I was thinking today as I was driving to my office how much freedom I have as a solo professional. Not just the freedom to come and go as I please, either (although that’s significant). I was thinking about the freedom to follow the opportunities and interests that arrive in my life.

If I get an idea for a business service that I want to pursue, I just do it. If I’m invited to go on a three-week book tour, I just go. If a new client appears with a project that I want to tackle, I’m free to take it on.

That’s big.

Having a job that more or less consumes 100% of your available work time, on the other hand, prevents you from following the opportunities that life blows your way.  It might pay the bills, but the predictability of a steady paycheck interferes with the unpredictability of pursuing your passions, most of which appear as little side projects before eventually growing into full-blown dreams.

Even if opportunity knocks, you don’t have the time or energy to stop and chat.

For me, never knowing what the next day will bring is a big part of what makes solo professionalism so rewarding.