It can get easy to become overwhelmed in the middle of busy season, I’ve realized. Instead of being thankful for the wonderful life we’re leading, I can get down on myself over my ‘to-do’ list… and forget how truly blessed we are to be working for ourselves and following our dreams!
I’ve been reminded of this more lately as some of my dear friends in the industry have announced that their businesses are taking off and they are happily leaving their day jobs to pursue photography full-time!! (Yay Allison and Lauren!!) Both of their last days are this Thursday, October 4th… and as I’ve been chatting with Lauren about what she is looking forward to most about working for herself, I realized that it has been way too long since I’ve thought about why it is awesome to work for myself! As she listed her reasons in the email, I was reminded of what life was like when I was working 40+ hours a week for someone else, commuting to/from downtown for an hour each day, away from those I love most, sitting in an office cubicle, and helping someone else’s business succeed and grow… while my dreams of running my own photography business were pushed to the back of my mind.
I get so caught up in always hoping for more, dreaming, setting goals, and striving for that next step – that I forget to appreciate these moments. (Kind of reminiscent of yesterday’s quote post, I guess!) So – occasionally I need to force myself to think back on the past to remind myself how truly blessed we are – right here – right now.
So… as a little reminder for myself – here is a list of some of the reasons why I love working for myself!
1. Working in my pajamas.
2. Listening to whatever music I want to & singing it loud and proud!
3. Mid-afternoon dance parties with Ellen.
4. Having our entire kitchen at my disposal for lunch options (i.e. not having to pack a lunch to bring to the office).
5. Being able to walk into the other room and chat with James in the middle of a work day.
6. Hitting the gym at non-peak hours and having my choice of machines and weights! (When I actually go… that is.)
7. No alarm clock. (I’m not a big sleeper so I wake up naturally each morning usually after about 8 hours of sleep. This is a serious luxury after the tiny amount of sleep I got when I was working a full-time job on top of running my business! There is just something wonderful about waking up on your own, rolling over, checking the time… and easing yourself out of bed.)
8. Being able to buy clothes I love when we have money in the budget for it, instead of having to abide by some business casual/office-wear dress code, in which all the clothes I found were ill-fitting and not something I would ever choose to buy or want to spend money on normally!
9. Getting to spend ample amounts of time with our crazy Chloe pup… including running around outside to burn off some energy throughout the day, and cuddling with her if my brain ever feels like it might explode.
10. My work meetings usually consist of grabbing drinks with clients and/or other vendors in the industry. Yes!
11. Being able to run errands on off-peak days … like Tuesday! or Wednesday! Or any day but Saturday & Sunday! 🙂
12. Seeing so much of James! I forget that we used to only see each other right before bed (if we were lucky) when I was working at the law firm & building my business!
13. Setting my own schedule. As long as people let me know their plans in advance, and they don’t fall on a weekend during wedding season (haha) – I’m usually able to work my schedule around a bit to make sure I can see family/friends when they’re in town! It is wonderful being able to make time for those that are most important to me in life!
14. Naps. (I rarely take them – but it is wonderful to have the option!)
15. No office drama. This used to make my head spin… like perpetually living in middle school. The only office drama we have around here is if Chloe sees a squirrel on the back porch! 🙂
16. Having the UPS guy think you are jobless, never shower, and never get out of your pajamas. (Oh wait… That’s not so awesome… haha)
17. Decorating your office how you choose! Lord knows I couldn’t have painted my cubicle gray and hung yellow inspirational posters everywhere at the law firm! 😉
18. Working towards your own dreams, not someone else’s.
19. Having one totally awesome office mascot.
I’m sure there are one million other reasons that I can come up with… but I’ll leave it at that for today.
I’m so thankful for all these things and more each and every day!
