January 29, 2009
So far I can honestly say that I’ve led a very successful and productive life. And yet despite all that I have done and all that I’ve accomplished, I still feel as if I’ve wasted my life. Everyone tells me that today is the first day of the rest of your life but what they fail to realize is that no matter what or how much I accomplish I still feel as if I’m not doing enough and having too much free time is an indication of a life being wasted away.
I made the decision to be self-employed some time ago, not because I don’t want to work or be controlled by a boss like everyone claims; my decision was made when several ex-bosses complained that I was too productive and got too much work done. One employer in particular got very upset for me being too flexible with my work hours. While others had very specific work schedules from employment elsewhere, my availability was wide-open, specifically when I was employed as an EMT. For some bizarre reason, my employer couldn’t stand the fact that I was available to work any day of the year at any time of the day or night.
For whatever reason I always worked for the worst of them. Whether it be too much productivity, wide-open availability, or my willingness to work longer hours than anyone else, an issue with the employer always results and it’s all because nobody wants to employ someone who effectively gets things done on time while picking up the slack of others.
I’m convinced that I should have become self-employed a long time ago. The drawback to being self-employed is that working for someone else typically pays better and the pay comes on a regular basis. What folks fail to realize is that when you work on your own, all the money goes to you; when you work for someone else, all of the money you make goes to your boss who then pays you a small fraction of what you really made.
Regardless of employment, if you are a slave to your job and fail to contribute anything towards the betterment of society or the human condition, then you wasted your life. An education means nothing so long as you change the world and make it a better place.
Book 1, Page 30