A colleague at one of the places I do regular onsite work let her contract run out this week. Why? She felt it was time to get back to freelancing.

She felt trapped -- emotionally and financially -- by working in a cubicle every day. And I totally understand where she's coming from. My butt has spent many years in cubicles that just seemed to get smaller and smaller over time. And being dependent on a steady stream of cash does tend to make people cling to a job that's just not working anymore.

This week was the first time in ages that I saw her smiling most of the time. And that made me kind of sad. Surely working for someone else can't be that bad...oh, forget I asked that one. I know the answer. ;)

Now don't get me wrong. There are days when I really want to tell my boss to go to hell. The trouble is that the boss is yours truly. Sure, I could hold up a mirror and give myself a heap of disgruntled-employee attitude, but that would make the cat nervous. The DH too.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that when the grass appears greener on the other side, sometimes a healthy dose of fertilizer is involved. Perfection is impossible to maintain and foolish to expect with any kind of career, whether working for "the man" or doing the self-employment thing. There are a lot of variables.

There are some people out there who can make it all seem effortless, but these are also people who enjoy eating high-fiber cereal on a "regular" basis. ;) But ask any of them and they'll tell you that it takes a lot of work to make anything work -- careers, relationships, effective coupon usage. You just have to determine what success means to you.

And I guess that's where my head's at right how. What did I do in 2007 that I consider a success? It's something that I've been pondering as I set my goals for the new year ahead.

I know, I really should save the heavy thinking for Mondays, but as I work from home most of the time, I tend to lose track of which day it is. ;)

So I wish dear Carmen the best of luck on her free fall back into the freelance world -- it's a fun place most of the time. As long as you remember the tin foil.

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