It’s been one year exactly since I started looking into freelance writing as a viable career.

It’s been three and a half months since I transitioned to freelancing full-time.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to stop and process how far I’ve come in such a short time. I get too caught up in where I think I need to go next. Y’all that’s the wrong way to live – it’s exhausting!

In an effort to stop and smell the roses, today I’m going to reflect on how much my life has changed inside of a year. Here are five decisions I now make on a daily basis as the boss of my own web-based business.

1. What Time I Start My Day

I’ve set an alarm one time since last Christmas. Once! That in itself seems like a miracle. And I only did it to make a 7am networking meeting.

Last year as I started my side hustle, I woke up on the daily to an alarm – at 4:45am. I only had early morning, Friday’s and some weekends to build my new business and I took it seriously.

But now that this is my full-time gig, I let our two toddlers wake us up on a daily basis. And sometimes Wade lets me sleep in even after they wake up (and vice versa, I return the favor).

I don’t typically abuse this. Most days I naturally wake up between 6:30-7, but it sure is nice not to have to worry about it on days like today. Our 3-year-old is sick and came into our room about 2am looking for help.

I could tell he was burning up from a fever, so I went to lay with him. A couple hours later, neither of us were asleep, so I tagged Wade in and went to catch some z’s. I woke back up after 8am, which is usually when I start my day. It was so nice to just let our bodies dictate the rest needed and when to start work, rather than a timeclock at the office!

2. Where I Work

Most of the time, I work from my parent’s place (which is close to home). My mom still works and my step-dad works some days (he’s retired), but is fine with me being there. I’m close enough to home if Wade or the kids need me, but I’m in a quiet space that limits distractions.

Sometimes I’ll work from a coffee shop for a change of scenery or pace, but that can get expensive. I’ve also worked from the road a time or two.

All I need is my Chromebook (affiliate link) and the internet to be able to work really. It can be from my home, outside or a million other places. This is good and bad of course – I still don’t have a smartphone, so I’m not always available if I don’t want to be.

3. Who I Work With

I’ve never had really bad coworkers in the past, so it’s never been a big issue. But there will always be people that you like more than others – or that you learn more from or something.

Due to my newfound self-employment, I get to choose who to work with. I get to choose which clients I want to work with (for the most part), who I hire as my coach, my web guy or marketing support. I can hire subcontractors or people to help with research or something else. It’s up to me!

4. How I Invest in My Business

I choose how to invest in my business via my schedule (how I allocate my time) and my wallet (how I spend my money). I love that I have this control, although sometimes I wish someone could tell me exactly what to do/spend my money on to get results!

I don’t have to get home office approval or request overtime or something else to get the job done. I can work longer hours some days or weeks and less on others, depending on what I’ve got going on. I get to make the decisions on how I spend my business income and my time.

5. How Much I Earn

This is in most ways up to me. Typically the more I work (or the higher quality clients I attract), the more money I can make. You can verify this with my income reports. Each month so far, they’ve gotten better and better. Hopefully, I didn’t just jinx myself…

Working harder or longer won’t guarantee more money. And making more and more money isn’t necessarily the goal. My income isn’t capped by a cost of living raise or a percentage of sales that I brought in that month though. I have unlimited income potential – and that’s pretty exciting.

In Conclusion

It’s good to take a step back and reflect once in awhile. All of these small steps and efforts that I’ve taken over the last year have added up to something pretty wonderful.

I’m now the boss.

I’m in control of my business destiny (for the most part). I get to decide when I start my day, where I work, who I work with, how I invest in my business and how much income I make.

It’s up to me to decide because I’m the boss!

Do you want to be the boss someday? What’s the biggest thing holding you back at the moment?