10 Signs You Were Meant to Work for Yourself
By Christina Gillick

If you’re meant to work for yourself, you likely feel it. Deep down inside, you know you’d do better, be happier, and live a richer life, if you called the face in the mirror, “Boss.”

Does that sound familiar?

If so, you probably see signs — like the 10 below — that indicate you should become self-employed. Whether you dream of becoming an entrepreneur, business owner, freelancer, or have a unique way of working for yourself, the signs are the same …

Here are 10 surefire ways to determine if you were meant to work for yourself. How many describe you?

1. You’re an “Idea Person.”

No matter where you currently work, you’re always coming up with new ideas …

Maybe you find methods for your current employer to improve their business … this trait will help you if you decide to become a consultant. Perhaps you develop ways to more efficiently complete your obligations, which is a valuable trait, no matter what type of business you start. Also, your ability to generate ideas makes you a great problem solver! That’s why your friends and family often turn to you for advice to help solve their problems.

If you’re considering working for yourself, it doesn’t matter (at this point) if your ideas are good or bad. What matters is that you have the ability to brainstorm solutions to problems and test your ideas to find those that work.

2. You love to learn.

Whether learning new things or studying subjects you already understand, your appetite for information just can’t be satisfied.

Maybe you love tutorials, taking things apart to see how they work, or studying great minds in your field. Any of these behaviors are signs that you’re meant to be self-employed.

Another activity of someone who loves to learn is reading — a lot. Maybe you read the news, fiction, or autobiographies … but whatever you read, you do it often.

3. You’re multi-talented.

Whether you currently work for someone else or not, you have many talents. To put it another way, you’re capable of wearing many hats.

In a typical job, you might find yourself going above and beyond your original job description. You might even volunteer to work extra hours or take on additional responsibilities.

At home, you likely find yourself capable of many different chores and tasks. From repairing the dishwasher — even if you have to Google a tutorial — to keeping up with several different schedules, you make it all look easy.

Additionally, you don’t shy away from new challenges. If something unusual comes your way, you find the information you need to deal with it. You also don’t give up easily. In fact, you see most challenges as opportunities to grow.

4. You have goals.

A solid indicator that you’re meant to work for yourself is whether or not you have goals …

Maybe your goals are work-related, such as, “Obtain a promotion by January 2016.” Or perhaps your goals are more private, like weight loss goals or monetary goals. Either way, you know what your goals are and you likely have them written down. Your goals include dates and your decisions move you closer to those goals.

Additionally, you set goals (or expectations) for others in your life. Maybe you help your children obtain good grades or support your husband in his goal for a promotion.

5. You’re a “People Person.”

If you can strike up a conversation with a stranger, follow up on opportunities, and persuade others to your side, you’ll likely thrive when you employ yourself.

As a business owner, you’ll rely on others to help you. Whether you need clients, customers, or business contacts, your ability to make friends will work to your advantage.

As a “people person,” you realize that all business contacts are people too. You don’t shy away from potential clients because you know you’re there to help and serve — not bother — them.

Bonus points for assisting others (without asking for anything in return), acknowledging the potential that others possess, being able to delegate tasks, and asking for help when you need it.

6. You’re passionate.

There are things in your life — possibly hobbies — that you can’t get enough of … in fact, when you’re doing these things, you lose track of time and it seems to fly by.

You often find yourself thinking about new passion projects and, when you start one, it’s difficult to drag you away.

As a business owner, your passion will fuel you. Ideally, you’ll become self-employed in a niche that excites you. Your passion will help you talk about your business (even when you’ve already explained it thousands of times) and give you energy to pull all-nighters when needed.

7. You’re obsessed with improvement.

You believe that no matter how good things are, they can always be improved. You’re always seeking out new ways to improve your body, mind, house, or anything else in your life.

You also enjoy learning about advancements in our world. Whether it’s a new technology to explore or a development in science, you love to learn about it.

Additionally, you often find ways to improve products and services. (A trait that will serve you well should you decide to become an inventor or consultant.)

8. You don’t run from hard work.

If you have an employer, they’d likely describe you as a hard worker. Even when faced with challenging tasks, you give more than is expected of you. In a typical job, you might find this trait puts you in a position to be taken advantage of … maybe you’re often asked to stay late or put in more than your fair share. As a result, you yearn to be your own boss and set your own schedule.

You understand that becoming self-employed might be hard work — especially up-front — and you’re okay with that. You want to work hard and reap the rewards of your effort. You also aren’t afraid to make sacrifices to get what you want.

9. You trust yourself.

When it comes to your internal voice, you listen. Maybe you have a feeling about a new acquaintance, intuition regarding a new idea, or instantly know the answer to a dilemma. Either way, you can trust yourself enough to make a decision and follow through.

You also know the value of listening to others’ advice. You understand that you can get ahead more quickly by not reinventing the wheel. However, you take others’ advice “with a grain of salt,” applying your own experience before taking action.

Because you can trust yourself, you also enjoy calling your own shots. You often visualize yourself as the boss, setting your own hours, directing other employees, and holding yourself accountable for the results of your efforts.

10. You want to increase your income.

As someone who desires to become self-employed, you likely have monetary reasons for doing so. Perhaps you need an extra income to pay bills or pursue hobbies. Maybe you want to make six-figures from the comfort of your home (or anywhere else in the world). Or you might even dream of building a billion-dollar business …

No matter what your financial goal is, you know money isn’t everything, but you’re inspired to take risks for financial gain.

So, are you meant to work for yourself?

If the above 10 signs sound like you, it’s time to look into the options. I personally started working for myself by becoming a freelance web writer. If that sounds like something you’d like to do, here’s a great place to start: 5 Online Writing Jobs You Can Start Today.

This article, 10 Signs You Were Meant to Work for Yourself, was originally published by Wealthy Web Writer.