Yet another reason why you should go into business for yourself - "The Briefcase Story"

When you go into business for yourself, there will be times when you will find yourself having conversations with yourself questioning your reasons for trying to accomplish what you know in your heart to be right.  You will question whether this was the right move.  You may even question your ability to be able to keep your business afloat.  It will happen I assure you, so be prepared for it.

I ask myself these questions on a semi-regular basis.  I say "semi" because I always have an answer for myself.  And the answer is always, "yes...you are doing the right thing."

You see, for years...perhaps too many to count, I was always of the mindset that I had to showcase my skill set to prove that I had value to the company that I was working for.  I thought that perhaps, it would work to my advantage to show that I had the capacity to think on my feet and address issues as they arose in a professional manner. I thought that if I could show that I had the ability to write, that would somehow translate to being promotable.  I thought that an organization would realize that they had a valuable employee and that in some way shape or form, that would lead to some type of recognition.

It didn't work out that way...and now I understand why.

Entry level positions are exactly that...entry level.  Some companies may advertise the position with words like, "opportunity for professional growth."  And in some instances, that may be true.  But the reality is that entry level positions are filled and you are expected to stay there for as long as the company wants you to stay there...period.  It doesn't matter your skill set.  It doesn't matter how you view yourself.  It only matters how the company views you, and sometimes those points can be as opposite as the north and south poles.  You can view yourself as someone that is highly promotable, but it doesn't mean anything if your company doesn't share in that same sentiment.

Years ago, I received a beautiful leather briefcase as a Christmas present.  I always wanted one, and when I received it, I was ecstatic.  Now, at the time, I wasn't a corporate executive.  I was far from it.  But still, it was a beautiful item and I really wanted to use it.

After packing the item away for a few years, I finally pulled it out and decided to take it to work with me.  It didn't matter that I didn't have a professional need for it and it didn't matter that the only thing it carried was my lunch.  It made me feel good.  And as I walked into the building with this beautiful briefcase in hand, a few people made comments about it right away.  The comments were not that the item was nice, beautiful or even where did I receive it.  Instead, it was, "you don't need that!"..."who do you think you are?"...or "so you think you're better than everyone now?"

I took the briefcase home and put it away; ashamed that I had the audacity to bring it to work in the first place because after all, the naysayers were right.  Who did I think I was?  I really didn't have a need for it.  How dare I bring something into the office that made me feel good about me.

What I realized eventually was that the people that made the snide comments about my briefcase were speaking volumes about themselves.  After all, why should a simple briefcase that had nothing to do with them cause such a reaction?  Why couldn't I feel good about me?  And what does me feeling good about me have to do with them?

I realized that this had been my problem for most of my adult life.  The more I looked for a company to validate who and what I was, the more messages that I received saying what I didn't want to hear.  The message was clear: "We value you being what we want you to be which is not what you want to be."  And the more I fought against it, the louder the message became.

Going into business for yourself should be rewarding on so many different levels.  You will have trials and tribulations.  As for me, working for myself has been good.  But one decision that I've made is to find work that will compliment my skill set as it is.  Look for work that is writing related because that is where my value is.  This is where I do my best work.  It isn't answering a phone and resolving someone's problem for them.  I am so much more than that.

I have a different briefcase now and I carry it with me because I need it to do what I do.  But even if I didn't need it, I've learned to always walk with my head held high and not to let someone define who I am.  Because you see, there are too many people that want you to feel bad about you.  And some of those people are above you professionally.

Create your own reality and be proud of who and what you are.  Remember to always keep it moving forward!  Count your blessings and rejoice in yourself!  There is nothing wrong with that...not even a little bit!

J.L. Whitehead