I have my own business so have a different perspective about entrepreneurs.   In the past, I was an employee of an owner-occupied business and today this is my business niche.   I definitely prefer being a consultant rather than an employee.

How do you deal with an owner or a difficult manager who is unreasonable, demanding and driven and expects you to be an entrepreneur when you want to be an employee and have a life of your own outside of the business?  I know this last sentence quickly sums up the feelings most employees have when working in this type of environment.   Now, not all owners create unreasonable expectations, but if you are in one, you understand unreasonable.

Do you ever get frustrated, annoyed or angry with another person?   Silly question…isn’t it.  We all react to people, places or things in our lives that don’t seem to work for us.  Some things that bother me:

• The bus ride that made me late for a client’s meeting, 
• having to wait on line, 
• healthy food is much more expensive than junk food and is rarely on sale, 
• wet weather that permeates every cell of my body and I just can’t get warm, 
• someone not doing what they promised

In these economic times, I’m grateful that I have my own bookkeeping business and am making a living from my work. A year and half ago I had no idea how I was going to pay my bills, and in a short period I’ve built a strong business.  Yet I’ve been running myself ragged with this business in order to make the money.  No time to play, exercise, cook, talk to friends, or time to write.  I’m giving all my time to my business.

I’m sitting on the bus writing, my words barely legible from the jerky motion as the bus travels over the New York City roads.  I have an hour-long trip each way into the City (at least) and I do use this time to do many things.  I catch up with emails on my blackberry, read and even talk on the phone (which is somewhat rude when the bus is quiet and people are relaxing).  

Yet, this is a prime time to write.    I’m constantly saying I want time to write…here it is. 

I’m reading a book that resided on my bookshelf for a while – “A Pace of Grace:  The Virtues of a Sustainable Life” by Linda Kavelin Popov.   I like to wander over to my bookshelves to see what book talks to me.   I saw this book, but didn’t pick it up and instead starting reading another one.  I wasn’t satisfied with the book as this book kept calling me back, and now I know why.   The book covers many topics that make up a sustainable life, but the topic around ‘set clear boundaries’ strongly resonated with me.