Almost every time I’m out somewhere during a week day, I get asked “do you have the day off work today?”
Which is a puzzling question in and of itself, I mean –
A) Why does that matter?
and
B) Why would you assume so?
But I get it.
They’re probably just trying to make small talk. Or they’re genuinely curious how I can be “out and about”, while they’re chained to their desk job for 8-12 hours a day. I can see how that would suck.
I REMEMBER how much that sucked.
Having someone else tell you what to do all day. Having to beg for time off to go on vacation with your family. Feeling guilty asking for a day off because you’re deathly sick in bed.
So when you see someone else who ISN’T strapped down, forced to do shit they don’t wanna do, like you are –
It’s easy to wonder: “But HOW???”.
So I get it when they ask me how the fuck I can be out on my own, doing what I want, on my terms! I GET IT.
But it still kind of frustrates me. Because there are a lot of assumptions that come with that question.
People ASSUME that just because you work for yourself you have no responsibilities, or very little of them at least, when in fact, you have MORE. The only difference is that YOU are the boss of you. YOU tell yourself what you need to do. And it’s VERY easy to convince yourself that you don’t “need” to do something. It’s very easy to be a laid back boss if YOU’RE the only employee.
And that makes the responsibility even bigger. Harder, even. Because it’s just so easy to neglect what you need to do when you don’t have someone breathing down your neck, asking if it’s done yet.
I just posted this in the private group for my 5AM Hustle Club today:
“For those who think getting up early every day becomes easier…
It does. And it also doesn’t. But it’s still worth the fight.
I went back and forth in my head about why I “deserve” an extra 10 mins today but forced myself to throw the blankets off and the cold woke me up. I have this fight daily. EVERY day. And every time I let myself win, I regret it. #dowhatsnecessary“
In other words:
It’s easy to cut yourself some slack when you’re the boss. It’s hard fucking work being the boss of yourself. It’s fun, yes. Don’t get me wrong: Getting to be the boss of ME is one of the best things that ever happened in my life. But it’s also one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
And so it frustrates me beyond belief when people, who just find out that I have my own company and work for myself, say things like –
“It must be so nice”
“You’re so lucky”
“I wish I could do that”
“You must love all of the free time” (ARE YOU JOKING RIGHT NOW???)
“What do you do all day?”
“Don’t you get bored?”
And on and on.
I just get madder and madder the more they talk.
People who aren’t entrepreneurs just don’t get how being one is so hard and so fun all at the same time.
No, we don’t have someone bossing us around all day, but we work harder than anyone we know with a “regular” job.
No, we don’t have to ask for vacation time or sick days, but we work double the hours of everyone we know that does.
No, we don’t have to do work that we absolutely hate, but we still have to do tasks that aren’t fun.
No, we don’t have all the time in the world, we often have less time than most people.
No, we don’t sit on our ass watching Scandal and taking naps all day, we are growing an empire, and that is an all-day, every day to-do.
Entrepreneurs are some of the hardest working people I know. (REAL entrepreneurs, that is. Not the wannabes that think they’re gonna get rich setting up some sales funnels on a topic they could care less about, and then fucking off to lie on a beach for the rest of their life, thinking they’re gonna be millionaires forever.)
They work while others sleep.
They work in the car.
They work on the plane.
They work in their sleep!
They work in the morning, afternoon, and night.
They work during small pockets of time.
They work while standing in line at the DMV.
They work during the holidays.
They work on vacations.
They work ALL the freaking time because THAT is what gets them the big resuls they’re after. And yes, of COURSE they have systems and tools in place to make this easier. Yes, OF COURSE some things are automated to save them time. Yes, OF COURSE they have a team of people helping them (even if it’s just one person).
But mostly?
It’s them –
In their heads –
In the physical world –
DOING THE FREAKING WORK.
Because that’s what it takes. And deep down, that’s all they want to be doing anyway!
I am so tired of people assuming entrepreneurs have it easy. That all we do is surf Facebook and eat Doritos in our underwear while simultaneously watching Ellen and taking a daily nap on the couch.
It’s not easy.
It’s fun, yes, but it won’t always feel that way.
There will be days when you want to claw your fucking eyes out.
There will be days when you’re so tired you can’t think straight and you have to drink 6 cups of coffee just to ensure you don’t pass out before 5pm.
There will be days when you struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
There will be days when you have SO MUCH on your plate, you want to cry.
There will be days when nothing goes the way you want it to.
There will be days when you want to punch everyone that even LOOKS at you.
There will be days when you feel like a mega bitch, that everything sets you off, that your life is a big pile of steaming dog shit and you just want to run away.
There WILL be hard days. A lot of them.
It will NOT always be pretty.
It will NOT always be fun.
It will NOT always be exciting.
It will NOT always be encouraging.
But god damn it –
It will ALWAYS be worth it.
Because at the end of the day, only YOU get to choose how your life will go. You are the one in charge, you are the leader, you are the BOSS. Which means that you get to make the rules and you get to build a business and life that you TRULY love. One that makes all of the hard stuff worth it.
I’d say that’s a pretty sweet deal, wouldn’t you?
Don’t forget, –
You really can be, do and have EVERYTHING you want. Take action now!