I won’t lie to you or sugarcoat things. Working for yourself can be a bear at times.

Now that I’m a full-time blogger and coach, I have the pressure of generating enough revenue for my family to live on.

That can be tough, especially considering how much my soon-to-be 13-year-old son eats! ?

In all seriousness, some weeks are incredibly good, some . . . not so much.

But I much prefer my current set of pressures than those of my corporate job. The purpose of this article is to share three of the main reasons now might be the best time ever to work for yourself.

1. More Freedom

Back in my corporate days I didn’t have the freedom I wanted.

Now? A picture’s worth a thousand words. Here’s my office today:

I’m nestled into my friendly neighborhood coffee shop, writing a note to you. Not bad!

2. Greater Financial Rewards

I also wasn’t able to scale the rewards of my hard work in the corporate world. Don’t get me wrong. I got raises and promotions and accolades aplenty. The company I worked for was incredibly good to me.

But that way of working just didn’t have the upside working for yourself does.

In my experience the potential rewards of owning your own company blow the doors off what’s possible when you work for someone else.

Now, obviously I could fall on my face, and this whole thing could collapse. But I doubt that will happen, and even if it did, what then? I’d get a job until I figured out my next move.

Here’s the thing. Your corporate job, no matter what it is, is not a sure thing forever and ever. Just in the past four months two of my close friends were let go. Do you know anyone who’s lost a job recently?

The corporate world can appear really safe and secure, but as our economy goes through massive shifts and more and more labor is outsourced, that cushy position with benefits is a lot less reliable than you might think.

Turns out, the “risky” move of self-employment may be the sanest, most reasonable thing you can do.

3. Better Health Benefits

Speaking of benefits, one of the main reasons people are scared to go out on their own comes down to two words: health insurance.

Let me assure you: you can get health insurance on your own (my family has it), and if your income is below a certain amount, the government will even subsidize it. Health insurance does not have to be the wall people make it out to be.

And please, please do not disregard the incredibly rich health benefits, both mental and physical, that are possible when you work for yourself.

These have been truly life-changing for me.

For one thing, I’m simply having more fun working for myself.

This year, for example, I helped a small group of writers craft their book proposals. We met at a botanical gardens here in Grand Rapids to learn and hang out. Look how happy we are!

We had such a great time, and we’re friends for life! (By the way, if you want to work on a nonfiction book proposal, hit me up. That’s my jam!)

Plus, I’ve lost over 45 pounds since starting this journey and completed my first triathlon earlier this year. You can see the difference:

Self-employment as weight loss program?

Well, one doesn’t necessarily follow the other. But I’m in the best shape of my life right now in part because I now have the flexibility and energy to take care of myself better than ever before.

Thinking about Working for Yourself?

If you’re thinking about making the move, I encourage you to do what I did and enroll in Blogging Your Passion University, curated by my friend, professional blogger, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, Jonathan Milligan.

Registration is open for just a couple more days (I’m writing this on Wednesday, November 13, 2019), and then it’s gone for at least six months.

This empowering program could be your chance to experience more freedom, greater financial rewards, and better health benefits than ever.

I encourage you to check out Blogging Your Passion University.

(Full disclosure: The above is an affiliate link, which means if you use this link to enroll in BYPU, you’ll pay the same amount you would otherwise, and I’ll receive a small commission. In other words, you’ll be helping me feed my ravenous kid. Thank you!!)

Question: Which of these work-for-yourself benefits appeals most to you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.