What Does “Being your Own Boss” Really Mean?

A Rarely Voiced Perspective on Personal and Professional Self-Governance

A split image that contrasts a traditional office environment with an entrepreneurial workspace.

“I want to be my own boss” is an aspiration that motivates so many people, both young and old — while also selling 1,000,000’s of mediocre books and drop-shipping master classes. Professionals working within hierarchical organizations often fantasize about attaining career autonomy, as if it were a state of enlightenment. They believe wholeheartedly that life would be better if “they didn’t have to answer to anyone.”

Here’s a less commonly voiced perspective on the matter, both from personal and professional standpoints.

Personally

First, ask yourself this question; are you not already your own boss? Contemplate the following:

• Who is responsible for your affairs?
• When you want something, who gives it to you?
• When you face a problem, who solves it for you?

For any adult that’s able-bodied and sound-minded, the answers can — and possibly should — be, “me.” Unless you’re of the camp that considers freewill a hoax, every individual is their own steward, yet must endure and navigate the social and political consequences of their environment.