ourselves in our own ways, on our own terms.  Dan Miller writes in his book, No More Mondays,

Fulfilling work, work that integrates our talents and our passions, work done for a worthy purpose, has always been a sign of inner--and outer--maturity and wisdom.

"Fulfilling work."  It only takes a day or two of it, then you're hooked.  There's no going back.