Everyone needs a little inspiration, a little motivation, to keep themselves on track. I do many things, but one of them is finding things like quotes that inspire me and remind me of what I’m doing and why. Here are my 5 quotes that are currently on my vision board, which I make a conscious effort to go over every morning at my desk.

I am the Peace that I Seek. -(My Personal Mantra right now)

Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. – Unknown

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw of the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the  trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

The mark of an Authentic Life is when we are no longer willing to contain our Greater Self just to avoid discomfort. Your life has a higher purpose than seeking approval. If you offer your life to your grandest vision, it will free the genius within you. -Josh Cohen.

These quotes remind me of the the fact that I am hear for a reason, that doing what feels right to me may be risky and considered foolish by others, but that I will regret not following my heart in the end if I choose to be guided by the judgments of others. These are important reminders for me right now, as I have made many drastic changes to my life. If ever I am in doubt,  I have my board to remind me what I’m doing.

Got any great quotes that are guiding your through your journey?

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Within 5 months of each other, my sister and I both found ourselves out of our steady paychecks. We both chose to take the same path: self-employment. The interesting thing is that we both have realized different things from making that change. My sister has realized that the steady, safe paycheck was far more valuable for her and outweighs the constant stress and work of being your own boss. She is currently searching for a job so she can go back to being an employee.

On the other end of spectrum, while I sometimes miss and definitely have come to appreciate the steady fat paycheck I use to get each month, I have realized that the freedom and control that comes with being self-employed outweighs all the money in the world for me.

Our different experiences got me thinking about how many people struggle to make the jump to self-employment, or wrestle with giving up their companies to go back to the stead paycheck. We’re all different, and we all have different needs and desires, so it stands to reason that one is not better than the other 100% of the time.

Since I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum, here’s my list of pros and cons for both being an employee and being your own boss. Maybe it will help others out there to find the right career path and make the change.

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I can’t really speak for my sister about why she hates running her own company, but I can elaborate on why I’m so happy being self-employed- albeit temporarily fiscally challenged.

• I didn’t like my hours dictated to me. We had a flexible schedule, but it still meant sometime between 6 am and 6 pm. I have kids and family stuff, and it was impossible for me to get off for things that were important to me.
• I didn’t like the politics.
• I felt like I was treading water. I was using my science degree, but there was no real advancement there, and the one option I had was a direction I absolutely didn’t want to go. The company was a sort of “dead end”. In fact, it has since gone completely out of business.
• I yearned for the day that I could control my income. I love getting up in the morning knowing that I am 100% responsible for how much money I make, and the sky is literally the limit.

We all have to make important decisions about our work and our income. The choices we make in this area directly impact all other areas of our lives. It’s not a decision to make on a whim, and it’s one that you should make you feel good when you get up in the morning.

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Next time you’re sitting around wondering what you want out of life and why you’re not where you want to be, examine your values- the things you consider to be most important to you life- and ask yourself if they’re really yours.

• Do you dream of being a doctor because you want to be a doctor, or because it will give you the respect and admiration of the people you care about?

• Do you dream of being 10 pounds lighter because you want to be, or because you care about what people think?

• Do you want the expensive sports car because you truly dream of driving it, or because you will look cool?

• Does your job deserve all of your life energy because it is your most important value, or because you desire the approval that career success brings?

Once you sort through your values (the very things that drive our life choices), how many of them are real values, based on what you believe vs. values that you’ve been convinced should be important to you? I guarantee that many of the goals you struggle to achieve without success are because you don’t truly value them, someone else does.

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