SELF EMPLOYED For 1 Year WOW!!!

in life •  7 years ago 

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It seemed like yesterday when I left my job.
It was a bit heartbreaking. I enjoyed working At UPS. While the good days lasted. I worked as a loader there for four years.
For a lot of the time, I was overwhelmed working a second part time job as a janitor at an elementary school. Which I worked for six years.
I also went to college.

I dropped it all, To pursue Self Employment

One by one, I quit things, Some people were shocked. I went from being this incredibly hard working person, and it almost seemed as though I became "burned out." But I had bigger goals in mind. I couldn't handle listening to a boss all the time. I wanted more from my life. So I built my coloring book business and e-commerce store And left.

People thought I was crazy

Everyone at UPS fought me on it. To stay, With the union. With the amazing benefits that UPS had to offer.
The incredible health insurance, The paid time off.
Giving it up was hard. But could I be happy loading the boxes for the rest of my life? Being bossed around by supervisors I hated, Working in trailers that were either too hot or too cold, Getting injured and destroying my body.
I couldn't....
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What did I learn?

Self-employment isn't as easy as it looks. I've had my ups and downs throughout the year. Not knowing if I'd be able to eat.
Sometimes you work so hard and make almost nothing, And it's frustrating.
Sometimes you feel like a failure; You get lonely from working alone all the time.
I don't regret my decision. I'm happy I did it! and I am in love with being self-employed.
It's empowering, walking around knowing that you are 100% in charge of your paycheck. No one can "fire" you. NO one can tell you what to do with your time. You are free!
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With my newly found self-employment, I was able to go places, Go on trips and enjoy life in a new way that I haven't experienced before.
I fell in love with San Diego!
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Where I got to see the ocean for the first time in my life. We didn't get there until it was nighttime. But I dragged my boyfriend to the water anyway. I couldn't even resist jumping into the salty water. Probably one of the best moments of my life. Being knocked over by the waves and laughing hysterically. I even licked the water, Because I wanted to know what it tasted like LOL! Steemit gave me that experience. And I'll forever be grateful.
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You Have to Motivate Yourself

Being self-employed means, you have to schedule time correctly.
This can be a tough one at times. If you don't spend enough time working you don't get any closer to your goals, There is no boss to yell and scream at you. Only you.
That is hard at times When you lack that motivation to get the job done. I usually combat this, By letting myself slack off. I'll go hiking, Bike riding or even watch one tv show. I will then force myself to get work done.
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I Can't believe I've been self Employed for a year! Holy Cow!!!

Hopefully many more years ahead of me!!
Steem on!



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congrats now back to the ocean soon enough

I WANT TOOOOO LEts go!

Well done you, I'm just starting a freelancing career and I cannot wait until I'm making a living as my own boss. Such an inspiring read, thanks!

Aww you can do it!! Hheee

I resigned my job in June. I am currently self-employed. I haven't posted much about because I am more in shock that it is happening. And not only is it happening, but I am currently making more than my teaching job paid me.

Congrats on the year!

Wow!! Right? I felt that way too! Waking up everyday realizing you don't have to go anywhere is truly bizzare.
Thank you so much!

Kaylin you truly are an inspiration! I can tell you are such a hard worker! @acrmott and I always tell each other, we want to work hard and make it like Kaylin did on Steemit.

I eventually want to do the same, but I'm not quite there yet to take the full jump. My current job isn't terrible and it still allows me to use my creativity... but one day! Having no boss would just be amazing.

Keep it up girl fran! You are awesome!

Edit: I also thought it was adorable that you said you licked the ocean. HEHE! San Diego is the dream city. I love visiting that place.

Awwww soooo Sweet hehe :)
It would! Just keep building up everything, It takes time but it's so worth it.
Hahhaha Thank you!! i was curious to see how salty it would be LOL!
San diego is the best! Do you go for the beach? Whats your favorite beach?

Thanks for the encouraging words! Will keep working at it. Thanks again for the upvotes! You are so sweet for that!

I go for the beach! My favorite is Shell Beach, because of the sea lions... they are soo cute! I also attempt to surf when I'm down there, but I'm not that great at it. Next time you are in California, come visit us in Sacramento! We would love to have you and your boyfriend stay with us!

Shell Beach!? I need to go there!! I love sea lions too! Heheh I need to learn how to surf! Thats cool that you are learning hehe. I should!

Omg yes! It's beautiful! So many places to explore. Surfing snot easy but I like the challenge!

Congrats! I really wish the best for you! Someday I hope to break into my own field, for now though I will have to continue working two jobs and studying for a new field haha

Aww thats not easy! If you keep trying you'll get what you want! Just don't give up.

This all sounds like a live dream to me. My biggest dream at the moment is being able to study in Japan, I'm already studing Japanese by myself, and now I'm running after to gather 20,000.00 $ which is the value that the Japanese asks me to have in the bank in order to give me the student visa, Since I'm just a Jobless college student in a broken country I'm investing the most valuable resource that I have now on steemit, which is My time and dedication!

When I see stories like yours that strongly inspires me to keep following my dreams even when everyone among you don't believe you can do it.
every day is more clear that to make my dreams become true the only person that must believe I can make it Is my self,

I'm truly glad to read about life lessons such as yours, Thank you for being this amazing and insightful person

Steem on ! ^^

hey, cool AFI shirt

@kaylinart I like to congratulate you!! Self-motivation is just beginning. Once you have done something special for yourself, recognize and reward yourself with juice, coffee or breakfast. It’s a small treat, but any behavior that is recognized and rewarded gets repeated. Self-motivation needs recognition. Only you can provide it!!

Congrats Kaylin! You have been working hard, much success to you now and going forward. I am self employed for 1 month now. Freaking out a bit even though I have done it before.

Need to get my next product done so I have more than the book to sell. Heck, I need to sell a lot more copies of my book! lol

I am really, really happy to hear about this milestone of yours. It is great to be independent! And a real struggle, all wrapped up into one.

I agree, working alone can be difficult. I try to at least have conversations with friends on the phone or on Skype when possible.

I really hope that your success at staying independent is on-going, and grows! Steem on!

😄😇😄

@creatr

Congratulations! It's great to see others who broke away from the modern-day slave masters. A couple of months ago I quit my job in manufacturing and moved back to Texas to be with my family. I have been trying to find work since moving back.

Now, I just got done with the hiring process for a decent part timer doing what I love. More importantly, I have my first independent client also doing what I love. It could be the end of my own slavery. At least, I hope it is!

Good luck! Thank you for sharing! Followed and resteemed!

I still remember when you made the announcement on Steem. That left a good impression on me.

When you say sometimes you don't know if you'll be able to eat that's cause you almost never power down and I think that's a smart move.

Steem on my friend!

Thank you! That was so long ago! I remember posting on here because I was terrified haha.
Hehe I avoid it as much as I can.
Thank you.

Hey @kaylinart , would love to offer you a slot on my podcast sometime.

It is about people doing remarkable things, whether entrepreneurs or not.
Where we talk about what you are doing, believe in and what difference you are making in the world.
It is part youtube channel where the mission is to help 1,000,000 entrepreneurs become remarkable, and the podcast acts as a way to share stories and connect with people.

Here is the playlist of the existing episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5CpCNPna6p95oJfKPew0N3ZT0k-khdgg

It is audio only over skype. Would love you to come on the show and talk about yourself. Does this sound of interest to you?

Deffo self employed is the way ahead! Making your own command decisions, work when you want for as long as you want! Buy looking at your stats you could just use steem and make a welcomed income! Good effort! :)

Congrats! Very inspiring!

Right? I just came across @kaylinart and I'm already loving her posts! I can only hope to accomplish what she has tbh. She certainly earned my follow!

I bet youve never felt more motivated in your life

That's great @kaylinart!

Haven't worked a "real job" since December. Thats awesome! What all do you do? Just blogging here? I trade stocks and cryptos.

Everyone deserves this and I'm always happy to see when someone actually achieves it because it's not easy in the current environment.

I find that with many jobs, it isn't the work itself that's difficult, it's the fact that you have very little freedom and very little free time, then on top of that, the job often just barely covers the cost of living. Company profits and worker productivity take priority over quality of life. If I were paid enough to have a comfortable living space, eat well and go out and enjoy music, friends and occasionally travel, I would have happily taken a job picking up trash from the side of the road. Unfortunately, acts not the world we live in right now.

Another reason why work can be so hard is that there are other things that we are more passionate about but which it's hard to find ways to "earn a living with", especially if you are not into man that of the practices of big companies and advertising and don't want to get involved in all that (like myself).

I hope that steemit becomes an avenue for many people to find ways towards self sustainability doing what they are passionate. I have a blog series that I'm passionate about (I talk about a lot of similar topics as you, staying positive in a fucked up world and redesigning yourself as you see fit) and I want to do more work to promote self study (especially of languages) and I also write short stories and music. More than all that, I love connecting with the community here. It's not just entertainment or a way to kill time, it has the potential to be truly meaningful. I hope all his work will lead to economic security and freedom, then I could put even more effort into doing even more projects.

wao! thats really nice

Congrats. Being self-employed is a dream of mine as well. I'm 2 years away from realizing that.

Congrats! I bet it has been an amazing year for you. Many more to come :)

So what are you doing now in self-employment? anyway, good work, keep going!

I see self employment as a wonderful thing, because your the boss, you make your on rules, your own schedule. And it beats those long hours in the office. Yes its has in down sides. But being able to be free, for instance if you're s travel blogger, making money, while doing what you love. I can't wait for the day when I can quit my job and be a full time YouTuber/Blogger/Photographer

Good for you! Keep it going!

You should MOVE to San Diego!

I'm seriously considering it! I would love it.

Congratulations! Being self employed is an incredible achievement! I hope to reach that point one day.

Not having someone to kick your lazy ass up is both liberating and dangerous. But worth it

Absolutely amazing write up! Not all people have the guts to be self employed!

Congrats! Very inspiring! thank you for sharhing

Nice article I have been wanting to start being self employed but I don't know what to do and where to start if you could make another article about the way you did it well have a great day

amazing article @kaylinart keep doing what you do and persuing your dreams :)

Two epic milestones in one week.

Congratulations.

SteemCake

I love working for my own self and I find my freedom of personal movement and work it my dream in this world and wish to achieve

Good for you @kaylinart! Keep up the good work. It's not really like work when you're doing it for yourself.

I hope soon you have cool steemit life too :)

yes it takes a lot of determination to be a selfemployed person. be your own boss and not running the rat race. cheers good luck

Thank you!!

Thank you!!

Wow what an inspiring post. I worked for a company for 30 years and hated it most of the time. I took early retirement when it was offered to me and decided not to work in the same field. I have always been interested in books so I started a antiques/bookshop, no experience but lots of hope. I am now an online bookseller and one thing I have learned if you believe in yourself anything is possible. Your story inspired me, good luck with all your future ventures.

Def wow!! Congratulations and much respect! And about motivating yourself...I know sometimes it's difficult but I remind myself what freedom I will have when the work is done :D
Thank you for sharing your story

You're a total inspiration! In the future I think more people will turn to self employment and society will reap the rewards. Good luck trailblazing.

Great story, very inspiring. I wish you the best in this endeavor, being self-employed is though but it is sure very rewarding.

I worked at FEDex as a Loader for Two Weeks and I know what you mean about a physical job where the supervisors treat you like a dog. I walked away from it too and said there are easier jobs to do in this life. If you work for yourself you never have to put up with bosses. Thank you for this posting I needed to be reminded

My dad has spent half his life at his job and the other half commuting to get there. He acts like his servitude is a badge of honor. Screw that.

Congratz! I know it isn't easy to be self-employed, but looking at your profile and what you manage(d) to do on here, you seem to have done a pretty great job so far!

I see that you have been on Steemit longer than you're your own boss. For me it's the opposite. I have been self employed since July 2016 and am on Steemit since late June this year. So far it has been quite a ride/ rollercoaster, but people like you inspire me and give me hope. Keep up the good work!

Love hearing Your story .. know the feeling and Very inspiring.

wow @kaylinart Upvoted

Very inspiring! Congratulations! :-)

Thanks kaylin, what a great message and journey. Going to share with a few of my daughters who may want try something like this. Upvoted and resteemed..

Congrats! You are a inspiration and made med happy with your story. And good luck with your own work.

Love your attitude :) Great read, thanks.
Peace, Love, Disco baby !

Vote

Very inspiring post! I've been self-employed at one point, but it wasn't online. I did love the freedom of being your own boss. You are absolutely right when you said it gets hard sometimes to manage your time. I struggle with that all the time. New here to SteemIt, but hoping to be as successful as you soon! You got my vote and follow.

Well done! nobody likes changes or things we can't control and certainly you can't control something you don't know and that happens with brand new start. This is great example for someone who is in the same shoes you were year ago and it only shows if you really want something very bad and work hard enough, it will pay off.
Congrats, well done.

You actually got lucky. I myself resigned on 20th April from the company where I had been working from the last 5 years but had to join today as my plan failed. However, I'm not going to give up and will continue to do some other online stuff.
Good to see that people like you get rewards after all the hard work you do.
Stay blessed!

im also thinking the same..but im scared of FAILURE

Congrats on one year of having 2 voices in your head - the boss and the worker! :P Happens to me all the time. The worker wants some days off to play and the boss wants to get some work done. Who will win?!?!

Sometimes its harder to manage yourself than others but you've done a great job staying productive and still having some fun. Way to go!

Really cool. I've been trying to find that freelance success myself for the past year or so. I used to work a few well known tech companies, but I just couldn't handle the corporate bullshit anymore. But I love reading stories like these. Gives me hope!

Well @kaylinart - I say - SCREW what everyone else says! and follow your passion and heart! Congratulations to you for following that intuition. I have been self employed for 17 years now and you are spot on - it afford enormous freedom, but it is NOT easy!!!!!

As I said in one of my previous posts - I was told at the age of 18 (to which I laughed) - "if you want hard work, go work for yourself" - never were truer words spoken to me. but... having said that - I would not change it for the world. I have written about my entrepreneurial journey in many of my posts, but I thought I would share my latest with you, if you care to take a gander....

Full steam ahead angel... "Failure is not an option!" :)

Hope you enjoy....

“Sometimes when you lose your way, you find YOURSELF.” -
Those of you that have followed me from the beginning will know that from an early age (approx. 12) I began to walk a path that changed the rest of my life. Clubs, drugs, “sex and rock ‘n roll” as many would say.

https://steemit.com/life/@jaynie/have-you-ever-met-yourself

So inspiring, thank you for this :)

So well written, thank you )

good information

Thats lovely post, so encouraging to me

Kaylin, if I could upvote this post 100 times I would! I could relate on so many levels because for me I've been self-employed just over a year, but I have been working 7 years to figure out how! You have such a bright future ahead of you because of your youth. You're a true inspiration to me because of how hard you work. This was an amazing post! I'm resteeming it and slapping it on Facebook, too. Out of everyone who followed me into Steemit, I feel that you truly get it! I see you blogging every day, and really, that has been one of your best moves. You always just went with the flow, so I admire that trait in you. Bravo dear!

Wow...
What an experience, i will like to take same step you took to be a self employed. Thanks for sharing your experience @kaylinart . stay bless

genial tu historia inspiradora para algunos y falta mucho camino por recorrer para otros, gracias por compartir. Saludos

wowww you are brave!! congrats for your decision

Super inspiring! I used to work for UPS, too, and lots some parts of it. Hated the others! I have been "self employed" since probably 2007 - doing indpendent contractor work, or running various parts of the various businesses my husband and I started. Its HARD WORK, but it gives you a lifestyle that is so freeing, you just can NOT turn back once you've had a taste! Congrats! <3 <3 <3 Much abundance to you! following

Dat AFI shirt though. Glad to know someone else actually listens to them! :) Congrats on your year of freedom!

Really awesome how you took the dive and did it! The people that thought it was crazy are sheep and don't know how to live without a master.

Congrats. It is scary, but that is just a beginning. Wish you many milestones.

But you know something , we move onto bigger and better, what's meant for us . @kaylinart

Exactly! Even though it's scary it's worth it.

I am trying to achieve the same , one step at a time :) will learn from your footsteps

I'm coming up on my first year of self-employment too! I'll be there in October. That's when my last job fired me. I've done better and worse than I expected. LOL. I kept my head above water, and I've done some of the things I wanted to do, all on my own time, making my own money. It feels really good. But it's still a struggle. Big ups to you for taking the plunge.

@kaylinart, congrats and well done. You are an inspiration.

I desire to be where you are now. I just have to decided whether or not I am willing to make the sacrifice. It is hard to let go of security, but my dreams lead me to believe it is worth it.

Very motivational, thanks for sharing! Jobs are slavery; productivity is freedom. I hope one day I can reach this goal of being self-sustaining AND having time to be the change I want to see in the world and enjoy life. Keep it up @kaylinart :)

This is very inspiring as it is what I aim for, every single day of my life. Every job has highlights and downsides but being self-employed is the best feeling in the world since you are the master of your own self. No one to boss you around. Wow if only I could be there yet :P tired of students minimum- wage jobs where bosses abuse us.... Ill keep on working hard. I really needed to see this today as I was having a hard time at work.

Thank you for spreading inspiration with your journey. I sincerely wish you nothing but the best for your future. 💞

Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe you could write about some of your failures and how you overcame different obstacles?

La fotos del acuario esta muy chida

Wow, congratulations, @kaylinart!! What a milestone!!
I used to work for UPS, too :) but in the call center - in Dublin in Ireland. I was lucky with nice bosses but it was the most mind-numbing job ever.
I'm in my 10th year of being self-employed now, and I feel like I'm starting over (another "first year" for me), so I totally get where you're coming from.

Well done, you, for following your passion and inner compass!!

Hii friend I have upvoted u so plzz follow & upvote me @shaikrafiq

Congrats on the independence of being self employed. I could only handle UPS as a loader for one day. They had the week of training and then they put me on what seemed like the hardest line on the longest truck bed. I could barely move at the end of my shift and they said it wasn't fast enough. That was definitely a good choice for you to leave. It's a very laborious job as a loader.

Do you have a link for your coloring books? I can't remember if I had asked in a previous response.

Karly I really congratulate you and you have all my admiration, it is of great contribution that you have shared this with us, I motivated you to have my self-employment, thank you precious, greetings from Venezuela.

VERY INSPIRING - hope to get there too - THANKS - upvoted and followed!

I am also self-employed. But i reached the bottom now. And i work since 2003 with 2-3 break up to learn what is production in advertising.
Since 2008 entered photography too.
But this year is the worst in all ways...

I reached steemit. And it is a fresh thing in my life. I rather do than i speak, but here can see some new vibe that attracts. But that is not a solution for the financial part.
From what i see now, it is for raising up morale only because i write here, and comment... things that i haven't done many years since first social media appeared :-).
It helps a bit, seeing how many nice people around.

I just wrote on another 2 kind posts and smiled.

Thanks for sharing joy and happyness to others.
Cheers and best wishes

Good for you. I know how you feel. Did the same in quitting my job just this past June. Hated being told what to do and the structured job environment. Felt burnt out. So, kudos to you. Takes guts but you grow tremendously. Like you, have no regrets . Can't see myself working for any one else. Renting away your time to make someone else's dreams come true. Nothing wrong with a job to pay bills and responsibilities. But one must develop oneself and be happy doing one's passion. Happy for you and me in making correct decision.

nice one dude.u can also resteem my post https://steemit.com/fashion/@tfame3865/fashion

Congratulations! It's very motivating :D

Nice work....I love your story. I would also one day like to be working on my business full time. It all tasks hard work and dedication. Thank you for sharing....very inspiring and encouraging

Awesome! Kudos to you for going for it and following your dreams. I too have tried different business opportunities over the years and know how hard it is to be self employed. You just need to dig it and make it happen. 👍

Congrats many more from now on :)

Rad! You know what sticks out?
People think you are crazy when you take a different path. I recently went down the same bumpy road of quitting a good job.

Kudos to you for sticking up for yourself. It's really hard to choose your own way. I almost feel like people want to force you back in line because when you do your own thing it forces them to reevaluate their own lives.

Thanks for inspiring me.

Yes, this is amazing! I'm still under the man's thumb, but this reminds me to be more supportive of my husband, who is self-employed. Thank you for the great post!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

nice

Congrats @kaylinart- first for the courage to leave a steady-paying job for the yet unknown, and for the one year of freedom workwise. Being your own boss! That's wonderful. I definitely hope to get this freedom in the near future too!
Oh, and I loved how you shared your first time dipping into the sea... 😊

Great, am happy for you that you decided to follow you dream, your story is really inspiring. Looking forward to more of your post

Well done

Congratulations to you! I'm planning to start this journey, but have not been enough brave yet. I study for an exam next year and I also work part time. But I have worked full time many years before and I don't want to do that anymore. Did you build your e-commerce store first, before you left? I thinking about adding things to my Zazzle store and get it in shape, LOL, but I understand there is much more to do:-) But any way, thanks for being an inspiration!

Nice one. More grease to your elbow. I have upvoted and resteemed your post and also following you. You can upvote my post as well https://steemit.com/microwave/@nonnyrich/electromagnetic-radiation-and-health-challange

Congratulations on year 1 and wishing you many more self employed years to come! Followed.