The Year I Bet on Myself

A journey from corporate to freelance.

Image created via Midjourney

It’s that time of year… when The Internet is rife with lists like “Here are 22 things I learned in 2022!”

I hate long lists. And did anyone really learn twenty-two new things in one year?

I usually write some type of year-end reflection. Could I top 2020, the year I decided that I would quit a job I’d been at for 15 years? Or 2021, two new jobs later, thinking (mistakenly) that I’d found a great company to work for?

Turns out, something was stirring inside me. And this year, I made the leap from corporate to freelance. Could I have anticipated this at the beginning of the year? No. Was it the right decision? Absolutely.

I’m not going to list twenty-two learnings about the year. But here four things that stood out to me about 2022.

I can depend on myself.

For most of my career, I worked at jobs that tried to make me feel small in some way.

I was brushed aside by a self-important CEO. Overlooked by a dysfunctional company. Micromanaged and undervalued. No way to shine in a way that I knew I could.

After repeated disappointment with employers, I was just… done. I’m sure there are wonderful employers in the world. But I…