It doesn’t really matter if you own a billion dollar corporation, a small business, hire yourself out or work at a gas station for minimum wage; you are a self-employed individual. You are your own boss. Even if society tells you that you work “for” someone else, even if you believe it yourself, it doesn’t matter. You’re self employed. Understanding this is the first step to a successful life.
You Don’t Work “For” Someone
The idea that you work “for” another person is simply a myth. People who have jobs still manage a little one-man operation and sell a product. They sell their time and labor — just like any other business sells are product. They will sell “x” amount of their time/labor for “z” amount of money. That’s a business. It’s voluntary and it’s based on a contract.
Because of the contract, you aren’t primarily working “for” someone else. You are primarily working for yourself — the labor for them is simply a way of achieving your business’s need for profit — an income.
It’s All About Perspective
Getting out of the “I work for others” mentality is essential to recognizing opportunities for your “business.” Think: if a CEO of a business thought that his entire corporation’s only goal was to serve another business, do you think they would make record-breaking sales, achievements and dominate the market? Not likely.
Same for work, jobs and a career. The person who sees themselves as a lowly employee rather than the CEO of a one-person business is much less likely to succeed — or even see opportunities in the first place. It’s all about perspective.
This mindset causes us to take an earth-jarring look at our jobs: namely, why do we even have one? Personal development genius Steve Pavlina explained:
“Imagine a business saying to its biggest customer, “We’re going to drop all our other customers and serve only you. Just tell us what you want done, and we’ll do it. Pay us whatever you think is a fair price. Invest in our growth however you see fit. Tell us when we can go on vacation. You command; we obey.” While it wouldn’t be impossible to run a business this way, it would certainly be very risky and unstable compared to the alternatives. Yet this is how many people choose to run their personal services businesses. If I were an investor, I’d think twice about investing in such a business – I’d be more likely to invest in their competitors.”
To achieve your dreams and goals you have to realize what you are capable of, and exactly who you are. Thousands of individuals are making a killing working completely independent from any outside “job.” They are self-employed. And you are self-employed, though you might not work independently.
When you first begin to actually think of yourself as someone who is self-employed — a one person business — the impact on your life will be incredible. Hopefully, you’ll become dissatisfied with the business agreement that is known as the “job” and you’ll want to find a better “business plan.” If you need more encouraging, feel free to read the article Why You Should Never Get a Job.
Leave a comment