The infinite monkey theorem says that a single monkey tapping away on a typewriter for an infinite length of time will eventually type out the entire works of Shakespeare.

I’m sure Shakespeare wouldn’t like to hear that. And neither would anyone else who writes for a living. (“What? You mean to tell me that I charge for my writing when someone who has a monkey plus a lot of time can get their writing done, too?”).

There’s one thing we’ve learned here at FreelanceWeekly about monkeys and typewriters: When those monkeys leave their dumber chimpanzee cousins to fill in while the monkeys themselves sip margaritas and snorkel off of a catamaran, the work doesn’t necessarily get done. Last week, we were “Freelance Not-So-Weekly”. Sorry about that. We’ve sent the chimps packing.

To make it up to you, I want to give you a list of reasons why freelancing is awesome. This may sound like a funny list for one freelancer to give to another freelancer, but I find it’s helpful to revisit this list from time to time… when the work goes from enjoyable to frustrating, or when a customer gives some particularly critical feedback.

Why become a freelancer #1: There’s no boss. The only boss is you. And your customers. And your spouse and kids. But all of those bosses put together are still dramatically better than working for Mr. Don’t-Screw-Up-Or-It’s-Your-Job-On-The-Line.

Why become a freelancer #2: The customers are your customers. At a day job, customers come and go. It’s no big deal. But in your business, every customer is an asset. Your business is worth so much more because one more person said “yes”.

Why become a freelancer #3: Coworkers. Ah, coworkers. I don’t know about you but half of my coworkers drove me crazy in my real job. The gossip, the romances, the competitiveness. Actually, it’s not really that different from grade school. Or high school. Or college. (And, according to my grandfather, the retirement home is exactly the same). Freelancing is the one and only escape route from that.

Why become a freelancer #4: It’s all about you. Yeah, it’s all about serving your customers but they are relying on you to be the awesome freelancer that you are. If you suck, they suffer. But since you don’t suck, it’s good for them and they respect, trust, admire, and rely on you.

Why become a freelancer #5: Daytime television. If you want to watch daytime television, you can. You don’t have to record “As the World Turns” and watch it when the kids are in bed. And if daytime television isn’t your thing, there are lots of other interests that you might have that you can do when you want (as long as you get your work done, of course).

On good days (which are many; and the longer you’re in the business the better it gets), I LOVE being a freelancer. And on my bad days, when it feels like things are crumbling all around, I just remember this: My worst day as a freelancer is better than my best day as an employee.