Find your Why to Ditch the 9-5: 3 Entrepreneurs Define Freedom so Creating your Independence Day and Joining the Great Resignation can Start Now.
I live in Williamsburg Virginia, where Patrick Henry and the other Patriots began their journey to independence.
I’m less than 15 miles from Yorktown, where freedom was assured. The celebration of freedom starts before July 4th around here and is honestly honored all year long. It made me think, in a time where the Great Resignation still gains steam, you can create your own independence day anytime. You can ditch the 9-5 anytime. And of course I want to help with this blog! So I invited three of my friends, all entrepreneurs, to define freedom, in the professional sense.
Grab your coffee and be inspired. Let's chat about professional freedom and ditching the 9-5!
Here is why I asked other entrepreneurs to define freedom, which is vital in all aspects of life, even our professional one.
I am so grateful to live in a place that allows freedom in every aspect of life.
However, when I was in corporate, I didn’t feel so free in the professional aspect of my life. Let’s be honest about why:
- I had to ask for time off if I wanted or needed it.
- Even on “vacation” I was checking email and answering calls.
- If someone wanted me to do a presentation on my birthday, I was hitting the airport.
And more.
Image by rudragos from Pixabay
Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed much of my time in corporate and especially enjoyed the people and the places I was blessed to visit.
I really was blessed to have a job in which I traveled almost every week for over a decade. I saw places I’d never have visited on my own and met fascinating people along the way.
Truly, I learned so much about the diverse cultures just within our own country!
But in the end, as I approached 50, with more years behind me than in front of me, I wanted to own my time, breaking the 9-5 tradition. It's how I, as an entrepreneur, define freedom.
So it got me thinking, as the Great Resignation continues to be a topic, how do other entrepreneurs define freedom?
Image by PDPics from Pixabay
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Entrepreneurs defining freedom.
Let’s start from the same place with a dictionary definition of freedom.
I emailed out this same definition to each entrepreneur then asked them: “If you could write the definition in terms of life and/or ‘work’ to put into the dictionary, what would it be?"
Margaret Bourne, blog coach and entrepreneur.
Margaret is someone I look to on “everything blogging!” – in fact, I even started affiliating for her products and coaching services. She is the creator of both the Suburban Tourist and a blog (self-named!) specific to supporting bloggers and online entrepreneurs.
Her definition of freedom:
Freedom in the context of work, is the ability to do what you love. What stirs your passion and leaves you feeling fulfilled when your project or job is done.
Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay
Lorry Perkins, traveler, blogger, and You Tuber.
I met Lorry in a Facebook group and she is transitional! Working in a traditional job yet creating her independent future through her passion for travel, inviting others into the places she loves.
Her definition of freedom:
If I had to define what freedom means to me in terms of life and work, I'd say living my life with a healthy work/life balance and plenty of time for travel. Because we have chosen to live beneath our means, we've reached a point in our lives where we want to travel more. That is one of the reasons I started my blog No Shoes Just Travel and now my YouTube Channel.
Photo by Kati Hoehl on Unsplash
Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey, creator of Painting Your Path.
Clarissa’s story and her path to entrepreneurship led me to invite her onto the Free At 50 blog. Her article is truly about professional freedom in the purest sense, and you can read it here. She’s on a mission to get creatives using their passions to develop their own path and you can get the free resource she created emailed to you.
Her definition of freedom:
Freedom is having a choice to be, do, say, think, feel whatever you’d like without being confined by limitations.
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
The replies caused me to pause and reflect.
I’ve authored articles (many actually!) about finding your why, gaining professional freedom, and feeling true independence. Last year, I did a post on cheesecake and freedom after discussing a divorce and the leap from corporate life into entrepreneurship with a friend.
One thing is clearly consistent as I reflect: entrepreneurs defining freedom constantly and continuously inspire me.
Professional freedom is important and so is diving into the Great Resignation as Harvard Business Review does. Finding your why and being motivated by the “why” of others is the key to your independence day.
Image by Kusal Darshana from Pixabay
My mission with Free At 50: Help you to a serving of the cheesecake of your choice.
Share in the comments- I’d love to hear your why as well as your definition of freedom!
And also: keep taking action.
Get to making your independence day happen and join the Great Resignation if that is your goal. If you’ve worked for others for 15, 20, even 30 years, why not ditch the 9-5 and use your skills to build your next chapter.
Need a bit of a kickstart?
1) Download the 6-Step checklist here.
2) Watch the video I did with entrepreneur and business coach Meghan Stockman below on Finding Your Why.
3) Book a FREE call with me here to discuss your ideas, blogging, entrepreneurship in general and any action items to get you on track.
