For This, I'm Grateful
As we all head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm giving thanks for the freedom to be my own boss and aspire to achieve my dreams.
We all make bad decisions in life, and I’m no different.
Going with the most energetic puppy in the litter? Unwise on so many levels.
Wriggling my whole body into that shark cave while scuba diving off Costa Rica? Probably should have first figured out how I could turn around and get back out.
And honestly, even all these years later, I still have no idea what I was thinking when I went to the salon for that perm.
But by far, the choice that has turned out to be a my biggest winner was when I quit my job as the executive editor of a national magazine to become my own boss as a freelance writer and editor. I made the decision in 2003, more than two decades ago now. Betting on myself turned out to be one of the smartest moves I’ve made in all of my 52 years.
This really shouldn’t be a surprise, I suppose. As the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics just reported—yet again, in line with so much other research—independent contractors overwhelmingly prefer the way we work. This time around in the federal data, 80.3 percent of self-employed Americans fit that description.
It seems that when those of us with an entrepreneurial spirit get a taste of freedom from traditional jobs, we really, really like it.
For me, just as with most freelancers, being my own boss has helped me to earn a far better living than I ever did as a traditional employee. Like a lot of women, it has also allowed me to be healthier, physically and psychologically, with time for real exercise every day in the fresh air and sunshine.
I’ve been able to care for ailing relatives at the drop of a hat, be a better friend to neighbors in need, and simply follow whatever creative path interests me as a writer, from straight news to screenwriting.
I cherish my freedom to be my own boss. Millions upon millions of us do, in hundreds upon hundreds of professions.
We all know that this freedom has been under attack in recent years, in shockingly relentless and remorseless ways. And yes, while we all thought the recent election results meant that we would finally be safe from the freelance busting, that likelihood currently remains unclear.
Even still, I’m going into the Thanksgiving holiday hoping for the best. I am grateful for the liberty to pursue happiness, and I honestly cannot imagine a United States where we are told that we no longer have the freedom to live up to our fullest potential, or where we no longer can aspire to achieve our best possible lives.
As I sit down with friends and family this weekend, I’ll be toasting to the American Dream. Whatever your version of it is—independent contractor, union employee or otherwise—I hope you’ll be giving thanks for your chance to achieve it, too.
Be thankful for this freedom that we all share to choose our own path to success, if only to fully appreciate how very precious it is, and why it is absolutely worth fighting to protect.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Back at you, Kim! For you and yours.