Do you ever feel like no job's ever quite the right fit for you?

A couple months ago I was on a call with 2 friends I met on 𝕏 in my early days.

While we caught up, some-crazy-how we ended up on the subject on my old YouTube channel.

I was that guy who recklessly deleted social media accounts claiming, "I'll never go back!"

(and of course I always did)

So I don't have any photos from old Facebook accounts. All the old parkour videos I recorded with my friends when we were teenagers are long gone now.

Deleted 'em because I thought "we looked lame".

Honestly one of the dumbest impulsive decisions of my early years.
What do you expect from a teenager ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There's still a few gems laying around on YouTube from my college days, though.

I went through a short phase where I wanted to be an online Spanish language tutor.

Spoiler: I never followed through with this. I was too chicken 🐔

But that didn't stop my 2 friends from wanting to see the videos I made for it.

I felt embarrassed about them for a number of reasons, but they insisted.

A few arm-twists later, we were watching the one where I introduce myself.

Idk what's worse, how different my face looked back then, or how awkward I sounded 🤪

But after the video ended, my friends told me something I'd never considered:

Looking back, I remember thinking I'd never want to do freelancing or start a business because it felt too risky.

I even argued with my dad about it whenever he suggested it, thinking it was a dumb idea.

But my behavior said the opposite.

I liked making my own rules and helping people on my terms.

I enjoyed learning for the sake of teaching, and training for the sake of being useful to others.

I had no clue I'd ever make that into a business or teach people for-real-for-real on the internet.

But here we are.

Sometimes we deny ourselves what we really want because it's comfortable.

I didn't end up here for fun, though. I did it because I saw what it was like to be an employee.

To be at the whims of your employer and the organization you serve.

You don't really get a choice about where your career goes.

You get a preference and if you play ball and give the company what they want, then you have a shot at the career you're after.

Seems like a lot of hoops to jump through when you could just, you know, go do what you want without asking for permission?

So basically I was tired of waiting for permission and just started helping people on the internet.

It was uncomfortable but the universe had forced my hand.

If you've always felt a bit dissatisfied helping people the way other people want you to...

...and you've always had "bright ideas" but held yourself back from doing anything with them... ...maybe it's time to loosen up.

Listen to what your heart wants, and don't accept "I don't know how" as a valid response from yourself.

Figure out the how and you'll start to see what's possible.

For me, being a team player is a learned adaptation.

It's not my natural state.

I tend to like making my own rules, but you can't really do that when you're an employee.

And obviously I still am an employee, but now I finally have an outlet for the "real me", and the funny thing is, I'm more engaged at work because of it.

I'm not hiding from myself anymore so I feel good, and this business has me growing in ways that benefit my employer too.

It's a win all around.

That said, if the shares I bought from my first job ever make me a millionaire, I'll probably go all-in on the business for a year just to see what happens.

If I can do all this while working a 9-5 I'm pretty sure I'd dominate the market without one.

How do you know you're not meant to "go solo" until you try it on?

One way to do that is to start writing content, because marketing is a requirement for any successful business.

Anyone running an online operation writes content if they want to keep getting leads.

So no, you don't need to sell anything. But try writing for an audience.

You'll learn how it feels to be in the arena instead of the peanut gallery.

​>>> Get your "sea legs" writing on LinkedIn for your fellow QA professionals​

All I know is I spent way too long telling myself "no" instead of "trying it out".

What've you really got to lose, anyway?

Cheers,

Steven