Self-Employed

Working for and with yourself.

There is no need to start a task unless you are good and ready to. However, at work, they pay you to start on time, whether you feel like it or not. Sometimes, we may find ourselves working far better for others than we do for ourselves. One of the hardest things can be showing up for yourself like you do for others at work. Many times, the boss I work for—myself—can be the worst boss ever. I get no breaks, the guy is overbearing, and he's always critical of everything I do. I’ve often just walked out and threatened to quit, but I still keep returning.

I always find a bunch of ways to be late for myself. There are a million and one distractions. Even if I’m on time, I can hardly stand myself at times when I cannot concentrate on the task at hand, jumping from project to project. When I work for myself, my boss tries to help by creating to-do lists and schedules. This works for a while, but then, once he or I let our guard down, we’re right back to square one. I wish I could give myself a break. I’ve been working really hard for quite some time for pennies on the dollar. The hours are long, and the pay is terrible.

When I work for myself, my boss tells stories about me behind my back. I know he means well and is trying to be helpful, but criticizing me for every little thing could make a guy want to give up. Sometimes, I sit and think about all the times I have worked for others and felt appreciated. I may need to have a one-on-one performance review with my boss. Maybe I’d be more productive if I felt valued. At times, I might not value myself or my work enough. Maybe I need to give both my boss and myself a nice vacation so we can come back refreshed.

Maybe my boss puts all the pressure on me because he expects a quality job. If my boss doesn’t care, then I might not care either. I’m not sure I’m ready to be my own boss. It takes a lot of effort to constantly keep myself motivated to get work done. If I hired myself, I probably would’ve fired myself by now. But that’s all water under the bridge. Going forward, I’ll try to do better working for myself and remember that it’s about the journey sometimes, not just the destination. I hope you have a great boss if you find yourself working for you. All of this may sound a bit silly, but it’s true that when workers are happy, they tend to do a better job. And remember, you’re only human—go easy on yourself today.