So, by now I am sure you are sitting at the edge of your seat wondering exactly what it is I used to do, and why I made the decision to leave the corporate world behind me and jump head first into self-employment. (I can’t wait to see what I write here myself, because there are days I still wonder what the hell I am doing!). Well, not so long ago, and in a galaxy not far away, I was an HR professional – pause for dramatic, why would anyone choose that line of work, effect. Well, that’s a good question, and I’ll tell you, aside from the hard conversations, the counseling, and the strategic initiatives, we have some of the best stories of any job out there! (All you HR people are nodding your heads right now and silently compiling the list of your top 10 – am I right??) If you don’t have an HR person among your circle of friends, you may want to consider finding one – we are quite the riot, especially after a glass of wine! All joking aside, it’s a difficult job with no small amount of conflict, and requires sensitivity, and tact.
So, with all that, when did the urge first strike me to leave that world behind and become my own boss? Here is where I reveal one of my top 10 stories….. It may have started the day I sat with an employee trying to explain to her that Double Jeopardy means someone can’t be prosecuted for the same crime twice and that it most certainly does not occur when you are suspended pending an investigation and after said investigation, are terminated for wrongdoing; and that suing myself or the company is probably not in your best interest. Or it could have ignited on a trip back from India, after letting go an entire team that didn’t deserve it; the unfortunate result of bad decision-making that started at the top and continued its path down. I know, I know…. that never happens!
In the end, whatever string of events brought me to that fateful decision (mid-life crisis has also been considered), bring me there they did, and I watched a new, (quite bossy) self be born! A self that needed to have more balance for the important things in life, like family and friends; summer loving and having a blast; having my cake and eating it too. It became clear to me that I wanted to spend more time creating a life for myself and less time making a life for someone else. That working 60+ hours a week at the expense of my passions and dreams was no longer overly appealing. And so I jumped. (Again the stressed stare emoticon makes it’s appearance). Here is what I can tell you: it has been marvelous. It has been terrifying. It has been the best thing I have ever done. It has scared the living bejesus out of me more nights than I care to recall! And even though I am working my tail off, I am living my life and having a blast (most days anyway). And in the end, isn’t that what really matters? In a world where we spend too much time worried about what we don’t have and who we should be, and experiencing all to often the senseless tragedies that tear away the things we hold most dear, there needs to be more time for joy and doing what makes us happy. More time to experience what the world has to offer and to find our own personal peace – whatever and wherever that is!
So….what is my new self-employed line of work you ask? You’ll have to stay tuned. I don’t want you getting too comfortable in that chair you’re on the edge of! Until next time…..