Educational articles

Associative photo / Rasa Baltė Balčiūnienė

"Why do I need this?", "Does what I am doing make sense?", - a young person who has worked in an organisation for a while starts to ask himself. In the past, we used to come to organisations from a cultural background that meant "the most important thing is that I got a job", and how I feel doesn't matter at all. But now that cultural codes are changing so much, now that we are living in conditions of uncertainty, where we can no longer secure long-term prosperity and stability as before, priority is placed on well-being and satisfaction with what you do. I think this is a very positive transformation: people are seeking enjoyable activities for themselves because pleasure arises from understanding the meaningfulness of their actions, which comes from deep self-awareness.

It is possible to feel satisfaction in what you are doing in any system if you are able to define your own territory in which you are functional. Unfortunately, some people do not know how to do that, even though that could be their place of calling. A person who is unable to define his or her sphere of influence will feel bad, will constantly fall into childish states and will eventually decide to leave.

The second reason is that the person has been suppressing what they like, what drives them, and now, with so much talk about self-realization around them, they decide to leave the large system as it does not suit them.

A third reason for leaving the system may be that the person was using the system as a place to "train" - to grow his professionalism. Once he has learned, he starts looking for new contexts where he can grow further.

A large system can be a great environment to gain experience if the person chooses not to become a mere cog in that system. We need diverse experiences if we want to fully realize our calling (i.e., to be able to change material reality). This is the result of decades, not just a few years: when a person accumulates experience in different places and manages to break free from environmental stereotypes, new things emerge through them. Twenty years ago, organizations valued quantity and speed – perhaps that's when people became cogs. However, today, organizations are eagerly awaiting those who can offer new solutions.

However, let's return to solopreneurship. Where does the desire to create one's own organization come from? I think one of the reasons is the strong environmental pressure constantly dictating and directing how to behave, what to choose, what is right, and what is wrong. This prompts people to seek activities that bring them inner strength and pleasure. Most likely, some people choose solopreneurship as a way to express their leisure culture because they feel they can do what they want, how they want. A person intending to become their own organization should first answer whether they are ready to create a business as a structure and take responsibility, and whether they are interested in dynamics, growth, and development. If the pursuit is merely a pleasurable activity for them, then they should perceive it not as a business but as leisure. Then, the amount of money becomes less important because it's about enjoying the activity.

The text is prepared based on the conversation from the LRT podcasts series "Playing the Human"