Last Friday, I celebrated my one year anniversary since quitting my 9-5 job in order to pursue my blog full-time. WOW – TIME HAS FLOWN. I can’t believe it’s already been 365 days since I last sat at a corporate office desk and honestly, I can’t imagine ever returning to that career lifestyle.

But I’m not gonna lie, working for yourself as your own boss is a deceptive position. What looks like “the dream” when published online is only the end result; not everyone witnesses the blood, sweat, and literal tears happening behind the scenes to make it look that way. Which is why I’m sharing the nitty-gritty, rude truth about what it’s really like working for yourself.

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Making the decision to go full-time with my blog was a risky one. If you think about it, sacrificing my monthly salary, health benefits, and work relationships for an unpredictable, self-starting career doesn’t sell as a wise idea. To be honest, I’m still navigating how to feel more comfortable living without those guarantees. When the months are slow, it feels extremely unsettling not knowing if you’ll manage to make ends meet (i.e. rent, bills) – I’ve had to sacrifice a few meals, several nights out with friends, and too many hours of sleep in order to save money, as well as earn it.

The biggest misconception about having a full-time blogging career is that we get to enjoy the luxuries of working for ourselves from home, meaning we get to make our own rules because we’re not reporting to an office. The amount of times someone ignorantly assumed that I get to sleep in, run errands, go shopping, get my nails done, etc. on a weekly basis honestly baffled me. It couldn’t be FARTHER from the truth behind what I do to make this career work.

On average, my days begin at 6am and sometimes end at 6am, 7 days a week… I’m working EVERY DAMN DAY because I’m not guaranteed a salary each month. I have to work my ass off to ensure I land enough brand sponsorships and earn enough affiliate commission in order to pay my dues. It’s incredibly exhausting, often unforgiving, and undeniably frustrating – especially when faced with the assumption that being your own boss & having an “Instagram career” is an easy one.

But like I said in the beginning, I can’t imagine going back to a corporate career. Yes I’m working 10x harder & 20x longer than I used to, but I genuinely love what I’m doing. I wake up every day excited to get to work because I’m reminded of the rewards that come with this platform. Honestly, YOU GUYS – my amazing tribe of humans that have decided to follow my journey – are the reason why I choose to work this hard. You deserve the best of what I can offer, which is why every post I publish on this platform is written with that intention.

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I know this post may sound like I’m not fulfilled with my decision to go full-time, but I can 100% assure you that I’m beyond happy. I’m someone who enjoys working and appreciates having a challenge, as well as likes to not live the same day twice. Being my own boss has placed me in a position that not many of us get to experience, in our lifetimes & especially not at this young age. I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be able to embark on this opportunity and beyond appreciative of everything this career has provided me, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Being transparent about the good, the bad, and downright ugly truth about what’s happening behind the scenes is something that should be shared, in my opinion. Not everything is fabulous nor black & white. It’s important to share the 50+ shades of grey too.