When I talk about the fact that some people can be authentically happy having a job, many people are surprised because I’m such an advocate and champion for small business and entrepreneurship. That surprise is often because they miss the subtle but important point about small business and entrepreneurship being vehicles for thriving on both a personal and social scale; vehicles, by their nature, are meant to get us somewhere — they’re not the ends in themselves.
So, let me be very clear about this: I’m pro-thriving more than I am pro-entrepreneurship or pro-business. Small business and entrepreneurship give many people the opportunity to build the environmental and personal arrangements that are conducive for their thriving — but for people who have different values and priorities, having your own business can be misery-making. The vehicles of small business and entrepreneurship also provide us with the opportunity to contribute to our society through taxes and employing others, but again, an “opportunity” for one person is a problem for someone else.
And while “being an entrepreneur” is such an aspirational identity statement at the same time that it’s the socially approved state in entrepreneurial circles, the truth of the matter is that it’s not for everyone, nor should everyone get pressured into being an entrepreneur. I get rather frustrated when non-entrepreneurs are looked down on, as if their lack of entrepreneurial spunk or business-building drive makes them somehow inferior.
People aren’t less-than because they choose a life arrangement that works better for their values, (true) needs, and priorities. They’ve got far more figured out than those who stick to a path that isn’t working for them just because they can’t take the lessons learned and sunk costs and use them to build a better life for themselves.
I’ve advised clients to put their business on hold and get a job, not because their business was failing, but because it seemed that their self-identified conditions for thriving were better met by being employed than by sticking with their business. I’ve advised clients to get better or different jobs for similar reasons. To automatically presume that the entrepreneurial road is right for everyone is a type of lazy thinking that doesn’t serve any of us very well.
Above anything else, I’m pro-thriving. My mission is to help people get to that end goal, regardless of the vehicle they take to get there.
It’s time for a check-in: is your current path moving you toward thriving or maintaining the life that’s right for you? If so, focus on the things that are working for you, however they work for you. If not, what can you do to course-correct? Small steps can lead to big changes.
Hear, hear! It doesn’t make sense to squeeze yourself into an ill-fitting mold whether it’s a career or a business. And whether you are self-employed or working for someone else, your goals also need to fit. Too often success gurus encourage us to think big, when thinking right-sized generates the best opportunities.
I agree with you, Charlie. Different people need different things and there is not one right way. My mom was pressured into being an entrepreneur and she never found her role. She was always unhappy having to be the boss. For her, it would have a completely different and maybe even better life if she had chosen to be an employee. I am an entrepreneur at heart, but I would never judge others to do the same.
You’re right! I am pro-passion. Follow your passion and you’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter if you do that via a job or a business as long as you’re honoring your heart’s desires.
Great article, I included it in my latest issue of Freelancing Weekly: http://freelancingweekly.com/issue-13
This is a good message. People don’t need to be entrepreneurs to thrive. Everyone can make an impact on the world in their own ways. As you said Charlie, values are important. People can live out their values, and it doesn’t have to be through business.
You asked a question last year in one of your groups – or perhaps it was when we worked together one-one – that had a profound impact on me. To paraphrase: “Is your business increasing your quality of life or not?”
That was a great reminder to be sure to have a life outside of my business and to always assess how my work is contributing to my well-being.
This post is a great pointer to remember that the form of work may not matter as much as the effect of work on our happiness.
Thanks for this reminder, Charlie!
You asked a question last year in one of your groups – or perhaps it was when we worked together one-one – that had a profound impact on me. To paraphrase: “Is your business increasing your quality of life or not?”
That was a great reminder to be sure to have a life outside of my business and to always assess how my work is contributing to my well-being.
This post is a great pointer to remember that the form of work may not matter as much as the effect of work on our happiness.
Thanks for this reminder, Charlie!
Argh…not liking this livefyre comment system!
I love my business coach, @johnfalchetto for exactly this reason. When you are in the middle of building your business, you don’t take the time to look around and see how you are doing. When you can talk to someone outside of your business it helps you gain perspective. I’ve had a number of small business ventures fail but a few have succeeded. I want to continue to make good choices for my life and my business and for me that means having someone there to bounce ideas off of and help me see things that I would otherwise miss. Or even knowing when its time to throw in the towel.
thanks for writing about your unique perspective on this topic.
I love my business coach, johnfalchetto for exactly this reason. When you are in the middle of building your business, you don’t take the time to look around and see how you are doing. When you can talk to someone outside of your business it helps you gain perspective. I’ve had a number of small business ventures fail but a few have succeeded. I want to continue to make good choices for my life and my business and for me that means having someone there to bounce ideas off of and help me see things that I would otherwise miss. Or even knowing when its time to throw in the towel.
thanks for writing about your unique perspective on this topic.
I have my own business and love the independence, but it can be really hard. There are many times that I’ve looked at friends with ‘real’ jobs, real wages and paid holidays of all things and had second thoughts. I think you can be fulfilled as a business owner or an employee, both have positives and negatives.
It is important to have a vision for our lives so that we know the path we are on is right for us at the time. Both working for ourselves or for someone else might bet the correct path during the course of our lives.
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