Some reflections from 3 years out of formal employment - surprisingly lonely for unexpected reasons. Most friends still employed at high stress jobs so I have nobody to hang out or holiday with because they don’t have the time flexibility I do - slowly lost touch with office politics, unemployment anxiety, comp or high personal taxes which are perpetual topics of debate in those circles. Nice but also makes it harder to relate to those friends and what they are going through - I get so much more time with kids - will sound weird but I find it’s less stressful than having a job - there were easier phases and harder phases but by and large I grinded so much harder when working for other ppl in my 20s. It is possible that my path so far has been easier or that my prior job history more gruesome than most but the first few years have been mentally and energy wise easier than eg my job in finance - on that note.. with recent hires and complete outsourcing of fulfilment I just feel like my job is to eat the sh*tsoup when it gets cooked and come up with ways we can grow… maybe public markets prepare you super well for the sh*tsoup part.. because even if things are sh*t at least you have some control to change them 🤷‍♀️ so mental health actually better today than 3 yrs ago -perhaps most unexpectedly your circle slowly starts turning over to other business owners both large and small. Eg feels like I have more to talk about with someone running a large fam conglomerate or an indie artist than a former colleague. Weird because the shared history or lack thereof doesn’t seem to matter.. mindset is everything and it puts out an aura that other ppl pick up on if you will -overall the best way to describe it is that I am less anxious and more paranoid . And honestly, at least so far I prefer it that way