I won't say what my business is or when I started working for myself full-time, but doing so has changed absolutely everything in my life.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, my life was somewhat lived in terms of 'stop,' 'slow down,' and 'shut up'. I always minded my actions carefully not because of discipline, but because I was afraid of the consequences, especially in the workplace, of non-conformity.

This wasn't one of those unreal fears; I've been fired from many jobs over the years, often because of a general failure to fit in with the workplace. Non-conformity didn't just occur in the workplace for me, but in many other aspects of my life, and I've always been "punished" for it in one form or another through alienation and/or shame.

But I no longer feel guilt, shame, or any other form of social punishment because since going out on my own in a professional sense, there is no one to punish me. There's no one to force my head to nod when I'm told to do something I know is wrong, and there's no one to shame me (correcting and shaming are different things) when I make mistakes. There's no identity that I must adopt in order to pay the bills, and I no longer have to carefully consider everything I say out of fear that I'll offend someone I'm "dependent" on. I am dependent on myself, accountable for all of my actions, and if I fail in this business, I may lose everything.

And I've never been happier in my life.

There is no one to say 'you can't learn this', 'you can't do that.' I choose what I want to learn now, and I have plenty of time to commit to things I want to learn now. There is no one to say I can't take up a particular project even though I'd like to. I do not spend my waking hours making money for other people, and I don't pursue any path that has nothing to do with my life's passion because no one else in this world can make decisions about my life now.

In my professional and personal life now, I can turn people away and eliminate bad influences from my life simply by either ignoring them or pushing them away. I can insult people if I care to and it won't mean my livelihood, even though I don't insult people because...well, I don't enjoy making people feel bad.

I have taken control of my paths, my dreams, and my precious, precious time. I don't even care that my business may fail someday and I'll have to clean up the "damage" after that...today, I have freedom.

So for anyone who feels as though society is inhibiting their true potential, trust me, advice columns are not the answer, and not even kind, comforting words from those you love are the answer. Exercise isn't the answer, and "sucking it up" sure as hell isn't it, either. Sometimes, we must drastically change the circumstances of our external world to naturally and completely bring about the changes we seek in our internal worlds.