A friend of mine just officially announced her retirement from teaching. She was, and still is, a great teacher and taught me an immense amount about photography. But she also inspired me in other ways.  She’s the ultimate free agent and solopreneuer. She followed her dream of creating art, never wavered from it, and is very successful on many levels.  She’s still going strong as she moves onto the next chapter of her life.

In “Free Agent Nation,” Daniel Pink writes that free agents “are free from the bonds of a large institution, and are agents of their own futures. They are the new archetypes of work in America.”  This describes my friend exactly. She fashioned her work life to suit her own needs and desires instead of accepting the values, structure and rules of a traditional job. She was a pioneer in the free agent field, probably weathering some heavy criticism early on in her career for striking out on her own.

Today things are a bit different. Many of us become solopreneurs and free agents after experiencing a stifling traditional job, or deciding we’ve had enough. It’s more common to meet people like my friend.

So as a solopreneur and free agent, what kind of life – work and personal – are you creating? Where are you getting your inspiration? Are you feeding your soul?  And the ultimate question – Are you happy?  If not, what will you choose to do about it?