There are two kinds of people in the world: people who tolerate risks in order to do whatever they want, and people who prefer security. While I don't mean to say the second group are wrong or lesser beings in their pursuits, every single hugely successful person in the history of the universe has belonged to group number one - because risking losing everything is an absolute condition for absolute success. They are entrepreneurs - owners, inventors, producers - that make it big.
Having said that, being a regular employee has its benefits as well. You carry no financial risk with the company. You get a regular paycheck. All you need to do is execute the tasks your employer asks of you. Emphasize on the last few words: you get paid for doing what someone tells you to do.
While entrepreneurs have immense freedom to do whatever they like, to try any business idea they regard as interesting, the arrangement only works if the entrepreneur has the self-discipline to work, to market themselves, to grind their butts off, to tolerate going perhaps months - or years! - without pay. They can take a vacation whenever they want to, but that time off will be directly subtracted from their income - meaning, basically, that entrepreneurs don't take vacations. They can take a break in the middle of the day to go shopping or showering or to have a shot of scotch, but they'll likely make up for the lost working time by going back to work in the evening - and sometimes staying there until dawn.
Entrepreneurs can spend their time however they like, but in order to make it work, they must have the discipline to keep the free time in the minimum.
Meaning, you can go shopping in the middle of the day, if and only if it's an extreme exception and if you make up for the lost time, preferably beforehand. Because as an entrepreneur, you're free to do whatever your heart desires, but you'll be at work 24/7.
So before you abandon the ship that is your current job and join the entrepreneurs' ranks, think hard about whether you'll really enjoy the risks and the required discipline more than the security you have now. It's not for everyone, and it's okay to prefer a regular salary. But if you find being your own boss worth every risk and uncertainly the world has to offer, do it - you're in for the ride of your life.
RK
