Once upon a time, I wanted to be a professional violinist. Then I wanted to start a nonprofit.
Today, I’m reflecting on the journey of being a consultant, 8 years after leaving my full time job.
Social workers aren’t taught about self-employment or being consultants (at least this was the case during my MSW school years). If we are, it’s usually related to starting and running a therapy practice.
After 8 years, the lessons I learned after my first year as a consultant are still present, and I also feel the same as I did at the five year mark.
During the five-year mark, I wanted better work-life balance. Now, I realize what I really want is work-life alignment.
There’s various definitions of work-life alignment, but what this means to me is my work and my life are in harmony with each other, with my work being positioned to support the life I want.
This has me thinking about not only where I see my business at the 10 year mark, but also at the 20 year mark and beyond.
It makes me think of legacy.
When I decided to shift into full time consulting, I had to start thinking a self employed person while still showing up at my job. I thought of all the ways my employment was working in service of this goal. Eventually, everything worked itself out.
Over the past 3 years, I’ve done more partnerships. I’ve enjoyed the thought partnership and in getting to know my partners, their strengths, and how we combine our strengths to lead projects together.
This makes me think of how my one-woman consulting practice could transition into a team.
Part of my business’ legacy is exploring ways the business can continue in the event that I step away, either temporarily (a sabbatical) or permanently (retirement).
Now that I’m exploring building a team, I have to start thinking like an employer. Which requires building up an entirely new skillset. How do I want to show up employer? Do I actually want to be an employer?
This is exciting yet nerve-wracking to explore.
Raise Your Voice: What does legacy mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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