Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Fear
If not now, when?
One of the reasons I decided to work for myself was because I wasn’t content with the traditional pay structure I was trapped in.
I didn’t want to spend 20 years getting incremental raises and mediocre promotions. I didn’t want to watch my credit card bills increase every month and not know when I would be able to pay them off. I didn’t want to panic every time I needed to fix my car or repair my home.
I wanted to pay myself what I wanted and needed every month.
When I quit my job to find something better, I had no idea that I would be working for myself long-term—I just knew something needed to change.
I started doing contract work as a stop-gap while I figured that out. That contract work turned out to be pretty lucrative, and once I was able to meet my basic financial needs, for the first time in my adult life, I had the space and freedom to think outside of the box about what I wanted my time, work, and life to look like.
That taught me that prosperity wasn’t something I could define for myself when I was struggling financially all the time and letting other people define my worth.
When you’re struggling, all you can see is the struggle.
For the last two years, I have been watching the same thing play out for millions of workers across the globe.
When the future feels uncertain, you’re simultaneously stuck in the present moment and desperately trying to escape it - scrambling to adapt to new realities and sitting on the sidelines observing momentous change. You are forced to be in the present moment because you have no idea what the future holds.
Twenty-two million Americans were forced to rethink their priorities when the U.S. economy lost more than twice as many jobs between March and April 2020 as were lost during the entire Great Recession.
Government support in the form of additional unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium, and a pause on student loan payments allowed many of these workers a moment to reflect on their lives and make different decisions about work.
The brief moment of reprieve from the day-to-day struggle allowed them the luxury to see the other side of the fear that kept them in a job that wasn’t giving them what they needed—be that money, satisfaction, or freedom.
And this didn’t stop with the workers who initially lost their jobs during the pandemic’s beginning. In 2021 unprecedented numbers of people quit their jobs to find more money, flexibility, and meaning.
The popular narrative is “People don’t want to work.”
The thing is, hiring did not dramatically increase after additional unemployment benefits ended.
What’s actually true is that people realized that life was too short for shitty bosses, unfair and unequal compensation, top-down control, and minimum wage.
The present crisis forced many of us to ask, “If not now, when?”
If not now, when will I…
- stop working at a job that drains me?
- spend more than a few hours a day with my kids?
- leverage my talents to live the life I’ve always wanted?
- stop asking permission to do what I want to do?
- use my time in ways that feed my soul?
- take control of my time, work, and life?
The answer for many of these people is independent work.
A record number of people are starting businesses. Even more striking is that the percentage of women, Black Americans, and people without college degrees becoming solopreneurs is increasing.
I say join us.
As the traditional workforce becomes more remote, employers are more likely to hire independent workers. With the world economy moving toward a more blended workforce, freelancers, especially full-time freelancers, are more in-demand than ever before.
Independent workers are at the cutting edge of the future economy and are better prepared to manage volatile markets and circumstances.
Everything you want is on the other side of fear.
If you can pause the struggle for just a moment, you’ll be able to see past the fear and find something better than what you’re leaving behind.
PS: Keep an eye out later this month for the February round-up where I’ll give you some practical strategies for seeing past fear.
© Sarah Duran 2022
Find out more about me and my company, Fruition Initiatives here.
Image by Mike_Kiev from iStock
The Obvious Disclaimers…
This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, professional advice. What you decide to do with this information is up to you and all repercussions are on you.