I talked to many people during the six weeks between the time that I had announced that I would be quitting my job to be Boss-Free and the time that I actually left.  I had some very interesting conversations with people, but they mostly fell into two different camps, which I am going to call the Wishers and the Work-Lifers.

The Wishers are those people who "wish you well".  They may or may not understand what you are doing, but they truly hope to see you succeed in whatever it is.  They may expect that you will be back, looking for a job later, or that you are going to work for someone else and just don't want to tell them.  They may really truly hope that you are successful, and maybe, just maybe, they wish they could be making the same move, to quit their job and be Boss-Free.

But the Wishers were by far the minority of people that I talked with.  The vast majority of the people I am putting into a category called the Work-Lifers.

A conversation with the Work-Lifers would go something like this:

Me:  "So I've decided to quit my job."
Work-Lifer:  "Where are you going?"
Me:  "I'm not going anywhere, I'm just quitting my job."
Work-Lifer:  "But who are you going to work for?"
Me:  "No-one."
Work-Lifer:  "But what are you going to do for work?"
Me:  "I don't know.  I know that I don't want to work for anyone else."
Work-Lifer:  "Ohh...well...interesting.  Good luck, I guess."

 

These conversations were a real eye-opener to me.  As I had more and more of these kinds of conversations, I began to think that Work-Lifers don't understand a basic fact, that you don't have to work for someone else to be successful. 

As I thought more about it, I began to realize that their view isn't abnormal, it is by far the majority.  I believe that it is ingrained in us by our culture.  From the time we are little kids, we are always asked what it is we want to be when we grow up.  "What job do we want?"  It seems an innocent question, and we answer things like fireman, police man, or doctor.  Then as we grow up, most of us learn from our parents that these jobs are dangerous, don't make much money, or are hard to become with many years of college required and lots of debt. 

So, at some point, we pick something else...accounting, waiter, computers, sales, and then the question changes.  "Who do you work for?", and we answer with things like H&R Block, Applebee's, or Microsoft.  It seems natural.  This is what we are supposed to do.

But it isn't the only option, and for many people like myself, it is by far not the best option.  I hope to show over time, through personal success, that we don't have to be defined by for who we work...that we can live happier, healthier, financially independent, and Boss-Free!