(These are some adorable and hilarious candy hearts my friend Hilary made for me to help me get through my last week - what Ben is calling my “victory lap.”)
Coming in at #6 in our Top Ten Countdown of things I won’t miss about my office job is… not having any control.
And mostly, I’m talking about my paycheck. There it is, every two weeks: the same amount of money, down to the cent. While people with families or other responsibilities might find this comforting, I find it really unmotivating and stifling.
Because the thing is, I could do a really, really crappy job this week - come in late, leave early, long lunches, shoddy spreadsheets, etc. Or I could do a really, really awesome job - stay after hours, skip lunch, be meticulous, not make personal phone calls, etc. And either way (or somewhere in the middle, where I usually end up), I get paid the exact same amount. Down. To. The. Cent.
There’s simply no reward for doing a good job. You could get a promotion (unlikely for my position) or you could get a raise (we saw how that went) or you could get some praise from your boss (praise pays exactly 0% of your rent). A smart person in my position would do the least amount necessary to keep their job. But that’s no way to live.
By freelancing, I get to make my own decisions about how much I make. If I want to work a grueling 12-hour day and make $500, I would be free to do that. Or, if I wanted to take a day off, I could, keeping in mind that I wouldn’t make a dollar. Even though I’m giving up the luxury of knowing exactly how much I’ll make in a day or a month, I’m also getting the luxury of being in control of how much I make.
The bottom line is that my actions will be reflected in the results. And that’s pretty important to my mental health and general outlook on life.
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February 12, 2008 at 12:51 pm
karen
That–right there–is an indicator that you will make it as a freelancer. Your attitude about a variable paycheck is positive and powerful rather than fearful. Mine, on the other hand is more fear-based, which is why I haven’t tried to move in that direction in any meaningful way despite a number of paying jobs in the past, including a monthly column, a ghostwriting job, writing education modules for hospital chains, etc. Of course, I have a well-paying job that offers a number of satisfactions…if I was still waiting tables, perhaps I would be more likely to make the leap.
February 12, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Kemo
Great site from your friend Hilary!
(http://www.cryptogram.com/hearts/)
Design your own candy hearts. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
February 12, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Allison
Seems that you are bravely taking the path less traveled, captaining your own ship, and a myriad of other cliches about living life to the fullest and doing it yooouuur way - all in all, I really admire your determination and outlook on the whole freelancing adventure! You are an inspiration!
February 14, 2008 at 8:39 am
Hilary
Actually, credit where credit is due — I made them at despair.com:
http://iheart.despair.com/motivator.php
You can see their address in the bottom right corner of the image.