I have gotten used to being pushed around by people. Sometimes, my parents tell me what to do, sometimes it is my daughter who is directing me and sometimes it is my boss. So, in this COVID era when I set out to creating my own niche in the online world, I realized it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. This was the time I realized that habits are creatures who have life of their own.

I have always been working for someone. Naturally, I have had people giving me directions and telling me what to do. Though I consider myself a reasonably responsible adult (heck I am a single mother!), there are times I am driven by project deadlines and report meetings.

I had worked as a freelancer when my daughter was born but then there too I had clients and deadlines driving me. However, when I decided to work for my self, it was not a very easy prospect.

• For one, I had no one to answer to! (Don’t we all dream of that? )
• Since I had no one to answer to, I could ignore the tasks that I had written in my to-do list.
• I could waste my time doing nothing and yet pretend I am very busy.
• Procrastinating became so natural that I didn’t even have to think about it. My work had the least priority; whenever a client gave me work, I was dot on the deadline!
• It was easy dreaming but getting down to doing whatever it takes to realize that dream was the tough part!

In this lockdown, my greatest challenge has been working for myself rather than others. Though I am still learning, I think I have realized that most of us never live for our own selves. We also live for others, do things for others, complete tasks for others. We are great as workers for others or bosses of others but when it comes to commanding our own selves, we are unable to maintain that momentum or motivation! And if we master this one tough lesson, we will be nothing short of the sages of the yore!