As I sit here in a nearly deserted office on the day after the 4th of July, a Friday, because I have to be here while everyone else could take the day off if they felt like it but I can't, I can't help but wonder about some things.
What were things like back before the economy went to hell? How did people work back when it wasn't so clear that we needed our jobs far more than our employers needed us? What was it like back when workers had a little more power?
I barely remember, but I want to. I don't know if it's because I'm fed up or because I'm finally waking up, but I'm no longer willing to give up that pound of flesh every day.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to work. I do, and I take pride in doing the best job I can. I'm just sick of the 35-mile commute (that's each way, for those of you keeping score at home), the forced overtime and the complete lack of any paid time off (not even sick days).
I don't think I'm asking for too much when I say I want something a little better. Even in this economy, where the little guys have to accept whatever crumbs they're thrown, I want something better. All my working life I've been in jobs that were merely tolerable, but I stuck with because they paid okay and I didn't think I was capable of anything else. I'm so done with that.
I know it will take time. I know there will be hard work and I accept that. I'm not part of the generation that grew up thinking I deserved a trophy just for showing up, so I'm not afraid of rolling up my sleeves and getting to it.
What I ultimately want to do is go into business for myself as a virtual assistant. Maybe even a professional blogger. Other people have done it, and so can I. I'm not looking to get rich, I just want enough to live comfortably and securely and maybe have the option of retiring some day.
I've certainly got my work cut out for me. It's not going to happen overnight, and I'm okay with that. If it did happen overnight that would solve a lot of the problems I have now, but I have to be realistic.
First, I'd have to drum up clients. I don't have much aptitude for sales, so that's a talent I'd have to acquire. Next will be working out the financial aspects, like bookkeeping, taxes and things like that. A visit or two to Jackson-Hewitt and pulling out my old accounting and economics textbooks is a good start with that one. I'd also be responsible for my own health insurance and retirement. Then I'd have to maintain the client base, which shouldn't be a problem because I will do good work.
And if the worst happens and I fail? At least I tried. Even if I have to take a part time job in a grocery store to make ends meet, I took the chance. And at least at the grocery store I might have the option to advance. But I can't think about failure right now, because it hasn't happened yet. I haven't even gotten started.
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