Just in case we thought it was something we could sleep on there is the exclamation mark, red underlining and even yellow highlighting ensuring that we understand that time is of the essence. Moving out of a salaried position is not something to consider. No! It’s something that must be done. NOW!
The subtext is powerful. It whispers, “You don’t want to get left behind now do you? All the cool kids are doing it…”
There is a subtle suggestion that it’s slightly embarrassing to be an employee. People with ambition, passion and a sense of self don’t hang around waiting for payday. What are you? A mouse? Or an entrepreneur? Choose! NOW!
Hmm…
I used to be a business owner. A few months ago I shut down the PR agency I had spent close on nine years growing.
For the last four of those nine years I was a wage slave. But it wasn’t to my wage – it was to the wages of my employees.
I was enslaved by the payroll, tethered to the VAT bill and shackled to the shame of my overdraft.
During the good times it was really good. The blessings of business ownership are immense. And they deserve to be. It’s hard, its lonely and it takes sacrifice and stamina to run a business - small or large.
But that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. And it doesn’t mean that it’s forever.
I am just finishing my second month of full time employment and I love it. I have cut loose the burden of responsibility and faced my fear of failure.
I can feel my creativity sinking back into my soul. My sense of humour has moved from the dark (lank dark!) sarcasm I had begun to think of as my normal wit to something less likely to end in tears. I have joined a gym and I am re-learning how to completely relax.
So you can call me a wage slave and I will smile and agree because it’s true. But less true than its been for a while.